After flying home to Denver on a redeye from a festival in Seattle, Dani Oprea quickly set to work adjusting back to their normal Denver life. Easier said than done for a creative mind with lots to do. Oprea is a local wave music/EDM producer that goes by the stage name w/out. The use of technological sounds and synths mixed with airy melodies creates a distinctive ethos for the listener. Each song is a walk through a different landscape — w/out’s futuristic landscape.
w/out always knew they wanted to be a musician, the question was only how they wanted to go about it. They were in a metal band with friends, playing guitar, and eventually became intrigued by dubstep. They started producing and performing as a DJ with success and enthusiasm. They described feeling “at home on stage” and truly “having fun” during every single performance. They recognize the privilege they have as a performer and give all that they can to their audience. w/out is known for their enthusiastic stage presence and described how exhausted they feel after each show, but how important it is for them to engage with the music physically.
Originally from Romania, w/out moved to the states at three years old and spent time in Salt Lake City, Indiana, Chicago and was eventually drawn to Denver by friends, music culture and the incredible outdoors. Growing up, their exposure to music was diverse as their mother exposed them to everything from Micheal Jackson to Enya to Pink Floyd with equal enthusiasm. In their personal musical exploration, they look to artists such as Jaques Greene and Bonobo. “It’s inspiring to see someone be so authentic,” Oprea said.
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This background has helped create the unique sound w/out writes in their music. Production for w/out is something that comes from within more than from sampling the world around them. w/out admired a good friend of theirs, RamonPang, who uses samples from his father’s old Filipino records, but expressed that sampling was not something they did much of in their music. They defined themselves as an exploratory producer, emphasizing the ways they are exploring new sounds and new emotional expressions.
The only explicit message w/out has for their listeners is, to be honest in who they are. w/out uses their music to showcase who they are and encourages listeners or aspiring musicians to do the same. Despite the appeal that writing music with the goal of “blowing up,” w/out has found that staying “authentic to self is more important than success” on a huge scale. They emphasized “creative energy” over fame obsession and explained that it has helped them become a happy and mentally healthy person.
On November 17, they released their most recent album On Ephemeral Wings which they described as their way of “doubling down on their sound.” They described the work as a true showcase of their sound with threads of wave music and metal themes. This work is not a concept album in any way other than the steady theme of w/out’s unique sound. “Me showcasing me,” they said with a smile. However, a concept album could be on the way in the future as they are very inspired by artists like Vangelis, the Greek composer and film score writer who is able to create life in their sound.
Through everything, it is clear that w/out will keep music at the forefront of their life indefinitely. “Music has always been there for me — [at the] highest points lowest points,” they said. w/out looks forward to more collaborations and pushing the boundaries of their style. They are very interested in using more metal themes and tropes in their music in the future. “I really just want to do it all,” they said when asked what styles they would be interested in incorporating in future projects. At this point in time, their sound is establishing itself as a vibrant space-age soundtrack. Find them at a live show in Denver, or listen when we populate Mars.
