Meet Dan Diaz | Music Composer, Producer, and Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Diaz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was gripped by the music bug from a very young age. I remember being introduced to the theatrical rock stylings of Queen and Meatloaf when I was about 6 by my good friend Danny Terry (his Dad was a fan!). At home it was first listening to my Dad’s favorite bands, most predominantly The Beatles, and then buying Green Day’s “Dookie” when I was 9 that lead to me becoming fully obsessed with listening to music in every spare moment.

In middle school everything took an important shift when some good friends decided to start a band. I’d never played an instrument outside of school before but knew I had to be a part of it, so, I told them I’d play guitar and, well…started playing! Now things really clicked and it didn’t take long to realize that I wanted to make music my career when I was an adult. I carried that dream all the way through my high school years and started working in a recording studio during my early (and kinda brief) college career. That lead to opportunities producing other artists, songwriting, and, most importantly, composing, which I’ve been doing ever since. In many ways pursuing an artistic career feels less like a choice I made and more like a ride I found myself on long ago that I keep holding on to year after year, trying to enjoy it as much as I can along all the twists and turns. It’s been quite an adventure, all sparked by a simple early love of music and how it made me feel.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In writing and creating pieces of music and sound design for movie trailers/tv/and film, I’m always aware of the fact that I’m serving what’s on screen while also being responsible for setting the emotional tone and both grabbing and keeping the audiences attention. The music has to straddle a fine line of being both a major focal point and also a secondary player, somehow at the same time, and I have spent many years learning how to do that very well. I believe that’s something that helps me stand out in my career. I’ve also become very good at trusting my instincts, so I can work quickly and confidently, and I’m always proud when the first pass of a piece gets the client very excited. A decent amount of the time that version even ends up being the finished product.

Another thing that I think sets me apart is just my willingness to keep going. I’ve been told by one, or two, or three, or thirty people that I’m, what’s that word?…oh, yeah, stubborn. That’s it. So, even when I’ve been at my highest pitch of complaining about what’s always been (and continues to be) a completely nutty industry that’s hard to make a dollar in, let alone a living – I’ve always just kept going. Maybe it’s a cliche, but it really does appear to be true that that’s a huge part of success in any endeavor. You have to learn and perfect your art/craft, of course, and then you just have to keep going and going, doing what you do over and over again, year after year, and good things do seem to happen.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
You’re never at a loss for fun things to do in LA. A great week with a great friend would have to involve excellent coffee and food: high-quality espresso at Culver City’s Super Domestic or amazing drip coffee from Pasadena’s Jones Coffee Roasters, maybe a couple pastries at Culver’s Copenhagen Bakery or a Godmother Sandwich from the classic Bay Cities, and then definitely some pizza from one of the many amazing spots that have shown up in our city the past few years: Prime, Parma, Sei, Bianco, Fiorelli, Danny Boys, La Antica De Michele – the list is long, and keeps getting longer all the time! In terms of activities, because it’s 2024 and I’m a typical guy approaching middle age quicker than ever realistically expected, yes, I play pickleball. So, a friend in town is getting on the courts with me (in most cases because they already play all the time, too). Outside of that maybe we’ll catch an intimate show with a great vibe at Largo (could be comedy or music – either one works for me), walk around the Venice canals in light conversation (meaning of life, death, are continuing coincidences and synchronicities meaningful, etc, etc), or hang out at one of the cities remaining delis like Canters or Brent’s later at night than we typically even stay up these days. Finally, a drive up PCH through Malibu and back is always fun assuming you do it outside of the worst parts of rush hour and don’t mind the required quick meditation with Rick Rubin before you’re allowed to head back. Sounds like some pretty solid ways to fill a week with a good friend (or at least a couple days) to me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am in my career, or life in general, without the love and support of my wife, Britta Diaz. She met me when music was barely paying enough to not have to keep selling windows and has been endlessly supportive ever since. More importantly, whenever she’s found me convinced that whatever gig I’m on is the last time I’ll ever work in this business, she’s always kind enough to tell me that I’m probably right and should just give up (wait, no, that’s still me – from her it’s usually just a laugh and “are you really gonna keep saying this, year after year? Enough already.”).

Website: https://www.dandiazmusic.com; www.thehithouse.com

Instagram: @dan481

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dandiaz481

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44MqOZofcv0tSc9Q7nEnma?si=6QYTMHIoSrSPYBPkfRD88w

Image Credits
Photos by Michael Hacker and Britta Diaz