David Campos AKA D-Rex

Some producers are just a passing phase in the music industry and it’s only the elite few that have what legends are made of and last for years. These include greats such as Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Quincey Jones and one name that sticks like a sore thumb in the South African music industry, D-Rex.

Beginnings

Born David Rex Campos, the top producer practically grew up in his dad’s recording studio. He started playing the piano at the tender age of five. At only six, he became a member of his church choir. He also played drums in his high school marching band. Although, he took some jazz and classical piano lessons, he is mostly self taught, hence the unconventional approach to his music. From age 12, he started helping his dad out in the studio. This was the era when computers started being an integral part of the recording industry. “My dad wasn’t that good with computers,” he remembers, “and I used to make the computers work for him.” D-Rex decided to quit school at 16 and work as a full-time intern in his dad’s studio. “I wanted to do music fulltime,” he enthuses.

His love for black music can be attributed to his closeness with black people from an early age. “I grew up eating Mopani worms and pap with our helper,” he remembers about his early days in Bez Valley, Johannesburg. The music in him was also nurtured by his love for soulful African American music by greats such as Stevie Wonder, B.B King, Earth Wind and Fire, which were the order of the day in his household. He was also a great fan of local music with the TV2 music programme “Diarora” being one of his favourite shows. His father’s studio was also frequented by greats such as Ringo[1103], Blondie Makhene[1104] and McCoy Mrubata, who obviously rubbed off some of the love for local music on him.

At age 21, he decided to go it alone. He started off by doing music for adverts and made it big. This is from rock to classical adverts, and he was the creative force behind the MacDonalds’ “Make Everyday a MacDonald’s Day” popular ad. Although, he was making lots of money doing this, his heart was always in the music. He then started doing demos with up-and-coming artists from the streets. Gurash’s one was the first one. Unfortunately, the single “Nokuthula” suffered the brunt of the industry with comments like “not another white person trying to make black music”. That’s when he decided to stop using David Campos on credits to D-Rex, “so people would judge the music for what it is”. This was followed by “Summertime” and the Mapaputsi mega-hit “Izinja”[1105].

In 2003, he started Groov luv[1106] Records with kwaito star, Kabelo Mabalane. The two had met years earlier, and D-Rex had worked on Kabelo’s album, “The Bouga Luv Album”, a year earlier. D-Rex says God told him that he had to be business partners with Kabelo ad he followed the instructions. Through Groov luv, he produced and released Blackjack and Kabelo’s last album, the platinum selling “Exodus”[1107]. With the aim of expanding beyond the music, the partners put Groovluv on ice and started the multimedia company, Faith Inc.[1108] that includes Faith Records, Faith Film and Faith publishing with the aim to take the vision further.

Through Faith All things Are Possible

Like some greatest names in the industry, his first ever music product was turned down by 13 record companies. The project by Gurash was finally given a lifeline, when they signed a licensing deal with Sheer Records. Since then, the star has produced tons of number 1 hits and megahits ranging from his first one “Summertime” by Mavusana and Mizcchef to “Izinja” by Mapaputsi, Mandoza’s “Hope”, “Ses’fikile” by Adilah and a lot more. Some of the great names he has worked with to produce gold and multi-platinum albums include Zola, Kabelo, Twistyle, DJ Fresh, Thandiswa Mazwai, Blackjack and newer names like Martin Phike, Howza and many more.

The co-owner of Faith Records has also contributed sizzling hot tracks to a number of house music compilations including “House Tunes 5”. Even this didn’t spur him on to do his own album. “I was only giving tracks as a favour, because people would ask for them,” recalls the respected name. “It was only later that I decided to do my own project, bring the brand to the fore and expose myself more,” he continues. “I felt it was time to come out of the cave,” he notes. This should leave a lot of competition shaking in their boots. Even more so, because D-Rex believes that hits come from above and people should get used to him producing more. “The songs just come to me and I have never had a writer’s block,” he says, crediting God for that. “I am constantly producing. It’s just a question of what to produce.”

A born-again Christian and married father of three, D-Rex says it’s his love and passion for music that has made him stay and last this long in the industry and not the money. “I was making lots of money doing adverts and I honestly wouldn’t put myself in this situation - where you have to beg to get your artist’s song played on radio, and all the hustles that come with the industry, if it wasn’t for that,” he summarizes.

Work Ethic

D-Rex says what sets him apart as a producer is that he doesn’t just do beats for any artist. “You must remember, I am a jingles writer and I learnt to imitate sounds,” he says. “When I do beats for Danny K, it would be different from the music I do for Kabelo or Mapaputsi. I do music on the understanding of who the artist is,” he notes. “I don’t do beats for an artist to just put lyrics on hence I don’t have a specific sound. But then again different producers work differently,” he admits. “I don’t stick to the same sound, and that’s why I have been able to bring new sounds to kwaito, and change it,” he adds. “Being white does give me a slight different sound as well. And I am technically organized hence my mixes are done excellently.”