MILWAUKEE — Inside one Milwaukee music studio, you won't find any modern equipment. It's all old school gear to make old school songs.
“My sound and style is, I have a touch of 60s, 70s psychedelia," Dakota Wright, who goes by the stage name dak duBois, said.
dak duBois has become known for a sound that feels like a trip through time. There's a warm, vintage quality to it. Rather than following whatever is trendiest, he is focusing on what he loves.
“I'm not chasing after, like, what I think is going to be hot. I'm just some dude who makes music in his home studio.”
Watch the story to here dak duBois' unique sound...
That home studio is built on gear from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, except for a few modern conveniences.
“I just love the studio. You know, any excuse to just get to write something new or create something that's interesting, I feel like that's motivation enough," he said.
That 1960s and 1970s psychedelic aesthetic goes well beyond the studio. It's actually in every room of his house.
dak duBois met the perfect partner in his wife, who shares the same maximalist energy and love for the mid-century modern style. There is virtually no space left for any more decor.
"The high of finding something really good hits just as hard as the high of, like, playing in front of a massive crowd and them being actually tapped in and stuff," dak duBois said. "You know, the second we're leaving, my wife and I are like, we're going to an estate sale. Let's go thrift really quick. We're crazy, dude."
All the decorations come together, though. Each room has its own color theme, there's a spiral staircase, a 70s-themed bar, and a retro fireplace. It's like stepping inside a time machine.
His music influences his aesthetic, and his decor influences his sound. And while many musicians dream of sold-out world tours, dak duBois just wants to sustain himself as an artist and have some more space to decorate.
“Oh, my dream as an artist is just to be alive, keep doing it, you know what I mean. It would be sick to have a house or own a home.”
He has a new album coming out on May 21. He will also perform at the upcoming Morgan Park Picnic and Locust Street Festival. Find his music on any and all streaming platforms, like Spotify.
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