Q & A With Dallas Austin
What have you been up to?
I have relaunched my clothing line Rowdy. It’s urban street wear with an alternative edge.
What about musically? What’s up with the album you told me about last year?
I just finished my album. It’s called The Dallas Austin Experience. The theme of the album is “8 Days a Weekend” and I have been working on it for over a year and half. You find out what happens to this girl over the course of a weekend. She has been on ADD medications since she was 8 years old and she is taking this long weekend to find herself. It speaks to all kids whose parents have sedated them all of their lives.
This is an interesting way to present music.
It’s a new way. You have to listen for the point of view. It gives you another experience to have, which is my mission.
Why is it that many of the artists you work with blow up with your productions and then they don’t return to you for a follow-up, such as Pink and Gwen Stefani?
A lot times, to tell you the truth, it’s just a moment that you capture. After the artist goes out and travels and tours, they often become different people. And if I can’t relate to you I can’t work with you. I am really funny about that. I have never been one to give anyone my sound. I want to make who you are vivid to the consumer. Even when they called me to do Pink’s second album, [I did not because] I just considered mine a classic. I said, “Who can I do next? Maybe I could do Gwen Stefani, she is coming out with a solo album,” and that’s what I did.
Why did you not work on Gwen Stefani’s second solo album?
Sweet Escape was not for me. I won’t make a record with someone just to make records. In some cases, people ask you, “Why aren’t you putting out 50,000 records instead of 3?” There were not 47,000 other people worth working with. I don’t look at records for the money, I look for the feeling and if I get it, I know it’s magic. I admire Pharrell that he gives beats to whoever wants them. [The Neptunes] are so proud of their sound that they believe it ups the artists they are working with. It steps the artists up in a way. I feel like if I cannot find the substance to translate from somewhere, I am not making the records.
How have you been able to carve out this unique niche for yourself in an industry full of clones and regurgitation?
I could never give anyone TLC, but I can give them who they are. I have been fortunate enough to do different types of acts, like Gwen and such. Everyone got stuck in the VIP section, sipping champagne. I could not find substance in that. That’s why I did Natalie Cole and Lionel Richie, heroes of my own time. They may not be multi-platinum artists anymore, but I grew up listening to their music. They are legends and that overrides my whole program.
Who do you want to work with next?
I want to wait for the next Jessica Simpson. I know I could be useful in that. I know if I get with her, there are certain things I could bring out of her. When I worked with Pink, she was not doing any rock at all. It was very R&B, pop. I made a big transition for her. Before I did “Unpretty” for TLC, there were no black producers doing songs like that. I opened the door for Ne-Yo (“Irreplaceable”) and others to do it now. I look for the next pioneering thing.
Why is it difficult for record labels to find good acts these days?
New acts are either really bad and make one song and the label takes it or they are really good and too complicated for the label. Take Gnarls Barkley. No one from any label’s A&R department could have developed that. Any record that follows something will never make an impact. Anything that left an impression on us, sounded like nothing on the radio. “Keep on Movin” “When Doves Cry”. When I did “Hit Em Up Style” for Blue Cantrell, I did not think that LA Reid would like it and he loved it. I stay away from pop radio influences.
You never listen to the radio?
I listen sometimes. But, it’s a box. If you are going to make anything new, you probably should not listen to the radio. It’s for advertisers, not music lovers.
What is your dream project?
To take the musical experience to tents and make it like Cirque De Soleil. There is nothing bigger than when you create a picture. Like a good movie. Like Purple Rain or Harold and Maude. Purple Rain is a great example. When Prince sings “The Beautiful Ones”, it’s to Apollonia because he felt that way about Morris Day going to see her. It’s about combining the music and the experience.
Who do you wanna be when you grow up?
Bono! He is ageless and the coolest. He has raised more money than anyone in the world for Africa, even though he has done hotels as well. And he is always Bono. It seems effortless, but it takes a lot of work to pull it off. I am going to take on the Bono role next.
Interview by Isoul H. Harris, an entertainment journalist based in Atlanta, GA (WriteBoy08@gmail.com)