For almost a decade, the Cataracs produced hip-hop-infused dance tracks as a duo, with Niles Hollowell-Dhar and David “Campa” Singer-Vine were behind such hits like Far*East Movement’s “Like a G6” and Dev’s “Bass Down Low.” When Campa announced that he was leaving the group in late 2012, he gave his blessing for Hollowell-Dhar to continue on without him.
At first, the producer was apprehensive about continuing alone — he had never had any success without Campa and longtime collaborator Dev by his side. However, after his first solo studio session with Robin Thicke, those fears dissipated. “[Working with Thicke] gave me the confidence I needed to go into the studio with bigger artists,” Niles told Billboard in an interview.
“Big Dipper,” his latest solo release, features Luciana Caporaso on vocals, whose song “I’m Still Hot” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Songs chart back in 2011. The lyric video, premiering exclusively on Billboard, captures the dance song’s peppy, sexual vibe; check it out below:
Since continuing as a one-man act, he’s produced songs for Sean Paul and Selena Gomez, with the latter including “Slow Down” on her new “Stars Dance” album. The producer is also finishing up production on Enrique Iglesias’ next album. “I was able to push his album and sonically take it to different places. It feels more human,” Hollowell-Dhar says of working with the Latin pop superstar.
Hollowell-Dhar also assures fans that new solo music is in the pipeline. “I’ve been making a bunch of new music that I’m excited to release,” he says. What do you think of “Big Dipper”? Sound off below.