My favorite thing to do with this blog by far is expose people to cool new or up-and-coming artists that I think deserve to get more love. Not only have I been a huge fan of independent and underground artists for my whole life, but I have also always been really into the Milwaukee music scene. I have always thought there are so many great artists here making unique and high-quality music, and I want as many people to know about these great artists as possible. As you may have noticed if you have been reading my blog posts over the last year or so, one of my new favorite artists is Milwaukee and Minneapolis-based Hip Hop artist Daark. As soon as I was introduced to Daark last year, I immediately became enthralled by their music. I can not think of anyone making music similar to this. Daark has definitely carved their own lane and has crafted a sound that is so unique and special. Daark’s 2023 EPs Battle Damage 2 and Nocturnal Circle Vol. 1 were some of my top projects from 2023. Their latest release, Nocturnal Circle Vol. 2, is easily one of my favorite releases(definitely top two or three; trust me, it is that good) of 2024 so far. I actually did write-ups about Nocturnal Circle Vol. 1 & 2 recently, so please go check those out if you have not yet after reading this. Recently, I met up with Daark to discuss various topics, such as some of his inspirations, opinions on the Milwaukee and Minneapolis music scenes, our mutual love for coffee, and more! Here is a little write-up on what we talked about. I also copped some of his super dope recently released merch(which I will include photos of in this post). Please let me know in the comments below what you think of Daark and his music, and also comment the names of any other artists I should look up or highlight!

One of the first things I wanted to know was how Daark got involved in the Milwaukee and Minneapolis music scenes. If you follow either or both of these scenes, you would know there was a bit of beef between them recently(this is actually something we briefly discussed). Daark stated that they grew up in the Milwaukee area, but moved up to Minneapolis several years ago for school. After graduating, they stayed up in Minneapolis for work and eventually got involved with making music. Due to their connections within the Minneapolis scene and their roots in Milwaukee, they were able to dive into both and create lasting bonds with artists in both cities. Daark and very welcoming and open to collaboration, so this was a natural progression for their career. In regards to the beef between Minneapolis and Milwaukee(which thankfully has started to fade), Daark had some interesting opinions. Of course, being someone who is from Milwaukee but resides in Minneapolis, Daark did not want to get involved with this dispute at all. In fact, Daark mentioned that there were people within his crew in Minneapolis who tried showing them their Milwaukee disses, but Daark did not want to hear them because they are heavily involved with both cities. We came to a consensus that it felt like this beef was mainly created due to artists from both cities trying to capitalize on the hype surrounding the Milwaukee Hip Hop scene right now. Drama always creates clicks, and Hip Hop artists know this more than anything. Ultimately, we both want the people from Minneapolis and Minnesota to collaborate rather than fight, so we thought this beef ended up being a net negative.

As I mentioned in the introduction, Daark has a sound that is so unlike what anyone else is doing. Their signature style is so unique and interesting, and I had to know what the inspirations for this style of music are. It turns out Daark has many inspirations for his sound. For one, Daark is very inspired by low-end Witch-House music. Artists like Salem and White Ring have this deep, harsh, and gritty element to their music, and Daark takes a lot from this kind of music. Daark also stated that Chief Keef is one of their biggest influences. I would say this is so evident if you think about it. Chief Keef is known for bold and larger-than-life Drill music, and Daark’s music definitely has a similar feeling to it. Daark also stated that they draw inspiration from lots of futuristic or historical movies. Daark likes to create a sonic landscape that induces palpable emotions; listening to Daark’s music can make one feel like they are in Robocop or Blade. Daark is very sensory, and the music they create is very indicative of exactly what they are feeling at that time. This is why Nocturnal Circle Vol. 2 has a much brighter sound than Vol. 1. Daark stated they are feeling a sense of optimism and hope lately, and this is noticeable in their latest EP. Its more positive sound makes it perfect for spring and summer months, whereas  Nocturnal Circle Vol. 1 has a sound that fits more into the winter months. Daark stated that they are thinking about diving into R&B music soon(with their own twist of course), which is something I am pumped to hear.

If you listen to Daark’s music, you will notice there are a plethora of awesome features on so many of their songs. One thing I really wanted to know is where Daark is finding so many great artists to work with. This is mainly because of Daark’s motivation to showcase all of the great artists they notice around them. Like me, Daark sees so many awesome musicians in the Milwaukee and Minneapolis music scenes that have super unique styles that deserve to be shared with the world. One of Daark’s only caveats with a collaboration is that the person has to be into what they are doing and willing to create something out of the box and eccentric. Daark wants to work with people who want to work with them. Daark’s frequent collaborator Stix seems to be the glue between so many artists, as Daark stated that Stix has helped them find so many dope people to work with. Like the Milwaukee music scene, the Minneapolis music scene is extremely eclectic and wide-ranging. There are little clicks of artists making so many types of music, to various kinds of Hip Hop to Electronic music to even AfroPop(Daark mentioned looking up Mack OC, Sumer, and Bakarii to find some cool AfroPop music). The Minneapolis Hip Hop scene also has a collective called Xounds of Us led by TC, who has produced for Yeat in the past(I can hear similarities to Yeat’s music in Daark’s music, so this makes sense) As great as Daark is on  Nocturnal Circle Vol. 2, there are so many other artists who shine on that project. Artists from Milwaukee like Ef Ay, 2hi, and Spaidez absolutely kill it on the project. Artists from Minneapolis like Empress’Orah, Spraynem, and SYM1(I am especially into SYM1, as her unique futuristic Electro-Pop sound is so exciting) also sound great on the EP and make me want to dive into their personal stuff. Not only does Daark kill it on their own music, they are great at highlighting the artists with star power that they see around them. 

One thing I was curious about was how Minneapolis compares to Milwaukee. Daark has stated that they feel similar and different at the same time. Minneapolis does have a bit of a Hipster and Hollywood feeling to it. Daark stated that this mainly feels due to the influence of Prince. Even as someone who is not into Prince’s music, Daark can feel his magical energy everywhere he goes in that city. Both Milwaukee and Minneapolis have a very artsy and hippie feeling to them that Daark appreciates a ton. It feels like both cities have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove but also have a “no fucks given” mentality, which makes them very fun. Milwaukee is especially this way. During the summer months in particular, Milwaukee has this raucous energy to it that is infectious and permeates through the air, making it an entertaining place to be. Minneapolis and Milwaukee have a mutual love and respect for coffee. There is an admiration for the history of coffee in these cities, and there are so many cool spots in both cities to grab a cup of joe. Daark is planning on doing a charity show for one of their favorite coffee spots in Minneapolis in the near future, so look out for that if you are in Minneapolis. 

Overall, this conversation I had with Daark was very rewarding, as I learned a lot about why they make the beguiling art that they make. Daark has an extremely individual sound and overall aura that is captivating, and it was so satisfying to learn a bit about their process and inspirations. Daark stated that they are always working on new music and that they plan on doing some live shows in Milwaukee and Minneapolis soon, which I will be sure to post about on social media whenever they are announced. In the meantime, please go listen to  Nocturnal Circle Vol. 1 and Nocturnal Circle Vol. 2 as they are both so high-quality. Also, hit up Daark to buy some of their magnificent merch! Thank you to Daark for having this conversation with me. I hope to do more artist showcases like this soon, so let me know who I should talk to next!