Veteran singer Datuk DJ Dave tells Ricky Yap that he is busy preparing and keeping himself fit for his upcoming anniversary concerts at Istana Budaya
THE next few months will be an especially busy time for Datuk DJ Dave. Apart from his annual Valentine’s Day charity concert for special children (he turns 65 this Valentine’s Day) Dave is also preparing for the wedding of his second son Shaz Darween, a pilot, which falls four days later on Feb 18.
On the top of that, Dave has major concerts at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur from June 1 to 3, which coincide with his 40th anniversary in show business.
And if those aren’t enough to keep Dave on his toes, he has his eco-solution business to see to.
Dave’s contribution to reducing the human carbon footprint is through the D1 EcoSolution company, which he set up in 2009, and carries the tagline “Towards A Greener Environment”. The company provides a carbon emission reduction programme which cleans up machines and equipment with the ultimate purpose of reducing carbon emissions as a cost-saving measure.
Dave is currently working hard to lose two kilogrammes as he hopes to achieve his targeted weight of 70kg in time for the staging of his Sketsa Memori (Sketches of a Memory) DJ Dave Live’ concerts.
“I intend to exercise more and cut down on my meat intake,” says Dave on his slimming methods. And his three badminton sessions a week will also serve him well in fulfilling his target.
The Tanjung Malim-born Dave also has another reason for the anticipated weight loss as he wants to don his bell-bottoms (which he wore as a new singer in the early 1970s)!
“I can still wear the bell-bottoms albeit they are a little too tight now. But I hope it’ll be a perfect fit, come concert-time. And I will also be showcasing the Alfa Romeo GTV car that was featured on the cover of my first EP (extended play), Maafkan, at the concerts. It’s still in running condition,” says Dave.
He adds the the concerts, with each scheduled to last two hours, would be divided into four segments representing the 1970s, '80s, '90s and the new millennium. He will be joined by singers representing those respective eras and the concert will also reflect the 1Malaysia concept.
“Not many realise it, but I actually helped to unify the country through my songs and will also be doing so through the upcoming concerts,” says Dave, who plans to release a Malay single in March, followed by a recording with Akademi Fantasia 3’s Marsha Londoh.
For the '70s and '80s segments, Dave has invited Uji Rashid and Ahmad Nawab while Dayang Nurfaizah will represent the '90s. The millennial segment will feature Marsha.
“I’ll be backed by a 42-member orchestra and will also be incorporating today’s technology,” says Dave, who estimates the production cost to be at RM1 million, with the LED (light emitting diode) effects alone costing RM300,000.
To defray the cost, Dave is looking for sponsors and to date, he has received several pledges from friends and business associates.
However, true to his benevolent nature, Dave intends to channel the profits, if any, to good causes.
“Whatever money I make from the concerts will be given to the orphanages and the old folks homes,” says Dave, adding that the concerts are his way of giving back to his fans.
He adds that he is also looking forward to doing duets with Uji onstage after a lapse of 35 years since joining forces on Ritihan Rasa.
Dave, who has been married to Semma Amir, a stewardess, for the last 10 years, also has another son, Arween Kanchan, working as an engineer in the United States and a daughter, Davina Farhana, doing Masters in Architecture at the Newcastle University in Australia.
He has been blessed with two grandsons aged 6 and 10 as well as a 3-year-old granddaughter.
The singer-entrepreneur, who is in the midst of ironing out the final details for his Feb 14 concert, achieved a milestone in the local music scene when he became the first Malaysian to record a Bollywood bhangra album, Ma Gaye Oye, in Mumbai at the end of 2005.
(Incidentally, the DJ initials stand for Dhammi Jagjit, named after his 88-year-old father, who Dave talks to on the telephone every evening.)
Tickets for the concerts are priced from RM53 to RM450. For more details, visit www.istanabudaya.gov.my.
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