Producer Spotlight: DollaMadeThisBeatGou Breaks Down His EP “Some Sunsets Ago”
“DollaMadeThisBeatGou” was first introduced to our ears as a tasteful tagline. This phrase, often slipped into the music of Boiler Room artist uKhanyo, hip-hop/RnB duo Platinum Posse as well as independent soul artist unmastered_fantasy, became a name synonymous with the Cape Town native. Although people have become familiar with the tagline, there exists a very real and very interesting figure that stands behind it.
Heralded by many as a force behind-the-scenes, DollaMadeThisBeatGou (DMTBG) is an established and prolific Cape Town producer. Jason Alexander, nicknamed Dolla, has quite literally made a name for himself as making beats “gou” [translation: quick/fast]. The 25-year-old artist embodies the rise of the multi-hyphenate, boasting a background as an established DJ (having played at Cape Town’s Rocking the Daisies and Ultra Music Festivals), creative content director, singer, and producer all in one.
This range and commitment to trying new things have become a catalyst to create the unusual yet poignant beats for which he is steadily beginning to receive recognition.
2020 saw DollaMadeThisBeatGou dramatically rise from his role behind the scenes into the spotlight, as he released his first EP, Some Sunsets Ago. This first tape pinpoints the moment in time that the multi-talented creative brought his vision of 'music that can't be put into boxes' to life.
An accompaniment to any season or weather, Some Sunsets Ago creates a timeless and ethereal atmosphere. The cooing electric sounds partnered with acoustic instruments create a cinematic universe within the album, taking its listener on a holistic journey through varied emotions that, like the music, can't be boxed into a single form or feeling.
Dolla describes the EP as having been produced “all out of feeling”. Recorded, mixed, and mastered in his bedroom, DMTBG could finally “make what [he] wanted to make, express what [he] wanted to express, just that freedom to do it all…production-wise, lyrical-wise, everything-wise”. He goes into detail about how all of his production, from the past eight years, is something that’s very “on the spot”, that everything is really and honestly just based on feeling.
About the timing of his debut project, Dolla had this to say: “I was at a stage where I’ve been doing this for 8 years now…I don’t just release stuff, I rather take my time to make sure everything’s right; like there’s an album cover, there’s a booklet, there needs to be a teaser with it. It’s not just about making something fly. Making songs is the easy part, it’s the stuff that comes after that really makes the tape better”.
The final song of the tape "Changed Myself" settles a theme in the tape of personal growth and metamorphosis. DMTBG at the start of the tape begins as a lost and impressionable artist seeking a higher self, and at the end finds himself on the right path. DMTBG's heralded line in the last song "You say I've changed, I'm just finding myself" reiterates the journey the album is taking; not just for the listener, but for the artist himself; a love song in the form of a four-song EP dedicated to the way of life.
“This is a song basically about you, you change, but you change for the better. But some people just see that you’ve changed, and [see it] as a bad thing…but everybody changes. I guess every part of it is subjective, but it definitely resonates with everybody in some way.”
“You Say I’ve Changed” not only concludes the thematic presence in the EP, but also establishes DMTBG’s lyrical choices. Making use of Cape Town Coloured slang throughout the body of work establishes Dolla as another pioneer of genuine and authentic local music.
Dolla describes the shaping of his music being attributed to everything around. Drawing inspiration from artists like Frank Ocean, Tyler, The Creator, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Childish Gambino, and James Blake – Dolla recreates the journeys we venture on when listening to artists around us.
“The feeling you get from [their] songs, you can almost visualize it, you can place it in a moment in your life – and that’s super important. That’s what really shaped my music,” he explains.
This influence, combined with the stark influence of film on his music, really puts into perspective how Some Sunsets Ago blurs all borders of artistic creation.
Looking towards the future, Dolla doesn’t intend for anything specific: “I don’t make music with the intention of getting anything, I just wanna make art that inspires…someone that never thought they could do it, to do it.” Although he describes the wonder in being able to tour the world with his music, his main goal – short and long term – is to inspire others to do what makes them happy.
DollaMadeThisBeatGou is at the start of his journey as an artist to a higher place and of a bigger purpose, and Some Sunsets Ago is just the beginning.
Maglera Doe Boy takes us to his hometown of Makazana to reflect on his past life, multicultural upbringing, and why community is such an important part of his enviable rise in the South African music industry.