BY MIKE SHALER | Go Venue Magazine
What got you into music?
I was interested and heavily involved in music from a very young age, training classically from elementary school to college. From Jazz saxophone, to Metal drums, to piano and music production, I was always trying to expand my craft, but the band that got me into metal was Slipknot.
What intrigued you about music?
It always made me feel something, and I was very aware of music in the different mediums I experienced it in, like video games and movies. By the time I was interested in bands, it became a sort of fun challenge to see if I could play the songs that I loved, and eventually create sounds that I heard in my head.
How did you handle quarantine and has this been the longest you’ve gone without performing a show in front of a live audience since you’ve became a touring musician?
Quarantine has been a double edged sword… On one hand, yes, this is the longest I’ve gone without performing, and that part of me is starving. I miss my boys in Combichrist, I miss the fans, I miss playing, but on the other hand, it’s given me a great opportunity to be creative, and tackle things on the CyberScream front. It’s been a very fun and challenging process creating this album and I can’t wait for people to hear it!
On October 10th your self-titled album CyberScream will be released to the masses. Tell us what we can expect from it.
Beyond the fact that October 10th is my birthday, I believe something new is being born. Something that I expect to grow and expand the boundaries of what metal, rock, and live performance can be, but also be a vessel for self discovery. This first batch of songs completely encapsulate that idea, and allows us to have some fun in the process.
What motivates your creativity?
I find all forms of art inspiring, but I feel myself being frequently moved by cinema. CyberScream is very theatrical and visually engaging beyond its music, so I love thinking of ways that those two can gel together. I also love hearing other artists from various genres talking about their process and approach to music, and it often lends a great new perspective. Other than that, nothing beats a good old fashioned rock show from your favorite band.
What is your creative process like?
When it works best, it starts with a great piece of intuition. A little whisper from the universe, whether that’s a lyric, an idea, or a riff, and it usually builds from there. Sometimes it flows naturally, other times I can only manage a small chunk at a time, but eventually I have enough ideas that I can kind of piece together a song with these “building blocks” and decide what fits and what doesn’t. Beyond the studio though, I’ve also written a good handful of songs while I was out for a walk.
Who inspired you to make music?
The first artist to really capture my love for exciting music and performance was Michael Jackson. From there, I became more drawn to the heavier side of things when I discovered bands like Slipknot, Lamb of God, and Rammstein. However, the drum tones on Metallica’s “…And Justice For All” made me want to pick up a pair of drum sticks and start playing in the first place. It just kept expanding from there as I discovered more and more artists that I admired and wanted to be like.
How would you describe the music that you create?
CyberScream is what a band made out of lightning would sound like. It’s electric, it’s intense, it’s loud, but also beautiful. It captures a pulse and a feeling beyond the technicality of what’s being played, and truly showcases everything I am as an artist, with no rules and no boundaries.
What do you hope people remember most about your music?
I hope they remember how it made them feel, first and foremost. I hope they were able to discover something about themselves that they may have been ignoring, or hiding from. I also hope that it becomes part of their everyday lives, whether it’s a great gym song, an anti-depressant, or just something they play that makes them feel good one way or another.
About CyberScream:
A tour de force of pulse-pounding beats, crushing guitars, heavy synthesizers, and visually stunning eye candy from the mind of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Dane White. Join the movement, and brace yourselves for “The World’s Most Electrifying Rock Show,” CyberScream.
Dane White is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Orlando, FL, and the founder of CyberScream. In addition to being the drummer for Industrial Legends, Combichrist, he spends his time off tour writing, producing, and performing in a host of varieties in the Orlando Entertainment World.
