“What’s really exciting for me is getting this compilation out officially,” Banko enthuses. “It’s coming out under our own label, Darkbeat Recordings, which is even more exciting, and that marks out 10th anniversary. It’s just exciting times in general right now because we are also preparing to do an Australia-wide tour for the CD straight after, so it’s all happening.”
His own 16-track mix, sandwiched in-between two of his favourite DJs – Australia’s first and biggest superstar DJ export, Anthony Pappa, and Darkbeat resident and Pioneer expert, Phil K – Banko says the three-disc affair is the musical equivalent of the perfect night out, from start to finish.
“So it’s based on the early part of the night, then the peak of the night, and then it finishes off with the end of the night which is more music to chill out to. Anthony really wanted to do something a bit different with his disc than what people would normally expect from him – it’s more music close to his heart. It’s a little bit more groovier and slower, it’s more house and it has a more funkier beat instead of the normal big, pumping main-room sound that he would be normally playing.
“It’s a mix that really stands the test of time, it’s not going to date musically any time soon. I’ve [Rollin Connection] got the peak of the night covered with the second CD, which takes you through everything from club-ish stuff to more deep house, tech-house, techno and progressive. Finally, there’s Phil K who is one of Australia’s best DJs and he’s done a disc that is more an afterhours soundtrack which is a bit of a different take on the way he’s thinking musically at the moment. It’s more of a slow-mo feel and away from the main-room sound. He brings a whole new element to the triple CD pack.”
And the 10th anniversary compilation is by no means a one-off, according to Banko. With Darkbeat Recordings now well-established and about to unleash its first release in epic fashion, there’s plenty more to come from the collective’s studio in 2013.
“It’s a work in progress but we’ve decided that the CD series is going to be a continuous thing from now on,” Banko says. “We’re looking at a CD once every six months or somewhere in-between, we’re still tossing up ideas, to tell you the truth. Most likely it will be releases that will feature an international artist alongside a local artist, so that we give the local DJ overseas exposure and the international DJ local exposure.
“That way it helps with people finding out about us in other parts of the world, which will hopefully help make the brand global. We have a lot of local guys in Australia that make good music and DJ really well, so we believe they deserve a chance because there aren’t many opportunities going around. Personally, one of the things that I want to get more involved in this year is working on more productions from now onwards. Starting with 2013, we’re doing this first compilation mix CD which will hit the stores nationwide and worldwide, so we’re getting the word out there. One of the main things I’m focusing on this year is DJing and putting a lot more time back into that side of things myself.”
For a brand that incredibly began with “no specific vision” in mind, most of its achievements have been directly a result of a pure and simple labour of love. Much more than just a pet project of one music-obsessed Melbourne DJ and promoter, Darkbeat has evolved into an empire, as Banko puts it, due to nothing more than a love and passion for quality tunes. And others should take note, too, because that’s really all that it takes.
“Seriously, there wasn’t really that much of a ‘vision’ or a set plan per se,” Banko assures. “It was all done out of a passion and love of good music and DJing. We took a chance and put on an event and just the excitement of pulling off party after party and being really successful at it – that’s what led to it all just growing on its own.
“Darkbeat is completely based on our love of music and both the highlights and lowlights pay off at the end of the day when you see so many people happy and enjoying themselves each night. People trust us to rock the party and they know that they’ll get a good time. We even started a side-project brand called Trust Us on the basis of, ‘You know who we are and what we do, you can trust us, you know you’ll have an amazing time’. Good memories stick with everyone over the years, it’s an awesome feeling when you know that everyone is there for all the right reasons.”
BY PEPPER SCOTT