Influences: Ifan Dafydd

Music

Ifan Dafydd has been carving out a unique niche for himself. On his handful of releases and collaborations the young Welshman has married the lysergic dreams of Welsh psychedelia to woozy kush blazing hip hop and warping memories of jazz to come up with a sound that seems like it should always have existed. On the brink of releasing Eclipse, his first solo release for a year, we asked Dafydd to run us through his Influences, and he gave us one of hte deepest selections we've had in a long time, touching on everything from Jazz Klezmar to cuts from his former flatmate James Blake. One of his cuts is too underground to actually have a youtube link, so we've included it below – Welsh language hip hop from Pepe Le Pew – and here's what Ifan had to say about it –

"Classic Welsh language Hip-Hop. Vocals sound mental even to a Welsh speaker's ears, don't worry. Had this blasting in the car on many long journeys to and from Cardiff. Gritty and raw and cool as."

To run through the other videos use the links to the left of the page.

Listen to Dafydd's latest, Eclipse, below and pre-order your copy over here.

LISTEN

Radiohead - Sit Down Stand Up

I remember listening to Hail To The Thief in bed with a pair of headphones when I was about 15 and I think my hair nearly fell out when I heard the ‘Raindrops’ section. The whole song builds so intensely to that moment, that when in drops, it feels like a huge weight lifting off your shoulders. Perfect. I used to put it this song on repeat and wake up in the night disorientated and sweaty. I still fall asleep listening to music, although my music choices for a calmer night’s sleep seem to be slightly less full-on these days.

Radiohead - Sit Down Stand Up

I remember listening to Hail To The Thief in bed with a pair of headphones when I was about 15 and I think my hair nearly fell out when I heard the ‘Raindrops’ section. The whole song builds so intensely to that moment, that when in drops, it feels like a huge weight lifting off your shoulders. Perfect. I used to put it this song on repeat and wake up in the night disorientated and sweaty. I still fall asleep listening to music, although my music choices for a calmer night’s sleep seem to be slightly less full-on these days.
Super Furry Animals - The Man Don't Give A Fuck

A genre within themselves and hard to concise to anyone unfamiliar with them. I think the Super Furries are musical heroes to many that I grew up with and I suppose I’m no different. Local boys singing in our accent, speaking our language, consistently releasing great material pushing the boundaries with every release.
Lev's Freilachs

Just a bit of Jazz Klezmer y’know. You could probably call this one the curveball of the lot. I saw this band play live in 2005 and was left speechless and in complete awe by the intensity and musicianship on show. I saw them live again last year and I was dying to jump on stage with them. I performed this for an ensemble performance at my first year in university. It wasn’t quite as frantic and tight as Bagel’s version but it was a pretty decent effort I must say.
Dream Brother - Jeff Buckley

I could have chosen any song from Grace but this one hypnotised me in particular when I first heard it. I taught myself the guitar after a few years playing the piano and I got quite obsessed at one point about learning scales and modes. Buckley’s choice of chords really intrigued me and it was the perfect foundation for his brilliant voice. I connected musically with this album and in turn, couldn’t resist connecting emotionally with it.
Derwyddon Dr. Gonzo - "Madrach"

This one takes me back to an important chapter in my life. Derwyddon Dr Gonzo is a 9piece band I played with from my final year of school till early in 2011. Our sound was quite hard to define- groove based jams, we bluffed the rest for a good five years but we didn’t really a toss about fitting in anywhere. It was like being in a band of barking dogs but we achieved everything that we set out to and had some really memorable moments in the process that will stick with me forever.
Fela Kuti - Gentleman

Some of the boys from Derwyddon turned me on to Fela Kuti and the Afro-Beat sound and we spent a lot of time listening to as well as playing his grooves. I’d figured figured out that music’s what I wanted to do and sharing those sessions with a close knit of friends reaffirmed that.
James Blake - Air & Lack Thereof

I think it would be hard for me to miss out James in this list. We shared a flat together for a year during our time studying in Goldsmiths. There’d be quite a bit of music bleeding from one room to the next between the four of us and it holds good memories because it was probably my favourite year that I spent in London. James’s room always had music coming out of it. I think he had already released this track by then but it’s nevertheless it’s still one my favourites by him.