Seventeen-year-old electronica musician Daniel Hunter has a bright future.
“When [music] labels started talking to me, I realized I might be able to [make music] on a more serious scale,” the Fort Worth, Texas, native said. “Not just out of my college dorm, which is what I was planning on doing.”
Hunter, whose stage name is PlayRadioPlay, self-produced “The Frequency EP,” which showcases six songs he wrote more than a year ago. After posting his information on PureVolume.com, a Web site for up-and-coming artists, Hunter uploaded his songs onto MySpace, where he received a staggering 5.9 million hits.
“The Frequency EP” sounds a bit like a hybrid of indie group The Postal Service and electronic-pop duo Frou Frou. And while
The musician recently signed with Stolen Transmission, a subdivision of the Island Def Jam Music Group, to record a full-length debut album, slated for release next January.
“[The Frequency EP] is six songs that I recorded over a year ago, and I feel like I?m in a different place musically now,” Hunter said. “I think from a songwriter perspective, I have my own unique style. I?m still electronica-based. So the new album won?t be vastly different, but it will be more mature.”
Hunter, who graduated high school a few months early because of extra credits, is holding off on college to pursue making music ? but just for now.
“I was planning on going [to college] for music production, because I want to be a producer,” he said. “Then I started talking to labels, and thought it would be a great opportunity to talk and work with some great producers. And of course it will be amazing to play my music.”
“[Daniel] is electrifying onstage. When I saw him, I was blown away,” Island Def Jam Media Specialist Aishah White said.
IF YOU GO
PlayRadioPlay! with Young Love and Under the Influence of Giants
» When: 7 p.m. today
» Venue: The Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St., Baltimore
» Details: $12; www.myspace.com/playradioplay
