Steve Darko’s lifelong love affair with music began with a guitar and a bass—quintessential instruments of inspiration for kids of his era. Sprinkle in years of tinkering around with FruityLoops, a newfound love for electronic music, a gig at iconic audio company, iZotope, as a software engineer, and we’re met with the underground- dance-loving, rising star that fans know and love today.

 

The Bostinian’s penchant for sound design grabbed the attention of Dirtybird boss Claude VonStroke early on in his studio career, who promptly snapped Darko up for a multi-release deal on the iconic label in addition to bringing him along as direct support for his fall/winter world tour of 2018. Support from the revered tastemakers only continued to blossom during this time; the artist’s breakthrough EP ‘Fried Or Fertilized’ earned spins at Music On in Ibiza, on BBC, and at HARD Summer. Meanwhile, his music continued to find its way onto other premier imprints like Slothacid, mau5trap, Box of Cats, and Hotboi Records, to name a few. 

 

Steve’s mission has always been to capture the heart of the dancefloor with top quality, forward-thinking music that refuses to adhere to any set of genre rules. This philosophy reverberated fervently through ‘Midnight Swim,’ his lauded debut album which landed on Dirtybird in February 2021.

 

Taking his love for the left-of-center a step further while simultaneously helping guide his home label into its next chapter, the album bursts with experimental cuts fused with elements of breaks, leftfield bass, acid house, and electro. His approach to the album propelled him further into stardom, with ‘Midnight Swim’ earning praise from the likes of Pete Tong, Magnetic Magazine, DJ Times, Beatport, Spotify’s official electronic curators, and Billboard, who named him an “Artist To Watch.” 

 

Today, you can find Darko continuing to forge dynamic compositions in his analog-stocked studio, while retaining his role as an audio leader behind-the-scenes at iZotope. Catch him this fall as he hits the road for his Midnight Swim Tour.