GrooveOn speaks to the innovative Don Dolla

Who is Don Dolla (in your own words)? And how name come about?

Don Dolla evolved from a nickname I was given in my early high school days. I always used to rock the freshest kicks, or have the latest disc man so somehow I got stuck with the name “Dolla” as that was the name of Richie Rich’s dog. When I began DJ’ing I was known as DJ Dolla, I then dropped the DJ but realised there were way too many Dolla’s in the world making music so I added the “Don” to separate myself from the rest.

Don Dolla today to me represents producer, song writer and musician.

But a lot of people associate my name with my talk box. I’m one of the few people in the world trying to push myself as an artist through my skills on the talk box.  Alot of people remember me from the live gig circuit as using my talk box.  I have featured on a lot of songs with my the talk box. It is great to see the response when I do it live, it is always something the crowd will remember.

At this point DON DOLLA has become my second first name!

Tell us about your debut single “Incredible” and the process of writing and producing the track?

Incredible came about when my good friend Richard Tanumi gave me some ideas for a new song that we both wanted to do together, so I put together the track and we wrote and recorded it together the next day. It all happened so fast! Richard and I have great chemistry in the studio and we’re both really fast workers so naturally the song came together in a matter of hours, from the beat to the vocals, we were on the same page throughout the whole thing. Richard gets a bit delirious from being locked in the studio all day and night so its always a funny experience working with him. Hes a true clown. The result was the first single! We all knew it from the second we heard it.

When will be the single be released and will we be able to purchase it online and via record stores?

The single is being released digitally via iTunes on May 26th 2009 and will be availible to purchase through both iTunes and the official website for my independent record label VOSKI Entertainment @ http://www.voskientertainment.com.au. The hard copy should be hitting record stores shortly after.

Your sound is quite unique in that you encompass Hip Hop, Neo Soul, R&B, Funk and Electro sounds. How would you best describe it and the direction of the album?

I love experimenting with sounds, especially the “out there” sounds I always seem to come across whilst making music. One of the most important things to me is clarity in the songs that I make. I guess my sound is never confined to one style or genre. My album crosses many genre’s each and every track from 1 to 13 is something different. There is something for everyone. From electro to rock to retro funk influences.  It is sure to keep a wide range of listeners satisfied. I kept the fans of all genres in mind whist putting this album together. That’s why it took so long to complete!

What artists do you listen to in your spare time?

I’m loving my soul music right now, Charlie Wilson, Robin Thicke, Dwele, Latoiya Williams, Musiq Soulchild, but it started for me back in the day with my obsession with Westcoast rap, Ice Cube, Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, The Lady Of Rage, The Twinz, Warrren G etc. and old school funk and soul, The Whispers, Frankie Beverly, Maze, Michael Jackson of course. I listen to all kinds of music though. I’m just a lover of music no matter what genre it is.

Seeing as your a seasoned performer, what has been your best live experience thus far?

I think my best live experience will be on the night of the album launch because of the amazing line up and band that I will be sharing the stage with, but I will never forget the night of my 21st birthday in August 2008 at HAVANA. Many of the artists are my friends so a lot of them were there to perform with me on the night so there were always different people coming up on the small stage we had. The highlight of my night and performance was when my girl EarthQuake, who I’ve always been a huge fan of even before we started working together, surprised me at the end of my performance by sneaking herself through the crowd with a microphone and coming up on stage to surprise me on my birthday and perform 3 songs. She told me she wouldn’t be able to make it so that was a huge surprise for me. Also, the fact that we managed to keep the crowd in awe over our performances for about 25 minutes in a night club was amazing. The response was incredible!

Your Album launch is coming up at The Basement (Sydney), what can we expect from your performance?

I’m bringing along my full live band, Mark Millionair Sedicol & George Bastoli on guitars, Mark Ramnac on bass, Patrick Gillin on drums, Kristen Fletcher and myself on keys, Nate Villareal, Berni Lovero, Nicole Kizi & Joelle on background vocals and all the artists that are featured on the album will be there to help me introduce and celebrate the release of the album. Some of the artists performing on the night include Richard Tanumi, Mike Champion, Noble, Rebecca Tapia, Tristan Charles, EarthQuake, Natalie Conway, Kato Sage, Grael & many more. I am also bringing down my friend Jack Black who is Australia’s number one magician to amaze the crowd with his incredible magic and sense of humour. This guy is a freak! It’s gonna be a massive event! The passes for the launch are very limited but there’s a few left to purchase from http://www.eventix.com.au or http://www.thebasement.com.au - Every ticket comes with a copy of the album “Intromental.”

Anyone you would like to thank out there?

Thank you to my parents and sisters, my beautiful girl, all the artists who I have collaborated with and who have supported me from the beginning, my talented graphic designer, my amazing band and background singers.  Thank you to my sister Nyree who is also my manager for all her hard work and belief in me.

Thank you to the whole team behind the promo including Garry and the amazing team at Xclusiv Productions, Champion Marketing Solutions and Big Picture Media, thank you to Grooveon.com.au, for you continual support of the local music scene. Thank you to everyone else who I may have missed who are also supporters! Thank you all.

THE INTROMENTAL ALBUM LAUNCH & LISTENING PARTY takes place on Tuesday 9th June at 6:30pm AT THE BASEMENT 29 Reiby Place, Circular Quay.
To purchase tickets go to http://www.eventix.com.au

I luv luv luv this guy...........and his music is phanominal. Seen many shows and he’s like no other. Hope to see and hear more about him and cant wait for his album to drop. Dolla’s the bomb!!! ))))))))))