| Dallas Austin | |
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 December, 1970 |
| Origin | Atlanta, USA |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, hip hop, pop rock |
| Occupation | Songwriter, record producer, guitarist, keyboard player |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboards, drums, harmonica |
| Years active | 1992-present |
| Labels | Rowdy Records, Epic Records |
| Associated acts | Monica TLC Joi Sugababes Duran Duran |
| Record Producer | |
Dallas Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. His work has included co-producing Duran Duran's Astronaut album.
Career[]
Austin was a member of Highland Place Mobster on the influential Hip Hop label LaFace in the early 1990s, before embarking on a career as a full-time producer. Highland Place Mobsters contributed to the soundtracks for the movies White Men Can't Jump and Boomerang.
As a producer and songwriter, Austin was first noticed and signed to Diva One Music by Joyce Irby ('80s all-girl band Klymaxx) and has crafted hits for LaFace and TLC (with which he won two Grammys for co-producing CrazySexyCool and FanMail), including the hit singles "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", "What about Your Friends", "Creep", "Silly Ho" and "Unpretty".
Austin has also remixed for other artists, most notably "They Don't Care About Us" for Michael Jackson and "The Power of Good-Bye" for Madonna.
In addition to American artists, Austin has produced songs for international artists. In 1999 Austin and Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro began a professional relationship in which he produced many of her songs until present.
Austin is also known for socially conscious productions such as TLC's "Unpretty" and "Damaged" and more recently "Ugly" for UK act Sugababes. For the Sugababes, Austin produced several other tracks on their number-one album Taller in More Ways, including the single "Push the Button", which spent three weeks at the top of the UK charts.
In 1992, Austin formed Rowdy Records with fellow producer L.A. Reid, though Reid left the following year. Austin branched out into cinema as well, becoming the executive producer of Drumline (2002) for 20th Century Fox. He also served as the film's musical director. Austin is currently working with Warner Bros. studios on another music-driven film set in Atlanta.