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House DJ Dom Della at home in Whistler

Melbourne performer tries out new tracks at Maxx Fish during only Canadian stop in tour
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Sneaky Snooze Whistler is the only stop on Dom Della's short North American tour. PHOTO submitted

Dom Della has just landed in Los Angeles."I had a sneaky snooze on the plane, but I think jetlag will get me in a little while and I'll be dead," the Melbourne-based house music DJ says.

Touring for most of July, he's got four days free before he performs at his first show in Chicago.

So, is he taking a break and checking out the 4th of July festivities? Not so much. He brought his homework with him from Australia.

"There are a few remixes to finish off before the end of the month for a couple of artists I've been working with, and I've got some studio sessions booked in to work on some new singles of my own," Della says.

"I've only got myself to work with now that I'm on the road, but I have a few friends here in L.A. that I might call up to see what they're up to. It depends, we're a bit short on time.

"As much as I'd like it to be a holiday, you've got to try and hit the ground running, getting into the studio as well as touring. If you can get on top of your sleeping pattern, it all works out!"

He performs his only Canadian show of the tour at Maxx Fish in Whistler on Monday, July 10 at 9:30 p.m., with opening sets by Fidel Cashflow and Darley. Tickets are $5.

Della was here a year ago in August, with his show coinciding with Crankworx. He liked the vibe so much he stayed an extra four days.

Those coming to the Maxx Fish show will have the chance to hear some new remixes live that won't be released until later this year.

"A lot of Aussies came down last time, it was a big turnout. And last year, I got off the plane in Vancouver and the driver asked me if I'd ever heard of the Sea to Sky Highway. I hadn't done any research and it was the biggest surprise ever. I loved it," Della says.

"This time, I was hoping to do a gig in Vancouver. Last year, I played in Toronto as well, and that was awesome fun. I think it was just logistics and having only a month to lock in dates. This time of year is a bit all hands to the pump.

"And I have friends back home who are dying to move to Vancouver, so I want to check it out more."

Della has just released Heat of the Night, some remixes he wrote for a U.K. group called Eat More Cake, and has a new single coming out in the next week with fellow DJ Torren Foot. It was written a year ago, but the busy duo have waited to release it when their other music schedules aren't overly packed with releases.

"It's called 'Be Randy.' That's the only original I've got coming out over the next month. There are a couple of remixes popping up here and there, too," Della laughs.

"'Be Randy' is a kind of R&B tune, with a '90s kind of a pop influence. It's a chuggy sort of club track. My songs are normally quite vocal and poppy, while Torren's stuff is more club oriented.

"We've fused ourselves together somewhere in the middle. It's got a hooky top line, hooky vocals, and a really chuggy bass line to it. It's been a bit of a waiting game because we didn't want anything to compete with it. It will be worth the wait."

In January, Della had trouble with his hearing and was diagnosed with sensory neural hearing loss and tinnitus.

It wasn't all the gigging, he says, but could be inherited. He has largely recovered, thanks to good medical care.

That said, Della wants fans to pay attention to their ears while listening to live music.

"I walked in as a DJ with hearing loss and the doctors think they knew what happened — noise exposure. But they don't know for sure. I nearly went deaf in my right ear, but I was able to recover. I still have some tinnitus and I've got to wear musicians earplugs everywhere," he says.

"Everyone should, but especially DJs. I have to be more vigilant now."