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Behind
the decks, his styles include funky house, tribal, techno, progressive, electro,
old school acid house, and practically everything in between. As if that weren't
enough, he represents his hip-hop roots by incorporating scratching as a major
part of his sets. But
this multi-talented maestro doesn't limit his skills to the turntables - he's
also a producer with tracks featured on Moonshine, Red Handed, and Phunked Up
Records, as well as the man behind Free Records and Free the Funk.
As
a teenager in Tacoma, WA, in the early 80s, hip-hop served as his introduction
to dj culture...
"It
was early hip-hop culture [that] drew me in... breaking, graffiti and djing. Hip-hop
gave me the creative outlet that I needed since I wasn't applying myself scholastically.
It probably even saved my life, at one point or another."
It
didn't do too badly for his career, either. In 1988, dAb had the privilege of
opening up for one of his musical heroes, Rob Base.
Hip-hop
wasn't his only inspiration, however. In addition to old-school greats like DST,
Grand Master Flash, and Jam Master Jay, dAb counts techno and house gurus Carl
Cox, Derrick Carter, and fellow Seattlite Donald Glaude among his influences.
He also cites electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Depeche Mode,
and Juan Atkins as his favorites...
"I've
enjoyed many musical movements: disco, new wave, hip-hop, house, and techno. Luckily,
that open-mindedness has translated to me as a dj."
Indeed
it has. Few djs can match the depth of knowledge and love for dance music that
is so evident when dAb spins...
"I
guess for me, growing up, I didn't let any one style dictate my own. I think the
only way to achieve longevity in this industry is to evolve, but also to be mindful
of establishing a sound."
For
dAb, that sound is what he likes to call "Future Music". He enthusiastically
defines it as "music not offered through mass media...yet! Creative, forward-thinking
music with no limits'"
To
this end, dAb has released a string of his own original productions. Recently
he collaborated with Donald Glaude as "Digital Pimp", releasing the
single, "Lost in the Matrix." Explaining how their partnership came
to be... "We
both grew up in the same area, we both
love the music and we have similar influences so it was great to come together
and work on a project used for both his first Moonshine mix cd and the first Free
Records release."
Which
brings us to dAb's other major endeavor, Free Records and its sister label, Free
the Funk, which together make up the Free Family. Free Records is devoted to hard-hitting
techno, while Free the Funk covers the housier end of the spectrum. Upcoming releases
on Free Records include an ep from Houston's Chris Anderson featuring a remix
by DJ Jelo, and an ep from Seattle's A. Mos and DJ Roman with remixes courtesy
of Angel Alanis and Donald Glaude.
On
Free the Funk, look out for "crunchy tech house" tracks from Swedish
producers Hakan Lidbo and Martin Venetjoki, "funky house stuff" from
French producer Eddy Airbow, and "deep atmospheric tech house" from
John Unger, another emerging French producer.
As
for dAb himself, watch for electro releases under the name Donald Allen's Boy
on a new offshoot label later this year...
"I
used to play new wave stuff back in the 80s, so the transition to electroclash
is only natural."
In
the meantime, dAb's busy schedule includes residencies in Seattle, Olympia, and
Tacoma...
"Just
as with everywhere, Seattle's scene has taken some blows lately due to the media,
authorities, and economy... But what might seem as a decline has actually been
a house-cleaning of sorts. In the past few months it seems there has been a resurgence
of true music lovers."
Speaking
of which, dAb also has some kind words for the Austin scene, listing it as one
of his favorite cities to play in.
"Truthfully,
I love it. When anyone asks, I have always put Texas high on my list with Austin
topping it off."
His
live set in Austin's Club DeVille on May 15 will be one you won't want to miss...
"I'm
very excited, it's been quite awhile," dAb muses. "I'm really glad to
be given the opportunity to come back and mix things up."
For
more info on dJ dAb and the Free Family, hit up www.djdab.com and www.solidrate.com | 
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