Danz CM(@danz_cm) is a producer, songwriter, composer and the founder of Synth History (@synth_history) magazine and Channel 9 Records (@channel9records). Born in the Catskills and based in LA, her DIY ethos, creativity and deep love for analog gear inspires a lot of what she does!
Handle without care: mindset or way of life?
Mindset.
If your suitcase could talk, what secrets would it reveal?
You forgot something!
Have you ever said ‘let’s go’ without knowing where, with whom, or why?
Yes.
Tell us about that trip you took without really knowing where you were going.
When I was in high school in upstate New York, I’d sometimes impulsively drive past the exit on the highway and skip school. I’d just keep driving without knowing where I was going. No cellphone and no map. No one knew where I was. I’d park the car in a random town and walk around and listen to music on my iPod. Radiohead’s Ok Computer, probably. I ended up in Pennsylvania a few times by accident. I would memorize all the turns so I wouldn’t get lost coming back home. My grades were OK, but I just barely graduated because I was absent so many times. I think I just wanted to get away from absolutely everything. Up until this very day, no one knows I would do this except for me!
Have you ever ended up in the wrong place… and realized it was exactly where you needed to be?
I can’t think of a situation where I was ever in the wrong place. Even if I’m lost I’ll usually just figure out ways to roll with it.
Have you made peace with your flaws, or do you still argue sometimes?
…
You’re here now—by chance, or because of all the imperfect choices you’ve made along the way?
It’s a mixture of both. Chances coincide with the choice to take action. You won’t know a choice is imperfect until you make one to begin with. A lot of the most defining aspects of my life, becoming a musician or starting the zine, weren’t things I planned on doing. Having a career in the arts never felt like a real possibility from where I came from– as a kid I was programmed to believe that anything art-related could only ever amount to being a hobby, not a career. That’s just how it was. I made an intentional choice to move to the city. First New York City, then to LA. It’s a whole different world from the suburbs, being surrounded by so many artists and possibilities. Once you recognize you’re good at something, you just have to work hard at it until it becomes real. You manifest it into existence. A dream is just a dream otherwise. Technically you’re given a ‘chance’ each day you wake up in the morning, and either you make the choice to spend time and energy on what you want to be doing, or you don’t. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.
Photographer: @ambarbecutie
Lighting Assistant: @max_flick
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