Daktyl

Los Angeles-based U.K. transplant Daktyl (Rich Lonbay) produces a wide variety of intricately arranged sounds, ranging from playful, bass-heavy trap bangers to more introspective downtempo electropop songs. He taught himself to play guitar as a teenager, but started making electronic music during his first year at university, when he first began using the music-making program Reason. Citing inspirations such as J Dilla, Nujabes, Caribou, and the early U.K. dubstep scene, his tracks combined complex beats with layers of guitars and vocals. Daktyl's original compositions and remixes quickly made an impact, and he began recording for Diplo's Mad Decent label. He also began touring extensively, even flying to California and booking a tour by himself in 2014. This led to tours with acts like Slow Magic, Giraffage, and Sweater Beats. His debut full-length, Cyclical, was released by Mad Decent in 2015, and Daktyl received press coverage from Billboard and Rolling Stone. After opening for the likes of Machinedrum and ODESZA in 2016, Daktyl signed to Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records and released The Act of Hesitation EP in 2017, followed by 2018's Riyaaz. ~ Paul Simpson