Dallas Austin Signs W/ Universal For Debut Solo Set
SOHH.com * October 18, 2008
by Cyrus Langhorne

Super producer Dallas Austin will be trying his hand behind the mic as he preps his first-ever solo release 8 Dazeaweakend.

The Grammy- winning, Atlanta hit maker will provide fans with a mixture of his signature beats for the debut, along with cameos from artists like George Clinton, Goodie Mob's Big Gipp, Novel, Colin Munroe and others. With Austin's long track record of hit singles, major record label Universal Motown has decided to team up with the producer for his forthcoming album.

"Dallas is a true innovator and a visionary," Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone said in a statement. "He has put his unique stamp on an extraordinary array of hit music over the past two decades. So it comes as no surprise that his long-overdue solo debut is a brilliant, groundbreaking project that crosses boundaries, both musical and visual, to tell a compelling real-life story."

Led by the album's first single, "Exasperated," the 11-track project tells the story about a real-life woman named Daisy that Austin befriended.

"8 Dazeaweakend is a reality experience based on [a] girl I knew in Atlanta," Austin said in a statement. "I met her with my cousin Juan, hanging at after-parties and stuff."

Having worked with such big name acts as TLC, Boyz II Men, Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Madonna and others, the album will reportedly combine a mixture of old school funk, pop, dance and Southern hip-hop....

...As of press time, no official release date has been issued for Austin's 8 Dazeaweakend.