Was Dog A Doughnut?
By Cat Stevens
“A great DJ is the one that can find the most obscure track and make it a hit. The role of the DJ is to constantly look for new tracks to impress and entertain the crowd. ”
They are always searching for great tunes in the land of good groove. New music does not mean it has to be necessarily new and recently released. Despite the release date, it's more about discovering tracks that people have never heard before.
Many DJs claimed to have discovered "Was dog a Doughnut" over the years, but it's not sure who was the one who first discovered this and played it on a dancefloor. It was probably legendary DJ Jellybean Benitez who spun this record a lot during his residency at the Funhouse in NYC during the 80s. He even made a cover of this track released on his first album.
The first thing you'll notice about this track is the total absence of Cat Steven's voice, as this is an instrumental track. Even without the voice of its creator, this song became a cult classic revered by many music lovers and producers worldwide.
"Was dog a Doughnut?" by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens (Now known as Yusuf as he converted to Islam back in the late 70s) is one of those tracks that does not belong to a specific genre's timeless: one of a kind.
A unique gem lost and found inside the last album of a famous singer-songwriter about in the process of converting to Islam, putting an end to a successful music career for more than 20 years. It was also interpolated on one of the first Tommy Boy records releases. This shows how influential this track was among hip-hop and electro producers then and now.
Probably the most far-fetched track to ever appear on a Cat Stevens album! This electro jam is a super cool experimental blend of groovy funk and synthesized techno-pop way ahead of its time. If you listen to Cat Steven's discography, this track sound like you are traveling into a parallel world.
"Was dog a Doughnut?" is a timeless tune and one-of-a-kind piece of music, still influential today. Some people would probably find it a bit weird, as there's a synth throughout the song that reminds a dog barking, but you cannot deny that the song is very catchy, fun, and pretty charming. I can easily say that Cat Stevens clearly became one of the progenitors of the electro sound with this song.
In 1976 Cat Stevens was in the studio with two collaborators: Jean Roussel and Bruce Lynch.
“They experimented with sounds on the Arp 2600 and accidentally found this electronic sound similar to a dog barking. ”
They recorded a two-beat drum pattern on tape, creating a loop, and adding a synth bass, electric guitar, and an electric piano solo played by the one and only keyboard virtuoso Chick Corea. Then they plugged the Arp Sequencer into the synth and created this square wave riff that repeats throughout the song. Then Cat Stevens played something on the drums.
I would love to know what was going through Cat's mind when he created this fascinating tune. It's just a beautifully strange piece of music completely alien from what the artist was producing at the time… and now. A timeless classic!
What do you think about his amazing track? Let us know in the comments below!
