Dan Vogl shares his top five go-to music mini-documentaries
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Dan Vogl shares his top five go-to music mini-documentaries

After releasing his standout debut single ‘If I Die’, Melbourne-based artist Dan Vogl has returned with ‘Gifted In Gold’, the charismatic title track lifted from his forthcoming debut EP (due Friday June 28).

Boasting some serious John Mayer vibes and inspired groove-infused rhythms, ‘Gifted In Gold’ wastes no time in laying down its infectious upbeat pace. As the pre-chorus plays out, the endearing vocals of Vogl hover deftly above, before gliding effortlessly into the soaring chorus. The remainder of the track navigates with precision, made possible by seamless transitions and meticulously placed dynamics.

“This song was written from frustration of other people accepting mediocre lives as ‘enough’ for themselves,” Dan explains. “We are taught as kids to dream big and reach for the stars, but once we become adults people are quick to slap responsibilities and restrictions on themselves and each other. My intention is to inspire people to push through these obstacles and pursue those goals no matter how hard or out of reach they may seem.”

To celebrate the track, we sat down with Dan to uncover his top five inspirational music mini-documentaries.

“When I was studying music at an arts college, one of the most common and frustrating things that I heard from other students was that they had ‘writers block.’ Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand this does exist in some very extreme circumstances, but 99% of the time, it’s bullshit,” he says.

“For creative people, writer’s block is simply a lack of inspiration. If you are not actively seeking new ideas, new music, new words, new colours to paint with, you will end up writing the same song, drafting the same poem, painting the same picture. For me, nothing inspires me more than watching the creative process of other artists and how they work on their own or collaboratively. Or even more simply, an artist talking about their work, their experiences, their thoughts, in their own words.

Here are my top 5 go-to music mini-documentaries for inspiration…

Pearl Jam – Making Of Backspacer

Pearl Jam was one of the first bands I really loved and became obsessed with. This record was a massive highlight for me and when this beautifully shot and edited clip dropped, showing all the band members creative contributions, it really drove me to carefully consider all aspects of creating music. The songs, the band, the studio, the photographer, the artists and graphic designers. It all needs to work together.

Maggie Rogers – Back In My Body

Maggie is a true artist in all ways shapes and forms. This little insight into her sudden propulsion into mainstream popularity shows her true artistic mindset and also an enormous amount of maturity and self-awareness.

Mumford and Sons – Newport Tapes

I am a massive Mumford and Sons fan and this is such a great mix of performances and interviews. Very powerful and inspiring.

Bon Iver at AIR Studios

I cannot count how many times I have sat on the couch, alone, beer in hand and just fallen completely into the transcendent world of this performance. I recommend you do it the same way.

Ed Sheeran – Songwriter

While Ed is such a mainstream global hit making machine, this documentary gives insight to the basic creation, magic and pure enjoyment that comes from songwriting and collaborating. This is juxtaposed with the pressures of labels, A&R people, schedules and producers. For me, I felt really sorry for Ed. For such a nice guy and an incredibly talented songwriter, you see how money and the necessity for mainstream success can really suck the life out of something so beautiful.

Stay tuned for Dan’s debut EP out Friday, June 28.