Up Close with Cellar Doves' Damian David

Up Close with Cellar Doves' Damian David

Damian David is a young, up and coming electronic music composer and producer currently living in Providence. His band Cellar Doves has a full-length album entitled In New Mirrors, which was released on June 8th. The release is available digitally at cellardoves.bandcamp.com, or you can purchase one of the 100 limited edition clear 12” vinyl records at an upcoming Cellar Doves performance.  We sat down with Damian to learn more about him and his craft:

How long have you been making music, and what was the first instrument you started playing?
I’ve been making music since the age of seven. My cousin and I have worked together in various bands and studios.  My first keyboard was a "Music Major", and it had a built in sampler.  I taught myself piano in 2000.  

How long have you been in Providence, and what are your thoughts on Providence's art and music scene?
I’ve been in Providence for roughly six hundred years. I've spent some time here and there. In retrospect, it's safe to say we've got the most unique scene on the East Coast. If you go to Philadelphia or somewhere in Florida and say “Olneyville”

, people know what you're talking about thanks to bands like Yip Yip, An Albatross, and dälek.  If you say "I'm from Providence", then you're instantly hip in their mind.  Our smallness is huge outside the blind spot.  

Besides producing and performing live, you are also a DJ. How is DJing different from your live performances as it relates to your creative expression?
For me DJing is more of an energy exchange in the sense that it forces you to read what “x” group of people need to get them in the mood; foreplay is crucial.  Live performance is more a challenge in regards to reproducing the noises that occurred in the studio through one’s inventive manner.  

Who are your biggest musical influences? How have they influenced your current work?
Currently my biggest musical influences are The Knife, Mr. Oizo, The Presets, Freeland, Booka Shade, Boys Noize, Grum, and The Twelves to name a few. Each of them influences a different part of my music, but share a similar tasteful darkness.  My second album should clearly portray these influences.

You can catch Damian David DJing his night Love Death Disco, which is held every third Thursday of the month at Local 121. The Cellar Doves will be performing live on Thursday, July 22nd at AS220, and on Saturday, July 31st at the IndieArts Fest in downtown Providence.