A classically trained pianist and guitarist, producer, singer, percussionist and DJ, Doug's versatility and deep grounding in music from a young age ensures an inherent musicality to everything he does.
With a strong belief that music should place equal emphasis on melody and rhythm, Doug reflects this in his own compositions and in his DJ sets. Elements of deep, organic, progressive house and breaks are present in his music, and he blends a variety of genres to create his own sound, creating music that is original, interesting and emotive. This includes extensive syncopation, switching between major and minor keys and supplanting melodies with additional harmonies.
Doug started playing in bands from 13, and his first club experience was at Manchester's legendary Hacienda, in 1986. The following year his school rock band won the UK's TSB Rockschool competition, with the national final held at Camden Palace (now Koko) and screened on BBC TV. He took up DJ'ing and production in his 30's, using Logic and releasing on myspace, and his track "Falling" was featured in the cult film "Kidulthood" in 2006.
Doug moved to Sydney in 2007 and played in bands again while continuing to DJ at parties. Music production took second place to family commitments and a successful and demanding legal career however, until a redundancy in 2023 provided an opportunity to recommit.
He switched to Ableton Live and studied at Sydney's Liveschool, where he also took a Release Music course. Thinking ahead to that, he launched his own music platform, People Like Us, in early 2024, in the form of Sydney parties and a record label.
Essentially created to provide a platform for his own music, in a performance setting and also in recorded format, the People Like Us parties foster a community approach and provide a forum for like minded music lovers to gather and celebrate their mutual love of music and dance. An extra sizzle is provided by live vocal performances, while the music policy reflects Doug's equal emphasis on melody and rhythm mantra.
Doug's first three releases "Resonant", "Team Green / Dig Deep After Rio" and "Standing Around" have been featured on Electronic Music Australia, Data Transmission, Ibiza Sonica Radio, Ibiza Radio One and Acid Stag, while his current release "Dark Storm" includes a remix by Danny Bonnici and has been played by Hernan Cattaneo.
