Q&A with DVRRYL
Zimbabwean born now hailing in the Midlands, DVRRYL's debut project The Meteor sees him smashing confines in search of belonging
In many ways the music industry reflects modern Europe. Mired by uncertainty, in a state of constant flux, whilst the racialised bodies that exist with in it are forced to reckon with their distinct lack of agency within a structure they are the backbone of. These phenomenon are perhaps nowhere better than exemplified than in the life of Darryl Nyatoro. Born in Zimbabwe and having moved to the U.K. at the age of three DVRRYL would eventually grow up to form a band with fellow members: DVRRYL on vocals, DVRRYL on production, DVRRYL on mixing and mastering with DVRRYL taking the reigns on drums and keys. His creative process, the strenuous task of being a one man band, mirrors the juggling act that many immigrant parents have to do to make ends meet when they arrive here. His broad range of interests and influences ranging from skating, wrestling, football, pop-punk, metal and rap make for a sound that can't be neatly fitted into the confines a promoter booking for a show, or an A&R looking for their next big label find, would ordinarily look for. In the midst of that chaos, his debut project The Meteor is an ambitious exploration of grief, loneliness, accountability and growth sprawled across 8 tracks that earnestly capture the frenzied mess of trying to be a person. We caught up with him to see how life was in the aftermath of this labour of love.
Where does the name The Meteor come from and what does it mean?
The Meteor came about during a pretty dark time in my life. In all honesty, I saw myself as the meteor, falling through the loneliness of the cosmos eventually landing to destroy myself and the world around me. Shit was pretty dark at the time and I dealt with it the only way I know how and steered into the skid.
Your sonic style is very eclectic. How would you describe your sound?
Well, I love all music regardless of genre and I get bored easily so, I always want to be doing something that sounds new... or old, it really doesn't matter. I just want it to feel like I'm putting all of my influences to use, while making something that's different when everything is very similiar.
What was the process of making this project like?
Writing songs is by far the greatest pleasure in my life, but... writing this album was painful. Every time I sat down to write for these records I tried to be as honest as possible with myself and being as self destructive as I was during this time...it was a lot.
You spent 10 years in London but made this project in Derby. Has your creative process changed with the change of environment?
After being exiled, the scenery may have changed but my process stayed pretty much the same. I think its changed more after getting over myself, finishing this project and letting go. Now that I'm working on new music and I'm in a completely different headspace, everything is different.
Do you think being born in Zimbabwe has impacted your creative outlook?
Its made me feel like I don't belong in all honesty. I left there when I was 3 and have never truly felt accepted by other Black people, let alone Zimbabweans. I grew up playing guitar, skateboarding and listening to rock music, which were all considered white people stuff back then. Its not as much the case these days but I think feeling ostracised at this age still weighs heavy on me.
There's a lot of discourse about how hard it is for artists to make a living from their music. What are the biggest challenges of being a musician in modern Britain?
There isn't enough going on in smaller cities like derby. I can't speak for other artists, but for someone like me who doesn't fit into a particular box its harder for me to get opportunities to perform. I totally understand it though because there isn't spaces for people who are different like myself in a smaller city. Additionally, with funding in the arts being cut more and more of the spaces that exist for musicians to perform are disappearing.
How do you measure the "success" of The Meteor?
Hopefully it finds an audience. I don't really want much else... actually a few million pounds would be nice. Maybe something in between.
What can DVRRYL fans expect this summer?
Lots more music in the pipeline. I was just on Mase J's latest single Weigh Down On Me and we did a pretty cool video for that. I have a new single on the way, I Might Keep Going. Also expect a genre bending pop/hip-hop/dance music project sometime in August. And if anyone is trying to see the band live, I'm trying to make that happen more often but I can be found on the last Monday of every month at the PAPER MiC open mic residency at BUNK Derby trying out some new sounds.
Article and photography by Martyn Ewoma
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Steam The Meteor below
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