It’s 1993 and as the rest of the world is still shaking off the 80s and preparing themselves for the Britpop movement and Seattle sound to truly take hold. A lanky, pony-tailed 14 year old finds himself in a rather unlikely situation as he stands stage side at The Evolution, looking on in silence at the 2,000-strong crowd of underage ravers, preparing to take the stage for the first time. “It was quite a daunting experience for someone of that age, but that’s how it really all started for me. It gave me the confidence to go and play smaller clubs and not really worry to much about stage fright”, reflects a laidback and non-plussed Dominic, as he caught up with ITM’s Vocal Assault, in the lead up to his first Australian shows.

What is it that brings a 14 year old to this point you may ask? Well it was simple really, he was surrounded by older friends at school and had a strong idea of what he liked and what he didn’t when it came to music. He wasn’t about to let commercial media dictate what was next for him, but rather, brave the world of music on his own in search of what else was on offer. “At that age, I wasn’t really interested in sport and had basically no hobbies to speak of and that was around the time of the budget turntable, so I just started mixing”, recalls Dominic. “I soon found myself spending my five pounds pocket money every week, on as many jungle records as I could afford on that budget, adding it to my mega collection”, he laughs.

“It’s funny, cause during the first six months I was mixing, I literally owned about 30 records and I was grateful for every one that came along, cause I had no money at that age. I didn’t have a paper-round or a job of any kind, so I used to do things like go on holiday with my family and rather than spend any of my holiday money I’d save it and buy records when I got back. Which was pretty sad really, when I look back on it now. But that’s the kind of dedication I put into it from the very start.”

As his collection continued to grow, slowly but surely Dominic began to make some mix tapes with an older friend and thus the wheels were in motion for what was to come next. “Me and a mate of mine Jamie used to make mix tapes together, and one day we decided to do some demo tapes and got them out to a few people. Then it fell into the hands of a friend of ours, who was just a loud, mad for it kinda character and he got us in there, so it was all just luck really”, Laughs a modest Dominic.

From these experiences on, it was clear where his future was headed, and over the next few years his record collection continued to grow and his DJing gigs became a bit more regular as he warmed the decks for some big names. But then one day after a few years of only getting his foot so far in the door, he decided it was about time he made a record and honed his craft in the producer’s chair.

“I basically started making music to get more gigs and to get some attention as a DJ. Because I’m really a DJ before a producer, where with most people they’re a producer and they just DJ to make money. Take Mylo for example, he’s a DJ now and he’s always been a musician, but now he’s realised that because it’s quite natural with him and because he has taste and can select, he can turn his hand to a bit of DJing as well. I just felt that I had to turn my hand to making music to try and get into the circle of producer of drum and bass at the time. There was a drum and bass mob that really interested me as a kid, but after a few years I realised that they weren’t really going to let me in. It’s a very tight cliquey circle, so I had to do something else.”

From here on Dominic faced more sacrifice, while his peers were out clubbing, playing and having a good time, he was locked away making beats and learning. He went on to collaborate and record under various monikers, like Umod, Rima, Sonar Circle, Realsides, Bakura, Kudu, Blue Monkeys and of course Domu. Each with only one thing in common, to expect the unexpected, to expect something new and something fresh, not to hear tracks aimed at the top 40. But something more honest and culturally inspiring.

It is under the Domu guise that locals in Shoreditch know him and love him, as he takes the stage every week at Plastic People, with fellow residents including Bugz In The Attic and Phil Asher. And it is also under this guise that we will see him finally making his way to our shores, to share some of his well-earned knowledge with us on the decks. “I’ve had a few offers to come out there over the years and they’ve all either fallen through or just kind of fizzled out. So this is the first tour I’m definitely doing and I’m excited, I have absolutely no idea what to expect,” laughs Dominic.

“I’ll just be playing the shows by ear really. I generally don’t tend to play much of my own music when I play. I play more of the Detroit stuff and a bit of hip hop, a lot of soul stuff, some funk and jazz, a bit of Brazilian, afro and all of that kind of stuff. It just depends on what I’m feeling at the time really, I just put it down and try and make it relevant in the set and get a nice mood happening. It is definitely a give and take thing when you’re DJing, you start by giving the crowd some and then see how they’re responding and then you have to react to that.”

“I just hope you guys are ready for me and that the crowd will come along open minded and not just come along, expecting me to play just broken beat. But more so just come along and know that I’ll be playing a world of good music. They’re all going to be smaller shows and that’s the way I like it. The smaller the show, the more hardcore the crowd.”

Domu plays at Honkytonks in Melbourne on Thursday 8th September and at the Civic Hotel in Sydney on Friday September 9th (BUY TICKETS).