Dom Dolla talks about his Grammy nominations, being nominated for his work on "New Gold" with Tame Impala and Gorillaz, collaborating with Nelly Furtado, playing Coachella, the future of dance music, how dance music has changed over the years and more!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00 It's just every song I've ever listened to
00:02 that I was a fan of growing up
00:03 put in a blender that is my brain
00:05 and spat out the other side.
00:07 Hi guys, my name's Dom Dollar
00:08 and you're watching Billboard News.
00:10 (upbeat music)
00:13 - Hi, I'm Katie Bain for Billboard News
00:17 and I'm here with Grammy nominated producer Dom Dollar.
00:20 Dom, thank you for being here.
00:21 - Thanks for having me, appreciate it.
00:23 ♪ You're gonna be a savior now ♪
00:25 ♪ Save your love for me ♪
00:29 ♪ Fly like a bird, I'm taking it home ♪
00:33 - I wanna start with knowing exactly what you were doing
00:40 when you found out you were nominated.
00:42 - I was in bed, I woke up,
00:45 checked my phone and just started swearing.
00:48 It was a weird morning.
00:51 Honestly, back home in Australia,
00:52 it's like it's the award that all of my Australian friends
00:56 and families understand as like
00:58 the highest echelon of music.
01:01 So honestly, that's been the coolest part.
01:02 Like I was just back home in Australia
01:03 with all my relatives and they were like,
01:07 you know, bugging out over it.
01:08 - Sure, they understand how big what you do
01:10 that they may not understand on a day to day basis
01:13 has actually become.
01:14 - Yeah, like don't you like, you know,
01:15 uncles and aunties at the Christmas dinner,
01:17 you're a DJ, right?
01:18 You know, so now like, oh, okay, it's like actually,
01:21 you know, you're doing pretty good
01:22 with the music production and songwriting stuff, so.
01:25 (upbeat music)
01:27 - You nominated for remixing Gorillaz' "New Gold".
01:32 Gorillaz is obviously a legendary act.
01:34 Did you feel any nervousness when you got the stems,
01:38 when you got the project about how to approach it?
01:41 - Yeah, I think that record in particular,
01:44 it had a top line or a vocal from Booty Brown,
01:48 Kevin Parker, Taemin Bala.
01:50 Not really something I wanted to half cook, you know.
01:53 So I actually went through probably like four or five
01:55 versions until I found a version
01:57 that I was really, really happy with.
01:58 And I actually played it, had a chance to open with it
02:02 here in Los Angeles at a show.
02:04 And I knew the second that I, I was like,
02:06 I'm feeling pretty confident about this.
02:07 You never really know though until you play it
02:09 in front of an audience.
02:10 Yeah, I knew straight away.
02:11 I was like, this is, we're on, yeah.
02:12 That's generally my measuring stick anyway.
02:14 - The best test for anything.
02:16 - Yeah, play it live.
02:17 (upbeat music)
02:20 - What about the band?
02:21 Did they give any guidance for what they wanted
02:25 and then any feedback for when it was done?
02:27 - No, all I knew was like, they'll either like it
02:29 or they don't like it.
02:30 And, and Damon Albarn invited me to go and hang out
02:35 with him at Coachella backstage last year.
02:38 And he was, yeah, basically said how, how stoked he was
02:42 and really grateful that I did it.
02:43 And, you know, he was, it's a real moment.
02:46 This, the whole, the combination of all of those things,
02:48 the artists that are featured on it, the nomination,
02:50 it's all just surreal.
02:52 - What are your plans now that it is officially
02:54 Grammy season?
02:56 What does it look like for you in terms of events?
02:58 - I was thinking about inviting my mom over from Australia,
03:00 bring her over for the Grammys, which would be fun.
03:03 I enjoy sharing those moments with family and friends.
03:06 So maybe, yeah, I might have to drag her over from Melbourne.
03:09 - You gotta bring mom for the Grammys.
03:10 I'd say that's like the best Grammy date
03:12 you could probably ask for.
03:14 - Yeah.
03:14 - Make some noise for mom.
03:15 (crowd cheering)
03:17 - You've remixed for other artists, obviously.
03:19 Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, very big names.
03:21 I'm wondering how, if at all, your process
03:24 when you're remixing is different
03:25 when you're making your own stuff in the studio.
03:27 Like, do you have a different mindset
03:28 or a different approach?
03:29 - A hundred percent.
03:30 I think remixing is generally about,
03:33 I go through, I'll go through all the stems
03:34 and figure out the elements that are my favorite elements
03:36 from the record.
03:37 And there's a lot that I'm like,
03:38 "Oh, I'm not really into that."
03:39 You know, I would have, you know, used different chords
03:41 or, you know, there are elements of the vocal often
03:44 that I'm, I might be more of a fan of, you know,
03:46 these ad-libs versus those.
03:48 And I find I just chop, do a lot of chopping
03:50 and picking and basically figuring out,
03:53 filling buckets of my favorite stuff from the original
03:56 and just deleting everything else.
03:57 And then using those parameters to create something new.
04:00 Whereas original music is like complete, you know,
04:05 blank slate.
04:06 And I might just sit down and write chords
04:08 and start humming melodies.
04:10 And that's how I write original stuff or, you know,
04:12 even figuring out what the cadence of like a rap
04:15 that I can hear over a beat that I've written.
04:17 (upbeat music)
04:20 - I mean, in terms of inspiration for your own stuff,
04:26 like how do you have to like,
04:27 do you have a process where you have to sit down
04:29 and, or is it more like you're moving through the world
04:31 and then you'll hear a melody or inspirational strike?
04:34 - Yeah, I think a lot of the time it's turning my phone off,
04:37 having a coffee, going through,
04:39 I've got like folders of like inspiration records
04:41 that I love and whether that's like moods or, you know,
04:46 vocalists that I like or like certain tones
04:48 or sound of a record that I really enjoy.
04:50 It's just every song I've ever listened to
04:52 that I was a fan of growing up,
04:54 put in the blender that is my brain
04:56 and then, you know, spat out the other side.
04:58 - Sure, that's very well said.
05:00 That's what I love about your music and your sets too.
05:02 Like you're not afraid to work in like Sierra
05:05 and Guns N' Roses and like all of these really kind of
05:08 playful and disparate influences and sounds.
05:11 What does that say about you?
05:13 - I feel like the audience that has connected with me,
05:16 you know, just have similar tastes to what I do.
05:19 - And appreciate that playfulness and that lack of ego.
05:22 - Yeah, just don't take it too seriously, I suppose.
05:25 - Well, at the same time, taking it so seriously
05:26 that you get a Grammy nomination
05:28 and you play the biggest festival in the world.
05:31 - Work, that's work ethic, I feel.
05:32 Or like, you know, just being dedicated to your craft.
05:34 But yeah, don't, I'm trying not to overthink it.
05:36 ♪ Some people say for ramen ♪
05:40 ♪ Some people say for ramen ♪
05:43 - In terms of, you know, the musical influences
05:46 that you put in that metaphorical blender,
05:48 I read that you kind of got into music
05:51 when your mom gave you a Basement Jaxx album, is that right?
05:54 - Yeah, she bought me a copy of Basement Jaxx's album,
05:59 Rudy, and I had a picture of an albino gorilla
06:03 on the front of it and she, and it's really bright pink.
06:06 It's very, if you know the album cover, it stands out.
06:09 And she saw it, she's like, "Oh, I don't like the look of that."
06:10 And grabbed it, she didn't listen to it or proofread it.
06:13 There was plenty of swearing in it.
06:14 And yeah, handed it over to me and I just became obsessed.
06:18 I actually had the friend of mine, Patrick Topping,
06:21 introduce me to them in Ibiza last year.
06:25 - How was that?
06:26 - Yeah, amazing. - How was that?
06:27 - Had a chance to fill them in on the story.
06:29 - Wow.
06:30 - And that was really cool.
06:31 And they went on to tell me that the gorilla
06:33 that's on the front cover,
06:34 I always thought was just a character that they created,
06:38 but it turned out it was a real gorilla
06:40 and they went and photographed it.
06:42 For me, the last 12 months or 24 months
06:44 has just been full of these incredible moments
06:45 of meeting people that inspired me.
06:48 - Sure.
06:49 - That was one of them.
06:50 - Sure, who else?
06:51 - I think working with Nelly Furtado.
06:52 ♪ I need your man to bow and hear my hope ♪
06:56 ♪ Lickin' my fingers, I'm in control ♪
06:58 I grew up listening to her music.
07:00 Me and my younger sister were obsessed.
07:03 And then, yeah, she reached out.
07:05 Turns out she was a fan of my music.
07:07 - Well, it seems like a real creative partnership.
07:10 Why do you think, like, what is the chemistry there?
07:13 Like, what's sort of the secret sauce
07:14 that's making this work so well?
07:16 - Honestly, I think I grew up listening to her music.
07:20 She's heard that, like,
07:22 obviously that's influenced my taste.
07:25 She's heard that in her, in my songwriting.
07:28 - Sure.
07:29 - And gone, why do I relate to this?
07:30 And I think it's because of me listening to her
07:32 as a youngster.
07:33 And then, yeah, it's just come together that way.
07:36 - 'Cause you put it in your blender.
07:38 - Yeah, I put it in my son's blender.
07:40 - Totally.
07:41 - Yeah.
07:41 ♪ 'Cause I'm gonna save it up ♪
07:43 ♪ Save all my money ♪
07:46 - I thought 2023 was a big year for you,
07:53 but looking at 2024 with the Grammys
07:56 and the Coachella lineup is out, you're playing twice.
07:59 You're playing with Everything Always with John Summit,
08:01 and then you're playing a solo set.
08:03 Do you feel like a star,
08:04 or are there moments where you're like,
08:05 I am, I have made it?
08:08 - No, I definitely don't feel like a star.
08:09 I feel like it's,
08:11 I'm still, what I'm really getting used to
08:14 over the last 24 months is the whole, like,
08:16 walking down the street, you know, getting stopped stuff.
08:20 That's kind of new for me.
08:21 - What's it like?
08:22 - It can get pretty intense at times.
08:24 - Okay.
08:24 - It's a lot of fun though, 'cause like, people are like,
08:26 you know, people often apologize.
08:27 I'm so sorry.
08:28 I'm like, "Why are you paying the bills, mate?
08:29 "Come, let's get a photo."
08:31 ♪ I love the sounds of my heart ♪
08:34 ♪ And just want to ♪
08:35 - The Everything Always project.
08:36 I'm curious what you and John do together
08:39 that maybe is slightly different
08:41 from what you do separately.
08:43 - Energy.
08:44 I feel like we both feed off each other,
08:46 and things just escalate,
08:48 and that same thing goes for music and DJ sets as well.
08:51 We tend to play more and like harder and harder and harder,
08:55 which is fun.
08:56 When we come together, it's just a party.
08:58 Wait and see, I feel like that.
08:59 - Any hints?
09:01 - Nah, I'll spoil the surprise.
09:02 You're gonna be there?
09:03 - Yeah.
09:04 - Okay.
09:05 So there will be a surprise.
09:06 It's what we know for sure.
09:07 Don't miss it.
09:09 Do you feel, as a leader in the genre,
09:12 like, do you want to push dance further
09:14 is what I'm asking, I guess.
09:15 - I, yeah, I certainly would love to just break,
09:18 you know, push the boundaries.
09:20 And I think growing up as a house DJ,
09:23 playing like house and techno,
09:24 and like, it's very sceny,
09:26 and there are a lot of rules,
09:27 and you can't play this, and you can't do that.
09:29 But I just think all those rules,
09:31 they just don't exist anymore.
09:32 - So you feel that shifting?
09:33 Like you feel like parameters just falling away,
09:36 and there's this kind of new freedom.
09:37 - 100%, yeah.
09:38 - That's awesome.
09:39 - And all of these people
09:40 that from different sub-genres in dance
09:41 are all hanging out and having a good time together.
09:43 And, you know, there's no,
09:44 the chin-stroking element of, you know,
09:47 judgment and, has kind of disappeared,
09:49 which is incredible.
09:50 - Yeah, I think so. - It's exciting.
09:51 I think it's a testament to like Gen Z
09:53 and the new generation, and, you know,
09:55 being authentic to who they are in the modern day,
09:58 as opposed to putting themselves forward
10:00 in a way that they think is the way
10:02 they should be to be accepted.
10:03 - Sure.
10:04 So with everything that you have got going on,
10:06 with everything that you've done already,
10:08 if you could talk to that little boy
10:10 who's, you know, clutching the burned Rudy CD,
10:14 how many years ago, like what advice
10:17 would you give your younger self?
10:18 And like, you know, the version of you
10:19 that was just starting out.
10:21 - I wouldn't change anything.
10:22 I'd actually be terrified to go back
10:23 and talk to him actually,
10:24 because the whole butterfly effect
10:25 might change something, you know?
10:27 - Right.
10:28 - I reckon just, yeah, just stick within the genre
10:30 that you really enjoy.
10:32 'Cause the last thing you want is to be chasing a trend
10:34 and then, you know, have a record that becomes popular
10:37 and you end up stuck in a world that you don't like.
10:40 - Right.
10:41 - Gotta be patient.
10:42 - Stand your ground.
10:43 - Yeah, stand your ground, for sure.
10:44 - Thank you for being here.
10:46 - I really enjoyed that.
10:48 (upbeat music)
10:50 (upbeat music)