Daz is set on his Quest – Local rapper releases his first EP
By Hayden Moore
Darren “Daz” Mernagh started off rapping with mates for the laugh until one day they went to record in a studio with a rapper by the name of Chris Kabs, and that was it. He was hooked.
Firhouse rapper, Daz recently released his first EP titled ‘Quest’ – which encapsulates his life experiences battling with the obstacles that life has to throw at him, backed with a flowy beat that is reminiscent of classic old school rappers of the 1980’s and 90’s.
Photo by: Zithelo Bobby Mthombeni
Daz spoke with The Echo about recording for the first time in a studio in Malahide, what inspired him to write, and what his EP ‘Quest’ is all about.
What inspired you to start rapping?
I always felt a need to express myself from a very young age. Even in school when I was younger I’d be writing poems and that, so when I started going through some tough times it just felt normal to start writing. It’s kind of like therapy for me in a way and it stopped me from going down the wrong path.
How would you describe your rapping style?
It would be bouncy with a flow. I need to make sure that it’s flowy, and make sure that it’s a story overall, and when I’m rapping I like to stick to the beat with the story so that people can still dance to the beat. What I’ve noticed from performing my music live is that people will dance but they’ll be listening to what I have to say in the songs as well. So, it’s groovy and I’d have a storytelling style for sure.
Where did you record the EP ‘Quest’?
I recorded ‘Quest’ out in Malahide in Chris Kabs studio, he is the producer of my EP. It was a great experience overall to be recording things that I had been writing, and Chris really helped me and mentored me through it. We would have formed a great friendship over the course of that, and he would have mentored me on how to deal with interviews and record how I’m feeling through my music.
How did you come to work with Chris Kabs on the EP?
Someone I know was a rapper, and he’d be rapping with a few of our mates and then I’d be joining in for the laugh. They were out in Chris Kabs studio doing a bit of recording, and then I started just heading out with them and chilling in the studio. From that point Chris would always be talking to me, and inspired me to want to do something bigger with my life and stay away from all that bad stuff. I would see all this dark stuff happening on a daily basis and I was going down that route myself – but that’s where the name ‘Quest’ came from because this is my quest to show people with my music that they can do more through expressing themselves creatively and stop themselves from doing bad stuff. Anyway, myself and Chris worked together for about three/four months on the EP, and people like what they’re hearing.
What can people expect from your EP ‘Quest’?
What I want people to get from my music is to feel inspired in some way, and wake up feeling different every morning and know that you can do so much with your life. Sometimes you cant help what way your life is going, but you can change the direction of it and do something new, just don’t go the other way. Don’t do the mistakes I did, don’t waste your potential on going the other way by doing bad stuff, do something bigger and don’t take the easy lazy way out. Follow me on those steps to the top to do better things, everyone united in a way. That’s the message I want to get across with my music.
What’s next for Daz?
My plan for the rest of the year is to do loads of shows. What I eventually want to end up doing is performing at festivals like Longitude and Electric Picnic. I have a good few shows outside of Dublin, and I hope to get over to Germany soon because my music is popular enough there and I’ll get to be going even bigger. I just want to spread the word with my message and spend the next year working hard to be able to play some festivals next summer.
You can catch Daz performing next in Ballsbridge, or outside of Dublin in Edenderry, Mullingar, or Athlone between August 22-26. Listen to his EP ‘Quest’ on all streaming services now!
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