Dazastah

Dazastah is from Perth Western Australia. A producer for Downsyde and a major representative for the SBX crew. He has worked on a slew of projects over the years with other legendary artists such as Hunter (RIP), Clandestien, Hilltop Hoods and more. A highly skilled person on the MPCs and Maschine you might also know him as his youtube persona 'Charliechimp' where he showcases his Producing skills.

Hussletapes.com was privileged to get some time with, Dazastah one of Australia's active Producers for an interview. As we try and explore the reason behind 'Charliechimp', what's going on with Downsyde and more. With a sense of humour, Dazastah gives us some great insight into his life and career.

Can you tell as a little about what got you started in hip hop, what inspired you to start writing, recording and producing?
I started Breaking with my cousins after watching Beat Street and Electric Boogaloo. I had this old stereo with a turny on top of it and I'd use to cut this old sesame street 12 on it while listening to the radio (you press the turntable button and radio button at the same time to hear both together) Did my first demo with my mates when we were 12. With this karaoke machine. You could tape your self. Yes that's right my first release was dubbed straight to tape. The track was called 'Running From The Pigs'. Then I Figured out you could sample into a Soundblaster AWE 32 card. (32mb of sample memory YEAH!) and that's when I started making Hip Hop shit.. After high school I meet Optamus and Downsyde kick off from there...  What inspired me to do all this? My fam. They were all into music, and I wanted to do something to do with music.. And they encouraged me.

What's going on with Downsyde any new music on the way from you guys?
We have been working on something since All City... It's coming and when it does you'll all be like porn stars waiting for the load to fill your face with warm cum... Seriously. The album will be life changing. The way you see hear smell and feel will be different. It will change all your sensory perceptions and how you deal with life.

You are in the Syllabilx crew, can you tell as a little about how the crew came about and who is in it?
Syllaboliks actaully started with Optamus and Jmaxell I think?? (The idea) But we all really met as a collective at Hyde Park Hotel (in Perth) every Monday night. I always forget to mention some characters but here goes.. Downsyde, Drapht, Layla, Porsah Laine, Grandmaster Hunter (RIP KING), Matty B, Clandestien, Bitterbelief (Newrecruit), Carlsani, Funk Ola, Figure 8, DEEJO, Idol, GrandMaster High Five, Jmaxell (Haven't forgot). Probably forgot some others!!! haha sorry.

What's going on in the Perth hip hop scene any up and comes we should watch for?
The Perth scene is very healthy. But I think more cats should be doing there own shows. I'm sick of these fuking small Hip Hop festivals where everyone is crammed in to do a set. I gotta watch like 40 acts. Be better if you could watch two a weekend I think. Launch is the thing to check every first Thursday of the month at rocket room if your in Perth... Those guys Jav  and Ryan are doing that well.. Although they still do the festivals. hahaha. My man Army was doing the Festival things as well.. Fuking hell!! The acts to watch for are. Bitter Belief, Creed, Brytemc, Complete, Soma, LSD, Smiley and of course the SBX house band.. Some of SBX don't even know about this...

Your married to Layla one of Australia's most influential female emcees, what it like living together and working on music together?
It's funny because my old lady and old man made this rule about doing music together (ma plays guitar dad play bass). I think they tried something a while back and it didn't work out so they did their own bands and respected that even more. But me and Layla are making a album together, and we got our new show going on.. So expect a Layla and Dazastah album next year... I could say that we are the perfect couple that never fights. But that's a lie.. We are together because we have our differences and quirks, but love each other so much that we can work things out.. Most people are fuking lazy.. And expect way too much. That's why people break up and fuk up.. Still me and Layla agree a lot on certain subjects, but as people we don't have a lot in common. We are different, but we are the same.. I've moved the studio out of the house though because I think that a music and living relationship shouldn't be under the same roof.. Imagine me spending seven hours in the studio while Layla is cooking cleaning and getting frustrated that I making music and she is not.. hahahah...  Plus you get distracted by house duties when your lab is in the same place..

What goes into your process of sample selecting, how do you know you've got the right sample for the track your making?
I'm kinda of random... I don’t go flicking through records with the thought I’m gonna make a "dilla" or "Just Blaze" style beat, or something with a dirty guitar or what not.. I just put the record on and listen to it.. (I used to track skip searching for the perfect intro sample or look at the grooves to see the pattern changes) The most important part of making beats is listening. By listening I mean the patience to really listen to something that band played all those years ago.. How it develops. I'm not really a breaks style producer either (using 1bar 2 bar loops) I like chopping, Snippets of shit, then putting it together....

So a normal day of me making beats consists of me maybe listenin to about 10 records... I've got the MPC1000 or Maschine setup on sample mode... then after the listening process I’ll go back and sample stuff to chop up. My emotions and headspace (political and social thoughts) determine what bits i used because I want to be able to express that emotion.  

When can we expect a Dazastah solo album and who's involved, what can we expect to hear from it?
Yes there has been a Dazastah Solo Album in the works I was planning to have it done this year... Kinda hard though because I'm producing for everyone else... Who's in it? I mite keep it quiet and let rumours circulate...

Your production is always elevating, what did you start making your first beats with and also what do you prefer to make your beats with today?
I think I started making my first stuff with cakewalk.. Haha.. I got a soulndblaster card which had 32mb of sample memory.. I then progressed to Fruity Loops... At the time I was also using a MIDI Player Sound Module (a keyboard with no keyboard :) ) When Downsyde started gigging we needed something more reliable than mini disk player so when got a MPC2000xl .. Started using that... But was still mainly Fruity Loops.. Then the MPC died.. :( Then i purchased myself a MPC1000 (bless yr soul Kaz for the heads up).

I now use, MPC1000 or Maschine well basically all NI software (Komplete 8) , I track in with Cubase 6 or reaper. Mainly use Cubase for tracking in drums if we record live drums.. But I switch between the two.. So I usually start with the MPC or Maschine, then when I have the foundations I take it into Cubase or Reaper (Cubase has a slight performance edge over Reaper because it developed vst (Steinberg) I guess) I play bass guitar and keys to the beat to get it sounding slicker thicker and bigger.

I use guitar rig for the bass and the keys.. I actually use guitar rig a lot.. I use it on almost everything.. Vocals bass drums guitar.. It has so much effects. I use it to create my own ambiences for different instruments.. Like drums, I'll set-up a fx send track and load up a rig (like I'm playing guitar on it) then I'll load a reflektor with a large verb.. Cathedral sound..  Then I'll compress the fuck out of it..    And so I'll send different parts of the drums (a little more of the snares then the bassdrums) To get a kinda gritty stadium sound. Works really well if your drums sound a little clean and dry...

You got some skills on the MPC especially in your video "Dazastah on Mpc1000 spitting a verse live" how long did it take you to get to that level, and did you learn it all your self?
Yeah.. I learnt drums as a kid so MPCs/Maschine/Pad Samplers are just my calling.. I forgot to mention I have a Roland Handsonic.. It's fuken awesome. I'll have to upload something with that... The rhyming thing came into it because I thought "hangon maybe I should try some Phil Collins shit and rhyme to" It just takes practice... for me about two days straight and now I’m good to go...

Can you name some artist you have worked with and who you would like to work with in the future?
Internationals Guru, Mystro ,Stamina . I mite forget some mates so you can just check rap cella... hahah I;d like to work with comics. If Bill hicks were still alive he'd be fuking insane to work with..  Carl Barron  because he is strange. The chaser Gang..  Like to link with Immortal Technique and Vinnie Paz... want to do a track with the pigram brothers up north.. I keep forgetting to ask.. But it's pretty difficult because when ever I'm up there there's not really any time to do my own stuff...   Been working a bit with a bloke Matty Gresham here in Perth.. Fuk yeah!!!!!

What are some things you do outside of making music?
Lately... It's only been music.. Family friends.. Play a bit of B-ball  I used to play video games.. I used to smash Mortal Kombat.. The latest one Mortal Kombat 9 is the one!!! Fuk me... Also used to smash online multi-player enemy territory.. It is so thrilling and satisfying to shoot a real human.. Now I truly understand why people join the army.. YAY.. Half life 1 and 2..  Fall out.. New Vegas was the last I played.. Video games are bad for me so I stopped.. Big time waster..

What's behind yours alias "Charliechimp" how did the name come about?
I wanted something more fun than Dazastah.. Since Dazastah was negative kinda of destructive villain.. Charliechimp means Charles = my middle name and chimp = year of the monkey..  It was also my online multi-player alias. It's the fun part about my character... But yet he still has parts of Dazastah in him. Charliechimp is the monkey wrench in the system.. Destined to fuk up the mediocre world of capitalism. To poke fun at the very system that keeps us as slaves.. So in essence, it's like Dazastah dressing up as a monkey....

Can you tell as a little about Projects are you currently working on?
I just finished Canteen.. that was main thing I was trying to get out of the way... Make sure you buy a copy of that as the all profits go to canteen and Cancer Research Foundation for kids.. Hopefully they can find something better to treat cancer instead of using a refined mustard gas. These are the projects I'm working on at the moment... Downsyde, Layla and Dazastah,  Last Hunter album (it's done I'm prepping it for Danielson) also looks like Brytemc.

Your "Ozhiphop Producer tag" online how did that get started and what where you using in the clip?
Dave V started it!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-stNcIOOYI) Some other kid posted something and it was just him clicking with a mouse.. He got roasted by some other cats on the board so V started this to show how its done... Dope cunt!!! haha  I gotta hustle Oath to do his.. He is next!!!! I'm using Native instruments Maschine... If you've used a MPC then you'll feel at home with this. This with a Mac Book Pro 13 and a RME baby face is like have a MPC4000/5000 but better...  Really quite powerful as a sampler..  It's software but is controlled by a hardware controller. What's so different about this compared to say a MPC pad controller?  When you install it all functions are mapped and ready to go for the controller... So you don't bog yourself down with mapping pads to midi notes.. Plus you can make beats and sample into it without touching the mouse or keyboard. You make the beat with the controller without touching the keyboard.. Something Akai should've done. But they probably have some weird contract with some shittty programming company that is stiffing their balls off.. Why bother with consumers with synthstations for ipads..

What beats are currently getting play in your stereo?
I'm smashing the Funkoars album baby...!!!!!

Any shout outs?
Most importantly HUNTER.... http://www.ozhiphopsupportscanteen.com/
My SBX FAM.. TAKING OUR BELIEFS TO THE GRAVE AND BEYOND

All The Crews out there doing what we intended to do.. School MAfarkers by example... We know who we are.. You know who we are.. They know who WE are.

Here's links to all my tools and what not for producers

Heres ni site for maschine... www.native-instruments.com/en/products/producer/maschine/
Akai site for MPC... www.akaipro.com/MPC
Big shouts to jjos. For bringing my 1000 back to life... www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~MPC1000/
Cubase www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/start.html
Reaper www.reaper.fm
for all things to do with computer music... www.kvraudio.com They link to everything almost...
here's my facebook page that i dont check very often  https://www.facebook.com/dazastah
and my twitter page which i hardly ever tweet at http://twitter.com/#!/Dazastah