Daniel East - “Success starts with loving the process”

Daniel East, a multi-talented music producer and artist, has made a significant impact on the industry through collaborations with artists like Drake, 21 Savage, Future, and Young Thug. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, and later moving to Naples, Florida, East began his journey as a sample-based producer, drawing inspiration from legends like J Dilla, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier. This article delves into Daniel East’s evolution from his early days to his breakthrough with the hit track "All Da Smoke," and his continued success with Kingsway Music Library and beyond, offering valuable insights for aspiring producers looking to carve out a successful career in today’s competitive music landscape.

How did you first get interested in music and music production?

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It began when I was five or six years old, watching my father play the saxophone. Growing up in early 2000s New York, I was heavily influenced by the music my older siblings, who were 13 years ahead of me, listened to. They exposed me to '90s music like Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and Jay-Z’s “Blueprint” era, as well as R&B from artists like Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, and Alicia Keys. My mother, being Hispanic, also introduced me to salsa and bachata, which added to the unique and diverse musical palette I developed.

When I was 10, my family moved from Brooklyn to Naples, Florida. Shortly after the move, I visited New York again, and that’s when I first became interested in music production. My older cousin, who was a music producer, was making beats on an MPC connected to FL Studio. Seeing him create a beat sparked my interest immediately. As soon as I got back to Florida, I bugged my brother to install FL Studio, and once I started, I never looked back. FL Studio is still my go-to DAW.

When you first started producing, what was your process of finding artists for your beats or samples?

When I first started producing around 10 or 11 years old, my focus was on getting to a place where I could make good beats. The first five or six years were heavily influenced by the music I was introduced to early in life. I was deep into sample-based production, chopping and looping records, and going through phases where I mimicked different producers like J Dilla, DJ Premier, 9th Wonder, RZA, and Pete Rock—guys who paved the way in the music I was listening to.

Since I started young, I didn’t really begin working with artists until the latter part of high school. Around 16 or 17, I started getting involved with the local music scene in Florida, connecting with artists from my high school. It was a big local thing initially, and I was heavily into the SoundCloud era. SoundCloud played a huge role in my early career, helping me get intertwined with the producing community and eventually leading me to start my professional career in Toronto, Canada.

One of the main artists I worked with back then was a singer named Lou Val from Toronto, whom I connected with on SoundCloud. We started collaborating, which eventually led to me going out to Toronto. Looking back at the 2015-2016 era, it's incredible to see how those early relationships I built through SoundCloud have lasted. I'm still good friends with those people today, and it's always a pleasure to reflect on that journey.