Donald Dust made a worldwide debut with his “Dazzle Ship” EP on No Bad Days. He’s since released on Bordello A Parigi and on his native Edinburgh-based Paradise Palms. Now, he’s launched his own label, Enter Planet Dust, with a two track 7″ of DJ Tools entitled “Mars R-Trax“, influenced by his leanings towards italo synths and cosmic proto house sounds. We’ve caught up with the quirky producer for a quick chat, introducing him and his influences to our readers in our Times and Tunes series. Read more below:
INTERVIEW
Who (or what) is Donald Dust and what does he have in store for us?
I’m a 32 year old man, DJ and producer who loves exploring golden age Italo, early House sounds, fuzz, hiss, tape squash and dance culture.
Where in the galaxy do you “Enter Planet Dust” and what can we expect to find there?
The wormhole is weirdly and conveniently located in a secret location in the city of Edinburgh. If you hang around with me I can show you. Once you land on Planet Dust it’s pretty dope, there are Ron Hardy drum tracks echoing around the canyons and hot alien chicks (the guy aliens are ripped). All of this is a metaphor of course; Enter Planet Dust is really a branding exercise for me and a means of showing the world my music and great taste in proto-House and electronic Disco. It’s also now a 7” label for me to release brilliant but small records featuring myself and friends!
Three tracks currently inspiring this cosmic traveller?
Savage’s Mike Oldfield medley bangs the cosmic box at a dangerously low BPM. Psychedelic vocals and a dope guitar solo finish it off…gorgeous. Not a cheap record but it was worth splashing out on.
https://www.youtube.com/
Marzio Dance DJ – The Adventure
This sprawling, spacey vocoder track dips its toe into the “Raccoons Theme” grade Italo swimming pool at times, but it’s on just the right side to be a powerful jam. The drums at 3:24 are outrageous!
https://www.youtube.com/
Florio Time D.J. – Time Out
Proof that Italians truly contributed some of the dopest rhymes of the era that could have run circles round any of NYC’s most respected hip hop lyricists. Or maybe not. Even despite this toe-curlingly bad and downright bizarre rapping, it’s been stuck in my head for weeks. It’s a shame there isn’t a version with just the female vocals because they’re actually pretty dope. If I can ever find a decent copy for sale without the extortionate price tag I might try my hand at a quick edit!
If Donald Dust could be somebody else for a day, who would he be?
I would love to trade places with a famous Hollywood celebrity or a racing car driver, maybe a pilot or the captain of a Naval vessel!
Worst travel experience? Any tips to avoid similar situations?
When I was very young, I travelled on a ferry and slept in a communal seating area on the floor. Beneath this room was a ‘nightclub’ of sorts playing very, very bad and loud music. There was a drunk fellow vomiting profusely not too far from my head. Once the nightclub closed its doors for the night, some of its revolting middle-aged patrons staggered in and started sexually harassing some underage girls who were sleeping in the same area. I would strongly recommend paying for a private room the next time you book a ferry, if your funds will allow it.
Deep fried Mars bars on Planet Dust, yay or nay?
Dude, they should be permanently ‘nay’d on Planet Earth, they aren’t going anywhere near Planet Dust.
Igor