Daniel Dylan Wray
The Guardian
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Daniel:
‘It takes over your life’: Britain’s world champion strongwomen on the joy of pulling trucks and flipping tyres
Three UK women have won six out of the last seven World’s Strongest Woman contests. They explain how they broke into the world of super strength → Read More
‘Autonomy is so important – to be the engine yourself’: why Yann Tiersen is now touring by sailboat
Creatively frustrated by his association with the Amélie soundtrack and yearning to perform with no environmental impact, the French musician and his wife took to the sea → Read More
End of the Road festival review – all killer no filler in a truly magical setting
Wilco and Future Islands share the same zealous audiences as newcomers Fat Dog and the Last Dinner Party in a carefully curated weekend of constant surprises → Read More
From weird nostalgia to weak formats, 6 Music is having an identity crisis
In trying to shake off the ‘6 Music Dad’ tag and not be thought of as an indie rock hub, the BBC radio station isn’t sure what it wants to be any more → Read More
Bleep it out! The bowel-quaking dance music of late-80s Yorkshire
Books and compilations are reanimating the overlooked sound of bleep: a speaking-smashing strain of DIY techno born out of breakdance rivalries and heavy industry → Read More
‘A big chunk of my motivation is vengeance’: Skinny Pelembe, the musical don of Doncaster
After leaving Gilles Peterson’s label, the artist felt adrift. But by drawing on a heritage that stretches from Birmingham to Mozambique, his new music is his most confident yet → Read More
‘I was decadent, I was stupid, I was a fool’: the dark days of Donna Summer
In public she oozed glamour, but in private the disco star battled depression, self-loathing and suicidal thoughts. Her daughter speaks about the film she made to understand Summer’s silent struggle → Read More
‘The film industry is gone’: Jim Jarmusch on the his debut album, the death of filmmaking and the joy of mistakes
At 70, the outsider movie hero is releasing his first album. He muses on music, the demise of film and finding joy in mistakes → Read More
Sam Smith review – slow start gives way to a supercharged queer romp
After a sluggish first half, the party begins: Smith’s shirt is ripped off and dancers grind on a giant statue of Aphrodite → Read More
‘I saw lightning between their fingers’: DJs on the magic of unusual dancefloors
As new book Dance Your Way Home explores dancing beyond nightclub confines, A Guy Called Gerald, Eliza Rose and more reveal their favourite unexpected places to get down – from Welsh quarries to Croatian beaches → Read More
Tim Heidecker: ‘I’m trying to be an antidote to the toxic side of comedy’
Best known for his inventive work with Tim and Eric, the absurdist comic talks about playing it straight as a ‘legit’ singer-songwriter, and his newest creation: a ‘belligerent and terrible’ standup comedian → Read More
‘It was nuts what we got away with’: remembering the 00s UK indie explosion
As the film Meet Me in the Bathroom relives the glory days of the Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, fans and musicians recall the sweat, swagger and skinny jeans that made the British scene they inspired even wilder → Read More
Stevo of Some Bizzare Records: ‘The delay in any kind of recognition is outrageous’
He’s been stabbed, headbutted and locked in bitter rows, but his label made bands such as Soft Cell and Cabaret Voltaire into stars. In the wake of a new biography, Stevo tells his own story → Read More
A moment that changed me: I saw my father in court – and knew I had to turn my life around
Face to face with the man I had grown up hating, I realised what a pathetic figure he was. Suddenly I was free to focus on my own future → Read More
‘It felt like a revolution’: Jive Turkey, the Sheffield club night that blazed a trail for UK house
The pioneering electro, soul and jazz funk night united Black and white kids, bucked superstar DJ culture – and rivalled the Haçienda → Read More
Angelo Badalamenti was a master composer who created theme music history with Twin Peaks
The composer had an esteemed career working with David Bowie and Nina Simone, but it was his unique partnership with David Lynch that set a benchmark for dramatic scores → Read More
‘Never as popular as pie and peas’: Trevor Beales, Hebden Bridge’s lost musical son
Playing folk blues in West Yorkshire in the 70s, Beales looked to the future long before his hometown became trendy. His talent is now being recognised → Read More
‘Having limits is boring’: experimental survivor Damo Suzuki on Can, cancer and krautrock
Now the subject of a documentary, the Japanese musician persevered with his never-ending world tour while undergoing 40 surgeries for cancer in three years. ‘Music is healing,’ he says → Read More
Franz Ferdinand review – fierce fun from precision-drilled 00s survivors
There is an enduring and endearing quality to Alex Kapranos and co, now 20 years in, their sound embedded in the UK’s psyche → Read More
Pavement review – 90s indie giants defy slacker reputation with high energy and deep cuts
For a band once deemed indifferent, Pavement’s return is upbeat and playful, showing off the timelessness of their songwriting → Read More