First things first, I’d like to wish all you folk a Merry Xmas/Happy New Year and also a safe holiday season. Have fun, don’t do dumb shit and we’ll all be fine. Secondly whether you just discovered my music/the site recently or you’ve been holdin it down here since we started – much thanks. I appreciate your support and the fact that we’re making a little community here. It’s awesome hearing from you guys and as I’ve said before it’s encouraged me knowing that there’s people actually interested in what I’m doing. That’s mint – props to ya’s.

Reflectin on my 09, it was a pretty dece year – much better than my 08 was that’s for sure,  fingers crossed the upward trend continues next year. Personal highlight was puttin out an album I was totally happy with, from the music itself, to the singles we released, to the vids/artwork etc…  it’s the most satisfied I’ve been with any project I’ve worked on. Much thanks go to my team for helping me do that, shot guys.  Doin my first shows in the U.S, and finally crackin into those U.S sites I read everyday was also massive for me(of course the Kanye thing). Still guts about the cloud of death that seemed to hang over the last 12 months though… but what can ya do. Just remember to enjoy your time with your loved ones, 09 was the biggest reminder to not take that shit for granted so I’m mad grateful that I get to spend another xmas with my old man. R.I.P to all those we’ve lost.

Looking forward, I had a realisation this week that I’m gonna have to get fucken BUSY through January if I’m gonna be able to do the things I’ve got planned for next year. I’m sure I’ll get some semblance of a Summer break in, but writing and recording is gonna be the main agenda for the start of 010.  Let me know what you guys wanna see/know about behind the scenes and I’ll see if I can hook up some footage/photos whatever.. shit maybe we’ll even get on our uStream shit and  broadcast a session or somethin ?? Whatevs!  T-Shirts are coming too, I hope you guys are down to buy them/rock them cause if you weren’t .. that would be pretty shit. Ha.

Gigs wise you catch me in Gisborne on the 1st @ those rawkus as BW Campgrounds, and @ Matakana Island on the 16th. I’ll also probably pop into the BDO to catch my bro PNC’s set, and to see The Temper Trap play “Sweet Disposition” – I love that shit. I wanna put on our own party like we did with the “Off 2 The States” gig sometime soon too, but more details on that once it’s finalised. Should be a mean summer!

And finally,  “I Get The Feelin” is startin to pick up at Radio and TV now so you guys need to get out there and request/vote for it so we can “Push it to the limit” as Ricky Ross would say. I hear it’s just garnered a daytime add on The Edge, which would make it the first song of mine that’s done that – wicked. Go show your favourite stations love and  put the word in, lets do this so we don’t have to keep hearin bad JR Rotem productions and that rude as Fireflies song. Haha

Merry Xmas!

Vote/Request for “I Get The Feelin” here:

• The Edge
• Mai Fm
• Flava

Single available NOW: iTunes | Vodafone | Amplifier

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Draw Something Awesome win Something Awesome

This is a themed drawing contest, the theme being “something awesome”. To enter the competition simply submit a drawing of something which YOU think is awesome. This is entirely up to your perception and your idea of “awesome”, there is no right or wrong. The possibilities are endless, examples could include a time travelling car, Soulja Boy, a brick, a cat wearing roller-skates, your mum – just to name a few.

Stoked

I’ve been messing with the idea of doing a contest on the site for ages, but I wanted the entrants to do something creative as opposed to just an “email the answer to this question” type deal. The idea of having a music based contest for the producers/rappers crossed my mind, but being that a good majority of the people that frequent the site aren’t musicians I felt it excluded too many of the readers.. and I wanted this to be as inclusive as possible. Enter the “Something Awesome” drawing contest.

“I can’t draw!” I hear you say. That’s all good, neither can I. In the same way that someone who’s technically a great rapper doesn’t always make the good songs, we won’t be looking for the person who can draw the best. It’s all about your idea of what “awesome” is and conveying it. If it’s funny enough, clever enough, or artistic enough to catch our interest more than the others – you will win.

What you waiting for? Contest details and full list of prizes here: www.daviddallas.co.nz/contest

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Got an interview over at Format Magazine’s site,  they feature a lot of great stuff so I’m definitely in good company. 

Interview covers stuff a lot of you guys will know but there’s still some interesting questions(p.s I meant Prodigy from Mobb Deep, as opposed to The Prodigy of “Firestarter” fame. Ha).

Check it here

Related posts:

1. Renegade House Interview This is probably the most in-depth interview I’ve ever done....

I love this shit!

P-Money told me he’d hooked up this blend for a guest mix on MistaJams show in the U.K. When he mentioned he’d taken the “Indulge Me” acapella and hooked it up with a Duck Sauce song I was intrigued as I’ve had “aNYway” on repeat over the last 2 months… but damn, this shit right here?!? killer. A lot of the time blends don’t really float my boat, cause often dudes will just match tempos without considerin the vibe or the key of the song. This one really works for me though, props to Mr Money.

For the uninformed, Duck Sauce is a collaboration between A-Trak and Armand Van Helden. The tunes they’ve put out thus far(like the aforementioned “aNYway” ) have been pretty fucken choice so I suggest you hunt them down. Great way to amp up your house party sets on the ipod.

Shotty!

or

David Dallas x Duck Sauce “Indulge Me/The Motion” (P-Money’s Ddot Sauce blend) [Sharebee]

And oh yeah, because I’m so amped off this here’s a link to the “Indulge Me” acapella for anyone else that wants to try their hand at a good remix/blend. Link it up in the comments or contact us if you guys do something dece!

Related posts:

1. Renegade House Interview This is probably the most in-depth interview I’ve ever done....

The following is a discussion I had via MSN with Jordan a.k.a Jordache, one half of West Auckland production super-duo Fire & Ice. F&I produced 6 of the 12 songs on Something Awesome, aided in the completion of 2 other songs, and Jordan guested alongside Young Sid and Niko on the song “First Time”. Needless to say, he played a substantial role in the creation of this album. Never short on humour, here’s what he had to say for himself.

D.Dallas says:
is there anything you want to get across to the people in particular about fire and ice? That’s my bad interviewer question.

Jordan says:
she said she likes me… she said she needs me…. she wants to see me.. coz i’m the shit… probably just that aye

D.Dallas says:
hahaha

Jordan says:
haha nah i dunno ay

D.Dallas says:
when did you start sending me beats for this album again?

Jordan says:
many moons ago

D.Dallas says:
woulda been like 07 ay

Jordan says:
2 years? yea

D.Dallas says:
Did you have in mind what you thought would fit me or were you just doin what i told you? i.e tryna give me what i was askin for

Jordan says:
yea. i think i just gave you what we had, haha. But tried to give you stuff that sounded different from your Frontline stuff.

D.Dallas says:
do you reckon it’s important for a dude who makes beats to go with his gut as far as what he gives to the artist? Like if i’d said, oi i want beats that sound like Pitbull. Would you be like “nah you don’t suit that”. Or would you jus try and give me something like that?

Jordan says:
yea the way i look at it now is like the producer is as much an artist as the artist, if you know what i mean… like its important for us to make music that represents us and what we like.. so if you had asked for pitbull type shit i probably wouldn’t have told you not to do that, if that is really what you wanted to do, i wouldve just said we dont make that.

And then i wouldve laughed at you when you dropped your pitbull single. Oye Loca!

D.Dallas says:
haha. Ok, so you feel like fire and ice has a sound then?

Jordan says:
yea i guess.. you could say we have a ‘soulful’ vibe.. kinda hate that term ay.. but yea we tried to give you our sound.. like the Frontline sound was quite moody and dark.. so i thought it was important for you to come out on our stuff with a more lighter side, otherwise there wouldn’t be much difference between David Dallas the solo artist and Frontline the group, ya know

D.Dallas says:
hard, shucks you guys are soulful

Jordan says:
hahah

D.Dallas says:
i feel like we got a good vibe going on this album, like the stuff you were sendin me after i’d done the indulge me demo was all on point.. in the right direction for where i was goin.  Why do you reckon that is?

Was it cause in your head you had an idea of how you wanted the album to sound or what?

Jordan says:
yea i guess so, it continues from being different from the FL stuff, like when you were in Frontline i always thought it’d be mean if you did  ‘lighter’ songs.. and when i got the indulge me demo back it was mean, so i tried to send you more stuff on that buzz

coz i dont think we actually discussed what direction the album should head in.. i think we were just on the same page

D.Dallas says:
are you happy with how the album turned out?

Jordan says:
yea definitely. its my favourite hiphop album from here. its just cool. Evan killed it on the mix too, made us sound mean, with our budget time-stretching and such haha

D.Dallas says:
haha

Jordan says:
what happened to that other song you did over ours? it had 16th hats on it too.. i think it was called phillip? i never got a demo of that

D.Dallas says:
fuck, i wrote one verse and had a hook in my head. Never got it demo’d up tho cause shit was in disarray at that time

Jordan says:
haha

D.Dallas says:
i might needa pull that out

Jordan says:
yea. i need to clean that up. drums suck. mud clap

D.Dallas says:
you had a big hand in this album outside of the beats you made. i.e hookin up your friends like Niko and Toma for vocals and arrangement/instrumentation duty. What made you decide to be so helpful/hands on?

Jordan says:
i guess i just wanted to put on people who i thought had talent.. had to put on for the West ya know haha.. but yea i liked where the whole thing was going so i tried to get involved as much as i could

Toma’s a close friend of ours and i met Niko through him, they’ve been working on stuff for a while, then we started working with them as well.. so when you told me you were looking for vocals it was only natural for me to try and get them involved

D.Dallas says:
what made you decide to get your rap on? who gassed you bro? LOL

Jordan says:
drugs, haha. i was drunk and smoking a joint at my mates when i decided.. was thinking bout the demo and thought i could rap about that lol.. first rap ever on a song with dave and sid.. fuck it lol.

Sorry i had to murk you on your own shit ay lol

D.Dallas says:
it’s all good.

sorry i have to not pay you for those 6 beats ay. LOL

Jordan says:
hahaha. shucks whats august doing? i emailed him yesterday

D.Dallas says:
shoosh man

Jordan says:
lol

D.Dallas says:
lets just pretend we’re rich over here

Jordan says:
once i told Toma i was gonna record it at his there was no backing out

D.Dallas says:
is that your first rap ever? did you write any bullshit verses when you were a kid?

Jordan says:
yeah thats my first rap ever.. i never wrote any as a kid.. i didnt even write that verse though.. yeah im Hov.. ‘cept i rapped the last line first and the first line last..

Toma can attest to my amateur recording.. we punched the whole thing, as I came up with ideas haha. Halfway through I thought i was in over my head… then when he played back my voice it was like.. ‘arrgh i sound gay’

D.Dallas says:
i was suprised when you sent it thru to me. Cause you actually text me one time, i think you were drunk – “bro.. i’m gonna do a verse for first time”

I thought it’d be crack up, but i didn’t think you’d do it

Jordan says:
lol that was probably the same night i decided.. Toma tatted me the next day when i was still drunk and i told him.. couldnt go back after that haha

D.Dallas says:
it’s crack up cause soon as you said you’d done a demo, I’d already decided it was goin on the song. Hadn’t even heard you rap.

I just liked the idea of it, it reminded me of readin about 2pac and how he’d put the Outlawz on songs.. jus whoever had their verse ready first was on the song. If you didn’t have the verse, catch you up.

Jordan says:
haha. yeah wasnt scribble supposed to be on it?.. so you weren’t sweating me coming on and being “magazines call me a rockstar…”?

D.Dallas says:
ha i reached out to scribble… he didn’t reach back. that was early on tho, think i just sent him the beat.

Don’t think he could see the vision, LOL.

Do you think your verse measures up to Kanye’s on “The Bounce”?

Jordan says:
being that the actual GingerBread man himself said he was a Monster, i’m inclined to say no.

D.Dallas says:
haha

D.Dallas says:
do you have a gripe with music these days? Is there certain stuff you’d like to hear on the radio/tv more?

Jordan says:
i dont listen to the radio… ever. so i could care less what theyre playing. i dont watch that much tv either so same goes… internet is good like that.

D.Dallas says:
how’d you get the name Jordache?

Jordan says:
you gave it to me haha.. and it stuck.. thought i’d run with it, coz i couldn’t think of a cool rap name… slash rap names are gay… slash i have my own clothing line

D.Dallas says:
is the name catching on? have any females addressed you by that name yet?

Jordan says:
yea, amongst the usual hunk, dreamboat, hearthrob comments, occasionally the opposite sex will refer to me as Jordache

D.Dallas says:
nuff said. “Every daaaay a star is boooorn – clap for him” © Jay Z

Jordan says:
ha, the names all good actually, people seem to like it… that and the fact that i referenced Glendene haha

D.Dallas says:
oh tru, are you gettin the local support? i.e “thanx 4 puttin us on the map g”

Jordan says:
haha.. its all about Glen Eden to be honest.. but thats doesnt really rhyme with green… maybe Weedin’ ?… Weedin’ in Glen Eden… sounds more like im doing community service or gardening with Nana.

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5 individuals, 5 originals, 5 designs. Five regional personalities and adidas nuts in various creative fields were selected by adidas Originals to participate in the “Originals By Qubic” program, where they were able to customise and produce their very own adidas Originals sneaker.

Unfortunately I was in the South Island last weekend so I wasn’t able to attend the unveiling of these badboys. I’m backing the 3 stripes though, as any of you who’ve come in contact with me over the last 18 months would probably have noticed.

These vids are well put together, and give you an insight into the 5 fellows who were deemed worthy of the task of customising their own Adidas Original. It’s interesting hearing their background stories and the reasoning behind their shoe selections. I’m Keen as to get a look at these shoes in the flesh. Check these vids out – with music by your boy of course, it’s only right.

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Wow.

Something Awesome has spent its release day as the number one album on iTunes.

Thank YOU for making this happen.

Stoked as.

Something Awesome – Pick it up here!

iTunes | Vodafone | Amplifier | Digirama | Telecom

.. oh yeah, stay tuned over the next couple days. I’m thinking we’ll run a little competition which could be well worth your while.

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I am extremely happy to announce that Something Awesome is now available.

You may now run down to your local store and pick up the cd like the young lass in the photo above, or hit up your preferred digital spot to do’z it up.

For right now I’d like to say a big thank you to all you guys for frequenting this site and supporting me over the last 2 years. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s been a great help knowing that there was actually people out there who were still keen to hear what I have to offer. I appreciate it to the utmost – hope you’s dig it.

Something Awesome – Get it here!

iTunes | Vodafone | Amplifier | Digirama | Telecom

p.s As of right now Something Awesome is #1 album on iTunes hip hop chart, and #4 overall. Thanks to everyone who’s already grabbed it!

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Ha, this looks familiar! Some wicked stuff in this, especially the parts where he’s playing pong or driving down the road. Top marks.

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