Music Talk with Dave Dobbyn

He was a part of many of New Zealand’s finest music exports, from Th’ Dudes to DD Smash. Dave Dobbyn, is truly a music chameleon whose career has spanned three decades. Triplew.me spoke to Dave Dobbyn ahead of his Dubai gig, read below to find out more.

Dave started off his music career in 1975 with Th’ Dudes – the band had a string of successive hits with “Bliss” and “Be Mine Tonight”. Th’ Dudes received wide acclaim for their youthful and energetic sets, in addition to their unique style which blended elements of punk, pop and new wave.

After the band’s split (1980), Dave formed DD Smash – which also, under his creative vision, went on to become one of New Zealand’s prominent music groups. DD Smash, and amidst a bout of controversy (which included accusations of inciting a riot in 1984), kept on producing hits until they disbanded in 1986.

Following that, Dave embarked on a long and successful solo career which has seen him release seven studio albums. His music brilliance and immense talent has guaranteed him longevity which many artists nowadays would only dream of.

Dobbyn’s adaptability to the many changes that has occurred to the music business in the last three decades was probably a big part of this longevity – so what does he make of the current trends in the music world?

“I think because the delivery of music has become so instantaneous, the up-side to that is accessing an artist, interacting with them and exploring what they’ve got has grown easier than before," adding "regardless of that, as a songwriter, the connection with the audience is still as important as ever."

"You can always tinker around on your laptop and make as many records as you want, but to actually deliver this music and elevate it – an artist has to constantly be aware of what’s going on around them (musically)." So it's not all doom and gloom then?

"I’m really excited for all the possibilities that we’ve got in the music world right now. There is a dialogue going on constantly, and that is great. But there are certain elements that shouldn’t be replaced, like going down to your record store and flicking through some old vinyl or even CDs.” We couldn't agree more.

And what should today’s generation of undiscovered artists learn if they want to achieve some semblance of longevity?

Dobbyn has some advice “well, they obviously can get to the audience quickly – that’s for sure. Maintaining that audience, however, is the toughest part," adding "you’ve got to get around and show them what you’ve got!"

"I think what the audience crave, is the performance. If an artist doesn’t go out and perform his/her material, then there is a danger that the audience will perceive the work as a brand and not actual songs."

So what should song-writers be doing then? Dobbyn suggests "the first and foremost thing a songwriter should do is strip the songs down to their basic elements when performing. The songs can get lost amidst a ton of production, but in the performance the audience actually gets to connect with the heart of the song."

Dobby adds further "in addition to that, artists nowadays should maintain their online presence, not get complacent but try their best to get the best sound for the recordings and make as much music as they can (cause there is so much competition out there!). But from my experience, nothing compares to performing live, it’s the real thing.”

And we might just see that this week...

Dave Dobbyn is performing live in Dubai on Thursday 24^th of November – check out the event details here.

And to win tickets & more - click here!

Dave Dobbyn - Slice of Heaven

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