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The most ambitious always have goals, plans with articulate detail and passionate design. Meet Donald Elay, an integral part of today's dance music scene and tomorrow's future. With an intricate and well-designed blueprint for success, Donald brought himself to Sacramento 6 years ago with a dream in his heart and a desire to maintain his individuality.
Donald took the West Coast scene by hurricane. As a dj under the moniker Dizzy, and with dreams of production and international club bookings written in permanent ink in the blueprints, Donald came to the realisation; what better way to get yourself gigs and surround yourself with the cream of dance music talent than by promoting your own events. Soon after, Doubledown Productions was born. From the early parties at Sacramento's now infamous Cabinet Shop to the legendary party's Bliss and Gigabeatz, held at the Sacramento's Cal Expo, Donald's positive energy encapsulated the audience and always created the good vibe. Many a dj recognised this passion in Donald and quickly befriended him. As his turntable skills strengthened and his reputation as a hard working member of the electronic scene grew, the pieces of the puzzle started to come together. It was only a matter of time till Donald would take it to the next level and combine his turntable skills and drive to produce with the depth of talent his pool of friends brought to the table.
In lieu of living the lavish lifestyle many top promoters buy into, Donald took the holistic route and invested into his future. With the majority of the profits from Doubledown Productions, Donald started purchasing gear and soon a studio was born. Lacking the engineering skills to do no more than switch the gear on or off, Donald turned towards his extended family for support. With the help of close friend, and future collaborator Johnny Lopez (aka Johnny Fiasco), an imminent chart burner was set on course. In a seemingly fluid and natural order of flow, Donald continued to follow his life's blueprint by launching Doubledown Recordings in March 2000.
Dropping onto the scene like an anvil, Donald quickly banged out two floor killers from Johnny Fiasco and Hipp-e. With the cement poured, Doubledown Records foundation for success was now rock solid. Representing several flavours of house music, from Latin Jazz to Tribal Funk and on to a harder West Coast tribal sound, Doubledown Recordings delivers the goods. As a result of the label's third release 'The Time Travel'n ep, Donald's self produced debut, worldwide acclaim soon prevailed. With a distinct driving four-four bass line, rolling tribal percussions and minimal vocals, cuts from the Time Travel'n ep rocked club systems around the world.
Donald didn't just jump right into the deep-end of the house music scene; he dove. After releasing three chart scorchers, he kept things rolling. 'The Spring Sampler', Doubledowns' eighth release, gained critical acclaim as the track 'The Grind' was licensed fifteen times, even featured in France on D'Julz's 'Boxes' compilation on the 'Music Families' imprint. A few more scorching releases and along came Dizzy and Halo's collaboration, 'Welcome To The 3rd World' (Doubledown 016), another chart climber. The acclaim and accolades piled up and still do. With releases by such recognised artists as Smitty & Eric Davenport, Onionz & Master D, Sombionx, Inland Knights, Halo, Chus, JT Donaldson, The LawnChair Generals, and on several occasion's his own productions, it is no wonder Doubledown Recordings made an incredible impact on the scene and remains a leading label on the house music scene.
To find out more about Dizzy and his label check out www.doubledownrecordings.com
Last modified 10/03/2004
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