Michael Donaldson

Q-Burns Abstract Message, Eighth Dimension / EIGHT-TRACKS

I've been involved in the music industry for over 10 years as an artist, label manager, and freelance music producer. As an artist, I've recorded under the name Q-Burns Abstract Message and have 3 CDs released on Astralwerks/Virgin Records, 2 CDs on my own Eighth Dimension Records label, and a number of singles on various other worldwide labels. The music is an eclectic-electronic-psychedelic-funk-dance mix and I am still recording and touring as a DJ with this project. As a producer, I've produced part of Jim White's renowned album No Such Place for David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. I've done dozens of remixes, including work for small independent artists as well as major label artists such as Faith No More, Gus Gus, and Violent Femmes (click the discography link below for an incomplete list). Recently I did a very odd remix of an old Lawrence Welk track for the Welk Music/Sugarhill compilation Upstairs At Larry's. Music I have produced has appeared in quite a few films and television programs, as well as worldwide advertising campaigns. I am actively DJing and performing around the world and am always seeking contact with promoters and clubs. I would also love to trade contacts in this area as well as areas related to my interests listed above. In the future I am interested in more freelance production work, especially scoring for film, television, and advertising. I am also interested in recording projects for other labels as well as overseeing production for other artists in any style of music. I am also open to consultation work for labels and artists in the dance music/'electronica' area. I'm sure I can offer something from over a decade of slugging it out in the industry. Specialties: Professional Audio Production + Engineering Experience, Label and Artist Management Experience, Worldwide Industry Contacts At the risk of being Sir Geek-A-Lot, I'm going to just paste my 'official' bio here: n the realm of dance music, there are few producers that thrive on blurring the boundary between eclectic experimenter and populist ass-shaker as much as Q-Burns Abstract Message. Equally comfortable covering Krautrock legends Faust or dropping his favorite chunky house grooves into the mix, Q-BAM--known to his parents as Michael Donaldson--is indeed the rare auteur. Whether globe-trotting as a DJ, co-running the Eighth Dimension Records label, remixing artists like Rabbit in the Moon, FilaBrazilliaand Lawrence Welk, or recording his own original productions, Donaldson is all about the coaxing the maximum soul out of the machine. Based in Orlando since the early-'90s, the former record shop owner and college radio DJ has spent the past two decades developing a sound that is obsessively devoted to the funk. His animated, vodka-soaked DJ sets have won audiences for the well-traveled Donaldson from San Francisco to (literally) Siberia, and landed him primo opening slots for GusGus, Chemical Brothers and Meat Beat Manifesto. However, it's his playful rhythms, surprising melodic themes and not-so-surprising Eno-esque textures that demand attention. An accomplished indie musician prior to releasing his first single as Q-BAM--the breakbeat noir of "141 Revenge Street" in 1995--Donaldson is first and foremost a songwriter, albeit one that is just as enamored with the sheer power of the groove. With a trusty Roland Juno 106 synth at his side, Q-BAM released three full-length albums via the respected electronic label Astralwerks, including Invisible Airline which featured several collaborations with vocalist Lisa Shaw. He has recorded numerous singles for house-centric imprints such as Brique Rouge, Slip N' Slide, NRK and of course, Eighth Dimension. Q-BAM was also one of the talented producers on alt-country icon Jim White's 2001 Luaka Bop release No Such Place. The album cast White's stark vocals in a wasteland of dusty beats and ghostly slide guitars, with Donaldson's tracks providing some of its most intoxicating moments. Though his "endless summer" schedule--more than 100 DJ dates annually--and ongoing production projects would seemingly exhaust a mere mortal, Q-BAM rather enjoys this 120-bpm soundtrack. Accordingly, Donaldson and fellow Orlando producer/DJ Atnarko recently launched the vinyl-only label EIGHT-TRACKS, dedicated to releasing "strange sounds that you can dance to," says Q-BAM himself. Additionally, house imprint Agave Records has tapped Donaldson to throw down a mix CD titled Agave Nectar Vol. 1, now available in fine records shops worldwide.. As if there wasn't already enough deliciously warm and gooey queso already piled high on his plate, Q-BAM is also hard at work recording his fourth album, due out in 2007. (This bio was written by Daniel Fuller ... be sure to check out his fantastic music blog The Hardest Walk.)