Dank

DANK,​ ​whose​ ​real​ ​name​ ​is​ Brian​ ​Atwood​,​ ​came​ ​of​ ​age​ ​in​ ​the​ ​NYC​ ​nightlife​ ​scene​ ​during​ ​its heyday​ ​in​ ​the​ ​‘90s.​ ​Born​ ​and​ ​raised​ ​in​ ​Long​ ​Island​ ​just​ ​outside​ ​the​ ​five​ ​boroughs,​ ​he​ ​fell​ ​in love​ ​with​ ​electronic​ ​music​ ​at​ ​the​ ​age​ ​of​ ​15.​ ​Bouncing​ ​between​ ​Brooklyn​ ​warehouse​ ​raves​ ​and legendary​ ​clubs​ ​like​ ​Limelight​ ​and​ ​Twilo,​ ​he​ ​experienced​ ​a​ ​wide​ ​cross​ ​section​ ​of​ ​dance culture​ ​before​ ​the​ ​turn​ ​of​ ​the​ ​millennium.

In​ ​2000​ ​DANK​ ​purchased​ ​his​ ​first​ ​pair​ ​of​ ​Technics​ ​turntables​ ​and​ ​learned​ ​how​ ​to​ ​play​ ​records. Before​ ​long​ ​he​ ​found​ ​himself​ ​performing​ ​at​ ​such​ ​NYC​ ​destinations​ ​as​ Lunatarium​,​ ​​Randall’s Island​,​​​Webster ​​Hall​​​ and​ Hammerstein​​ Ballroom,​​ ​as ​​well ​​as ​​out-of-town​ ​hotspots ​​like Asylum​ ​Nightclub​​ ​in​ ​Springfield,​ ​Massachusetts​ ​and​ ​the​ Whistle​​ ​parties​ ​in​ ​Philadelphia.

That​ ​year​ ​DANK​ ​also​ ​launched​ F​​unky​ ​Element​ ​Productions​​ ​and​ ​began​ ​throwing​ ​parties throughout​​ New ​​York ​​City. ​​He​​ and​​ his ​​team​​were​​ responsible​​ for ​​massives​​ like ​S​​neaky,​ Afraid​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Dark​ a​​nd​ A​​ ​ ​New​ ​Beginning​,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​Funky​ ​Element​ ​gathering​ ​was billed​ ​as​ F​​ahrenheit​ ​​and​ ​drew​ ​a​ ​crowd​ ​of​ ​roughly​ ​3,000 ​to​ ​Hammerstein​ ​Ballroom​ ​in​ ​2006.

Although​ ​DANK​ ​had​ ​learned​ ​how​ ​to​ ​produce​ ​music​ ​in​ Cubase​​ ​as​ ​early​ ​as​ ​2002​ ​using analog ​​equipment​ ​like ​​the ​Roland ​​TB-303​ ​​and ​TR-909,​​ ​he ​​shifted​ ​his ​​focus​ ​to ​​the ​​studio more​ ​so​ ​in​ ​2007​ ​than​ ​ever​ ​before.​ ​In​ ​2010​ ​he​ ​founded​ ​his​ ​own​ ​artist​ ​label,​ ​Funky​ ​Element Records.​ ​He​ ​inaugurated​ ​it​ ​with​ ​the​ ​release​ ​of​ ​a​ ​track​ ​titled​ ​“FuNK​ ​eL,”​ ​and​ ​Lazy​ ​Rich​ ​himself contributed​ ​a​ ​club​ ​mix​ ​of​ ​the​ ​single​ ​that​ ​charted​ ​on​ B​​eatport.​

In​ ​2012​ ​DANK​ ​cut​ ​his​ ​first​ ​EP:​ ​An​ ​electro​ ​four-tracker​ ​titled​ Tunnel​ ​Vision​​ ​for​ ​which​ ​he​ ​enlisted FTampa​,​​​ Rednek,​ ​​​Chrizz​​Luvly​ ​​and ​Alex​​Mind ​​​to ​​deliver ​​remixes. ​​Soon​​ after, ​​he ​​tried ​​his hand​ ​at​ ​producing​ ​dubstep​ ​and​ ​saw​ ​immediate​ ​success;​ ​his​ ​2013​ ​single​ ​“Blow​ ​Me”​ ​reached #1​ ​on​ ​Beatport’s​ ​Dubstep​ ​Top​ ​100​ ​Tracks​ ​chart. The​ ​same​ ​year,​ ​DANK’s​ ​put​ ​out​ ​a​ ​song​ ​called​ ​“Crystals”​ ​that​ ​marked​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​turning​ ​point in​ ​his​ ​career.​ ​He​ ​originally​ ​submitted​ ​it​ ​to​ ​Ultra​ ​Records​ ​A&R​ D​​avid​ ​Waxman​​ ​but​ ​released​ ​it on​ ​on​ ​his​ ​own​ ​label​ ​after​ ​receiving​ ​no​ ​reply.​ ​It​ ​reached​ ​#7​ ​on​ ​the​ Beatport​ ​Top​ ​100​ ​Songs​ ​& DJ​ ​Tracks​​ ​chart,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​day​ ​Waxman​ ​responded​ ​to​ ​his​ ​email​ ​with​ ​an​ ​invitation​ ​to​ ​come​ ​to the​ ​Ultra​ ​offices​ ​for​ ​a​ ​meeting.​ ​He​ ​ended​ ​up​ ​signing​ ​a​ ​360​ ​deal​ ​with​ ​Ultra​ ​and​ ​remains​ ​on​ ​the label’s​ ​official​ ​roster​ ​to​ ​this​ ​day.

DANK​ ​has​ ​risen​ ​through​ ​the​ ​ranks​ ​of​ ​EDM​ ​as​ ​a​ ​prolific​ ​remixers​ ​since​ ​signing​ ​to​ ​Ultra Records.​ Britney ​​Spears,Yoko Ono​ ​​and ​Shakira ​​​are ​​but ​​a ​​few ​​of ​​the ​​artists ​​whose ​​music he’s​ ​re-imagined​ over​ ​the​ ​years.​ ​Several​ ​of​ ​his​ ​remixes​ ​have​ ​reached​ ​#1​ ​on​ ​various​ ​Beatport charts​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the​ Billboard​ ​Dance​ ​Club​ ​Play​​ ​chart.​ ​He​ ​has​ ​also​ ​now​ ​performed​ ​in​ ​most states​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​U.S.​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​nightclubs​ ​in​ ​Vancouver​ ​and​ ​Paris.

As​ ​simple​ ​as​ ​it​ ​may​ ​sound,​ ​what​ ​has​ ​afforded​ ​DANK​ ​so​ ​many​ ​opportunities​ ​is​ ​that​ ​he​ ​makes music​ ​from​ ​the​ ​heart​ ​and​ ​soul.​ ​Instead​ ​of​ ​chasing​ ​trends​ ​he​ ​produces​ ​in​ ​whatever​ ​style​ ​suits his​ ​fancy​ ​-​ ​and​ ​his​ ​sincerity​ ​translates​ ​through​ ​to​ ​the​ ​finished​ ​product​ ​every​ ​time.​ ​Having worked​ ​as​ ​both​ ​an​ ​entertainer​ ​and​ ​an​ ​entrepreneur​ ​-​ ​and​ ​in​ ​live​ ​music​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the recording​ ​industry​ ​-​ ​his​ ​unique​ ​perspective​ ​also​ ​keeps​ ​him​ ​on​ ​the​ ​forefront​ ​as​ ​a​ ​music professional.

If​ ​his​ ​trajectory​ ​thus​ ​far​ ​serves​ ​is​ ​any​ ​indicator,​ ​the​ ​future​ ​holds​ ​even​ ​bigger​ ​and​ ​better​ ​things for​ ​DANK.​ ​He’s​ ​sitting​ ​on​ ​a​ ​wealth​ ​of​ ​new​ ​music,​ ​so​ ​it’s​ ​safe​ ​to​ ​say​ ​the​ ​best​ ​is​ ​yet​ ​to​ ​come​ ​for this​ ​rising​ ​talent.