LOS ANGELES — Director Jonni Darkko told XBIZ Tuesday his techno single "Close" with pioneering electronic music artist, Richie Hawtin, and the Minus record label has been released.
The 14-year adult industry veteran Darkko is the founder of Darkko Productions, which has been exclusively distributed by Evil Angel for the past eight years. When he's not shooting porn, there is a good chance he's pursuing his other passion, which is making electronic music.
“Richie Hawtin and Minus have been super inspirations for me since the intro back into electronic music," Darkko said. "Now to be a part of it is just unreal.”
Hawtin, an international touring act known for his minimal techno sound, has recorded music under several alias, including most notably Plastikman. He is also credited with being influential in the 90s techno scene in Detroit, which is widely cited as "the birthplace of techno."
One of Darkko’s trademarks, in addition to his camerawork, is the original music that accompanies each of his porn productions. He has been creating music for the past 10 years and has directed more than 170 adult movies during that span.
“Making music is such a cathartic release of everything, sitting down and doing your own thing, making your own grooves," said Darkko, who in recent years has also played some of his own DJ sets in L.A.
While Darkko joked that he’s “a horrible DJ,” he said that “when you know your own music, it’s not that difficult. You know where the breaks are, you know where the buildups are, and it just has a flow to it.”
Darkko describes his sound as “moodier.”
“Dark. Not real happy,” he said. “It’s more subdued and dark than anything.”
He continued, “There’s a million different genres of it but at the end of the day you just have to make yourself happy. To me, I totally get lost in it. Sitting down and coming up with something, it’s so much fun. Time stands still.”
Darkko said that he met Hawtin by chance eight years ago at Coachella and they've been friends since, even though Hawtin now is based in Berlin. He gave his track to Hawtin last September in Ibiza.
“I went to Ibiza to hang out with Richie and I gave him two tracks, one of them that I thought he was going to love, but he didn’t really. Then the other one was ‘Close,’ and he played it all week all over the over the island.
“To have it play for 6,000 or 7,000 kids screaming and jumping up and down, it’s much grander than anything you’re used to. It was so cool to see that action take place.”
Darkko’s single is part of a compilation of Hawtin’s favorite tracks from Summer 2012 on Minus records.
“There are so many great producers on this compilation," Darkko said, noting Hawtin's weekly "ENTER" parties which attract thousands. "Being able to witness the ENTER experience first hand at Space Ibiza last year was truly amazing. I was able to give Richie the 'Close' track for the closing party. When he played it to the crowd it was one of my all-time best experiences of my life. Having your music played in such a legendary club with friends and sake, it was a night I will never forget."
To download "Close," click here.
For more of Darkko's music, click here for his SoundCloud profile or here for his original mix on Beatport.
To see a list of Darkko's latest adult films, click here.
