"Obviously Daimon was very much part of our heart and soul, and very much part of our live experience but it was part of chapter one, and chapter two is going to be another chapter."
- Black Angus, on Daimon Downey's departure.

"There’s so much more to be done, and so many things to discover with music. There’s no excuse to get bitter and twisted.”
- Black Angus, on the music business.

"You can never forget Australia. Australia is the most important place in the world for us."
- Black Angus, on why home is the most important market.

Dec 18, 2009. By Jordana Borensztajn.

Although the Sneaky Sound System trio is officially one man down, according to the group’s co-founder, it’s the beginning of a whole new chapter for the group.

On the phone from his home in Sydney, Black Angus tells NovaNation that although the departure of Daimon Downey had been on the cards, it still came as a shock.

“We had been away travelling an awful lot and Daimon wanted to be based at home a little bit more. You could sort of tell he was not as into it as much as he used to be – but we were all surprised, there was no question,” he explains.

“We’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years, and he was happy to get off the train at that point. It’s all totally amicable and all cool. But when these things happen you make decisions and then you quickly act on them. We were like ‘cool’ and we just got on with it.”

And there’s no denying the Sydney-based dance act has plenty to show for its decision-making process until now. Not only did their collaboration with Tiesto on “I Will Be Here” peak at #1 on Billboard’s hottest dance charts, but the group has taken its live show around the globe.

“The Tiesto track’s great obviously, but it’s a strange one because we only spent four hours working on the track. We wrote and recorded the vocals and sent it back to him, and he did the rest, pretty much. We made a few comments along the way but we’ve been quite separate from the whole experience.”

This is probably because the band’s been hard at work building strong followings across Europe and the U.S. “The UK is very similar to Australia and it’s pretty hard to tell the difference. The vibe is very similar and the music is pretty similar as well. But in America it’s changed a lot. People go absolutely nuts over there. Dance music is a really picking up, and people get really excited by it. Whereas in the UK, it’s been around for 20 odd years and it’s like they’ve seen it all before.”

Having been part of Sneaky for close to nine years, and part of the music business far longer, Angus says the best way to keep the game fresh is by constantly challenging themselves. “We’ve tried to keep things interesting by keeping playing to as many different audiences as possible. You can get safe by just playing to the same comfort crowd, so to speak, so you just keep testing yourself by playing in new places.

“It keeps you alive and keeps you inspired and helps you really appreciate when you come home and how good home audiences are. There’s so much more to be done, and so many things to discover with music. There’s no excuse to get bitter and twisted.”

Despite reaching global success, Angus says Australia is – and always will be – the most important market for the Sydney-based dance act. “You can never forget Australia. Australia is the most important place in the world for us. It was the starting point for us, and that’s our home. It’s really important to stay true to your roots and your identity.”

In keeping with their love for Australia, Sneaky will play as a threesome at the upcoming Hot Barbeque Event in the Point Nepean during January as well as a few other commitments Down Under. Angus says when this string of gigs wraps up, the plan is to head back into the studio, reinvigorate themselves and work on a brand new approach.

“The people who make the music haven’t changed and the person who sings nearly all the songs is still there. Obviously Daimon was very much part of our heart and soul, and very much part of our live experience but it was part of chapter one, and chapter two is going to be another chapter. Again, it’s got all the same rudimentary points as chapter one but we’ll take it a step further,” he explains.

“There will be no other band members but we’ll certainly, hopefully, see a lot more collaborations with other people. We want to open it up a bit more, work with other producers, other writers, and get some other vocalists in for guest spots. We’re going to re-vamp our live show as well. There will be a total reinventing to be honest. It’s kind of exciting for us. I think it was due anyway. You’ve always got to continue to reinvent yourself and we certainly felt we were at that point. Fingers crossed we come up with something worthy.”


The Hot Barbeque Music & Arts Festival (The Hot Barbeque) will take place on January 16 from midday until 10pm at  the Point Nepean Quarantine Station  in Portsea.

Other acts on the bill include The Presets, JET, Sneaky Sound System, Grandmaster Flash, Bertie Blackman, Scribe, Lost Valentinos, Scientists of Modern Music, Miami Horror LIVE, Phrase, True Live, John Course, Kaz James, Grant Smillie, Canyons, Knightlife, Ajax, Bang Gang DJ's, Dangerous Dan, Acid Jacks, Andee Frost and Nick Foley.