Beau Diako’s debut EP ‘Flutter’ introduced him as an intriguing new proposition on the UK underground scene, assisted by guest features from Jordan Rakei and emawk.
Having continued to forge his artist identity with further collabs with Parra For Cuva and DAO, Beau Diako today shares ‘Fretless’, his first single of 2021 as a lead artist. It features two special guests in the shape of J. Cole associate and Dreamville rapper Bas, and Etta Bond, who recently returned with the track ‘How Could I Forget You’.
We caught up with Beau Diako, to learn more about how the EP came about, and the story behind his artist name.
Aditya – Hey Beau Diako! Glad to have you for the interview. How’s 2021 been for you so far?
Beau Diako – Thank you for having me :) 2021 has been an okay year for me so far all things considered. Moved into a new apartment in London and have just been trying to adapt to the increase in noise and the chaos of living in a city. But still enjoying it either way.
Aditya – First off, Beau Diako sounds so rich, it also has a Japanese flavour to it. What’s the ideation behind it?
Beau Diako – My full name is Beau Diakowicz so I basically just shortened it and removed the ‘wicz’ from the end. It’s a Ukrainian surname and I thought it would be a bit more pronounceable that way.
Aditya – Your latest release sounds exuberant! Could you run us through the creative process of the track?
Beau Diako – Me and my good friend Ben Esser started Fretless years ago in Berlin when playing around with some ideas in a studio for a few hours. I forgot about it for a while but rediscovered it back in London late last year and decided to finish it. The track needed some vocals and I knew straight away I wanted to send it over to Bas to get his thoughts. A few weeks later he sent back the most amazing verses and finally I asked Etta if she would be down to add a beautiful chorus. I’m honored to get them both on a track together as they’ve been some of my favourite artists for years.
Aditya – I follow Bas quite a bit, I had a chance to see him live in India too! Could you tell us how this collaboration with Bas & Etta Bond came together?
Beau Diako – They’re both amazing artists and I’m a huge fan of what they do. Me and Bas had spoken a little bit before I sent him Fretless as we had both worked on my friend Galimatias’ new album. With Etta I just chanced sending her a message and luckily she loved the track. But basically it all happened through instagram dm’s and sending files over email.
Aditya – How do you begin writing songs? Do you start with a guitar riff?
Beau Diako – Most of the time a guitar riff or chord progression is what always works for me. Once I have an idea I’m keen on, I’ll record it and then just start throwing other instruments and sounds all over the place with it to try and sculpt out a sound or mood.
Aditya – What’s the direction behind the artwork, it’s surely engaging & intriguing.
Beau Diako – The artwork is done by the incredible Somnath Bhatt from India / USA, I sent him the music and he drew what came to him. He makes some of the most unique art I’ve ever seen so it’s an honor to have him as part of the project.
Aditya – You’ve a ginormous list of discography, could you please tell us about your favorite release?
Beau Diako – I don’t think I could pick a favourite as it’s all really different music and projects but I’m really proud of all of it. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of my favourite artists over the years, but I think the best music is still yet to come.
Aditya – What’s your studio set-up like?
Beau Diako – It’s really minimal for me at the moment and I think I just have the basics of what a home studio should be. A MacBook / Motu interface / midi keyboard / my guitars and a few hard drives, but it gets the job done for now.
Aditya – Lastly, what do you look forward to in 2022?
Beau Diako – I’m looking forward to releasing a lot more music, hopefully getting the chance to travel easily again, relaxing and spending more time with family.
