“It ain\u2019t my album no more, it\u2019s theirs,” says David Dallas about his third official album release titled ‘Falling Into Place’. The release has sat at number one on the Australian and New Zealand iTunes charts as well as been on 106andpark.com and Billboard.com. These are certainly notable advancements for Dallas who has been steadily making his American cross-over the past few years. In the Grindin’ interview below the ‘Southside’ G-Shock star says, ‘I just hope they enjoy it, on whatever level’. Post album-release he explains the album’s named after the sense of fluidity he felt putting it together, although he says, ‘Of course everything didn’t actually just fall into place at all, at times it was fucking hard work. But it’s all good.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sonically, what can fans expect different or new from you on “Falling Into Place”? <\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s moody and beautiful at the same time, if that makes sense.<\/p>\n

Creatively, describe where you were at when you made it, say in comparison to “Buffalo Man”? <\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t really know where I was at, I just knew I had to lock myself off and just focus on this record until it was finished. I didn\u2019t have any grand scheme of what it was gonna be or sound like, I just knew I wanted it to be different from the last album. Naturally I wanted it to be better than anything we\u2019d done prior, but I also knew I couldn\u2019t just sit there and second guess every idea hoping for a better one.<\/p>\n

How have you found being back in New Zealand compared to the United States regarding making and recording music? And the general vibe itself?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s cool. Would\u2019ve ended up with a completely different album had I just been by myself in NY sending demos back to Fire & Ice. I think us being in the same timezone, and studio daily and them having input on my ideas from the jump yielded a way better result.<\/p>\n

Where do you feel NZ Hip Hop is at in terms of artists, sound and up and coming cats? <\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s cool. I feel like the general level and production standard is getting higher all the time. That goes for the music, visuals, artwork, everything. I think hip hop kids especially realise you can be pretty D.I.Y and hands on with everything nowadays.<\/p>\n

Describe working with Tom Gould on your new video “Runnin”<\/strong>
\nShooting “Runnin” was the most enriching experience I\u2019ve ever had in making a video. Just traveling up to the Hokianga, spending a few days out there, hanging with the locals and seeing the way they go about their lives was fascinating to me. A different world.<\/p>\n

What was the creative process for you, mentally with “Runnin”. Like, what was the catalyst behind the theme and the lyrics? <\/strong>
\nThe night before I heard the “Runnin” beat I\u2019d actually written that first verse to something else. Next day when they played me that beat, I mulled over it for a bit and figured that verse might actually work. By some stroke of luck when I put it down and listened to it back, it just fit perfectly, better than what I\u2019d originally written it to. The flow and pattern just sat in the pocket real well. From that point I think my creative process just became \u201cDon\u2019t fuck this up\u201d. It was all about just keeping that energy and feel.<\/p>\n