There’s a particular kind of artist who carries geography in their music, not as a postcard reference, but as something cellular. David Mayer is one of them. Raised between Germany, Spain, and Norway before settling in Berlin, Mayer has spent two decades distilling movement into sound.
His new label, SONARA, co-founded with producer Tooker, marketing strategist Jay Kurahashi-Sofue, and fellow artist Nico Stojan is less a business venture than a living philosophy: part creative shelter, part wild idea generator, part chosen family. Born creatively out of Tooker’s studio on the Sardinian island of San Pietro, and energised by the strategic pulse of Brooklyn and Berlin, SONARA sits at the intersection of wild intuition and grounded structure.
With his debut release Essence already mapping the emotional terrain ahead, Mayer talks about what it means to build something real in an industry that rewards speed, why simplicity is the hardest discipline to master, and how a breakup, a Panorama Bar epiphany, and a fellowship of like minds all led him exactly here.
You co-founded SONARA with multi-instrumentalist producer Tooker and marketing strategist Jay Kurahashi-Sofue, alongside another artist Nico Stojan. How did this collaboration come together and who initiated the idea?
The label itself was thought up by Tooker accompanied by Jay, while Nico and I naturally merged in as creative family members. We were all equally present at its birth, some providing funds and expertise behind the scenes while others were providing their music, each of us applying one whole career worth of experience throughout the first steps until the first release in September 2009. Tooker and Nico both knew Jay from decades ago, while I had been working with Nico just as long. When it became clear that SONARA is happening it struck me well, because it was the best possible timing for me personally. It felt like a blessing and it was a no brainer to go all in on this particular fellowship.
The label draws inspiration from two very different places: the stillness of Sardinia and the energy of Brooklyn. How do those two contrasting atmospheres influence the label and can we expect any events in any of those locations?
In fact, Sardinia has had a headstart regarding SONARA showcases in the summer of 2025! So it is already established as a natural playground. Sardinia is the birthplace of SONARA after all, and it’s mysteriously immersive island energy is pulsing through everything we do creatively. Brooklyn is providing an urban influence, more tech affiliated and strategic. In my understanding, the fact that Jay is operating out of Brooklyn plays a significantly complimentary part to the wild creative energy we deliberately indulge in here in Europe. Of course we’re looking across the great pond already, but since we’re mostly based in Europe, this is where we will take the next steps.
Artist development is clearly central to SONARA’s identity. What does a “holistic” approach to that actually look like in practice? What does SONARA offer an artist that most labels don’t?
The way I experience this specific formation is that it provides creative freedom, shelter and guidance, while at the same time providing a secure connection to the material world. Any idea will be heard, any impulse will find curious minds with potential for an extended discussion. But in time, the same wild ideas will be safely guided to realization by means of a grounded structure.
To me, SONARA is a playground for ideas, reflection and innovation. That’s what I personally needed it to be, so that’s what I found, which is possible precisely because it holds the freedom to choose what it provides by my own definition.
In fact, we all have very different personalities and different needs as artists and entrepreneurs, but each of us have chosen SONARA to be whatever we need it to be for the moment. What I got was fellowship, mentorship and support. Long term it will be a journey and a home.
When it comes to A&R, what are you looking for? Will the label look for a few mainstays or focus more on building a catalogue of similar styled music?
I believe that we’ve already established a representation of a rather broad spectrum of sounds. For now, it’s evidently house based, as this is a root connection we all share. But in the process of creating our music, we are seeking to welcome the wildest musical influences. The effect of allowing this to happen is exponential. This will also benefit other artists, like it already has on occasion.
We joined forces with the confidence that each of us already had their signature sound. By mixing up those influences, we are experiencing huge surprises. Just allowing this process to unfold is a source of immense joy. In the foreseeable future, these characteristics will benefit other artists too
You were growing up across Germany, Spain, and Norway before landing in Berlin. How much of that restlessness and cross-cultural exposure do you think lives inside your music today?
I think the immense effect my personal journey has on my creative output can not be over emphasized. Moving across borders so many times in my youth and experiencing the elementary impact of living amongst Norway’s monumental nature, in contrast to the beach based island life of the Canary Islands and then finally landing in the cultural melting pot of Berlin taught me a fundamental understanding of different cultures and languages. Then, when I started traveling as a DJ, the whole world opened up to me. I definitely learned to appreciate music for its primary function as a universal language. And speaking of restlessness, Berlin really was the perfect base for me to develop as an artist. Only over time, I came to appreciate the quietness of any remote location more and more. That’s why I can’t get enough of Sardinia, or rather Isola di San Pietro, where Tooker has his studio.
Berlin in 2004 was a very particular moment for electronic music. What was it like arriving into that scene, and how did it shape who you became as an artist?
When I arrived in Berlin, I was still used to listening primarily to HipHop and attending R & B parties. But that quickly changed after I was introduced to minimal house and techno, specifically with my first visit to Panorama Bar, of course. Up until that moment I had naively thought to my young self that minimal house and dub techno were genres designed as soundtracks for very long car rides on the highway at night. I had listened to those genres on underground radio stations, curiously recording their late night broadcast to cassettes and humbly imitating the sound on my first digital audio workstation. But experiencing live how crowds erupted in ecstasy to simple changes, like kickdrums dropping or hihats coming in played right into my passion for sound design. There was no stopping for a few years then, I was going out to re-experience that initiating moment as much as possible, dancing my socks off. When Electro House came into the picture, alongside Electro Clash, everything opened up. Since Electro House occasionally was be a little more song based, this development taught me about the kind of arrangements DJs would prefer. My knack for sampling found good use in house music too and my productions started to sound more and more structured. Berlin and the talented people I was privileged to meet in it literally taught me everything.
Essence sounds like a deliberate return to something… a stripping back rather than an expansion. The track is described as being rooted in artistic clarity. Was that clarity something you arrived at recently? What was the inspiration behind this record?
My quest for clarity started soon after my last breakup. The way it happened contradicted everything I had been working for and it was incredibly destructive, in many ways unexpected and very confusing.
I was guided to start looking inwards and what I found was relief in seeking clarity. I soon found that the principle of clarity can be applied to basically any facet of life. Also to creating music! I had known about simplicity, restrictions and guidelines. But operating from real clarity, radical accountability and fundamental intention adds a whole different level to any challenge at hand.
With this in mind, ‘“Essence” carries a double reference to clarity. First of all, it arrived in a time of my life, where everything changed to unprecedented extents, which also made me reconsider clarity as a means to connect with my creative source. Coming from anxiety and self proclaimed pressure is different than coming from a state of groundedness.
Secondly, I gained clarity of the fact that this tune literally carries the DNA code to most of my catalogue. Articulated arps, disco related beats and heavy, bubbling baselines modulating into emotive long notes are themes that are common denominators in both in my inspirational input and in my own work. The scheme is dance meets emotion, transients dissolve into long notes. The essence of “Essence” is clarity.
How has your production setup or process changed over the years? Are you someone who chases new tools, or do you tend to work with what you know?
I often wished I was a little more nerdy, but apparently that’s just not how this works for me. I used to have studios here and there and I fully appreciate the luxury of being that kind of stationary! But for now, my life has repeatedly forced me to downsize and be flexible. The long term result is a very minimal, laptop based setup with a handful of favoured VST’s and samples.
I have honestly tried to be really interested in granular synthesis and modular racks! And there is no better way to start a track than submitting to the output of gracious, monumental hardware gear. But soon after recording, when I’m sitting down to develop the idea, my workflow relies on what I know, inside the box, at least for the most part. I may be more patient now than I used to be. But I admit that I never really liked the feeling of being held up by re-syncing gear or spending hours with untangling poorly labeled audio cables.
For producers and DJs just starting out, what’s the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you earlier?
I wish I had understood better to be less self reliant. I probably took too much pride in being self reliant. Opening up to get professional help and find reliable partners for management, decision making, post production and social media would have freed up so much time in my most challenging phases, when life just kept happening and distracting me. It should be a priority to automate the dull part to be able to focus on the good part, which is creating!
What does 2026 look like for both you and SONARA? Are there specific goals, releases, or milestones you’re building toward?
We have a substantial amount of collaborative releases scheduled this year. Individual originals will continue to be embedded nicely in between. Our next EP with two tracks is a concept EP created by a happy mix of all 3 of us. It will come out very soon as release number #010, marking it a significant milestone in regards to 2026 being the year of results. Building on that, we are looking at a playful summer with some showcases in Sardinia and perhaps concluding with our first ADE appearance next autumn. First and foremost, we’ll meet up again at least two times this year for more rounds of our creative basecamp in Sardinia, which we already have had going for us 3 times in the past twelve months. Meeting in person for designated weeks at a time, let alone in the nurturing environment of the island has proven to be soul soothing and very productive. We strive to be happy and creative, grateful for what we have and are looking to share our joy across the world as a message of love and a call for peace.