A great little conversation with one of our own, DALA as he talks about his dream home, constantly being in work mode, what he is working on at the moment, and an inflatable sheep.”
“I LOVE that no matter where you go, what the local culture/customs are, when you are at a proper psy gathering it feels like you are home.”
What kind of name is Dala, and where do you come from?
I hail from the Cape of Good Hope, were Dala is a lekker name with many meanings. Interestingly enough I find it has the similar slang meanings in many other parts of the world too (to Dala something = ‘get it done’ or “that’s Dala” = that’s good).
What’s your role at Nano?
Resident minion who takes care of A&R duties, sourcing and sorting tune submissions, promo material for releases and the general handy-man of many skills.
Do you remember your ‘ah ha’ moment on a trance floor?
On an ever evolving journey of endless happy-nings, it’s tricky to pin-point any specific ‘ah-ha’ moment… but for sure there are countless ‘ha-ha-ha’ moments.
What are you busy working on at the moment?
Besides revolutionizing the world through various grass-roots movements, I am also currently compiling a VA to be released on Nano Records in the early days of next year. I have to say, it’s shaping up to be a real beast! It’s filled with pure passionate sounds from some of my favourite established pioneers and fast-upcoming projects.
Can you cook a decent meal ?
I have never thought of myself as being much of a great chef before, but more of a great eater. Although you’d be surprised, even I surprise myself sometimes with my Macgyver gourmet skills in the culinary department.
You grew up surrounded by events and music, how has that affected your life?
Yeah, both my parents were deeply involved in the industry, so I was fortunate enough to get top production skills from my mom and expert technical skills of sound & lighting from my dad. While for sure it gave me a great ‘foot-in-the -door’ towards this being my natural profession of choice, it also comes with it’s ‘cons’. I’m always in the ‘working’ mindset at parties, even if it is an event I am not officially working at, so it’s more tricky to get proper loose. But who can really ever complain when you’re getting paid to do what you LOVE?!
How did you originally connect with Nano/Regan (Nano label boss)?
As both Regan and myself are extensively active in the local events industry & have deep love for true psychedelic culture, it was inevitable that our paths would cross eventually. When they did, we just seemed to click as things do when you’re on the right path. For anyone that has met Reegs before you will know he is not a hard dude to appreciate for all he does, most importantly why & how he does what he does!
What do you love most about the trance scene worldwide ?
I LOVE that no matter where you go, what the local culture/customs are, when you are at a proper psy gathering it feels like you are ‘home’, surrounded by familia even though you might not have ever met before. You know you will instantly click, be on the same page and have a great time!
Best party moment ever ?
For me it’s impossible to nail down a specific moment, as I feel each gathering has it’s own individual magic to offer. But when I think back I always recall a stand-out classic ‘ha-ha’ moment on a dance floor in Cape Town. It involves a man, in the mud, with his inflatable sheep called Dolly…can’t say more…you will have to use your imagination.
What would your ideal house look like ?
Ah, this one is easy! It will be situated on a lush mountain slope looking out at the most epic sunsets over a warm ocean.