Mazen Badr, known professionally as (MR. DEE), is a music producer at TDO Records,
entrepreneur, founder & creative manager of Future Sounds. He is also the founder, CEO of Three Double One Entertainment & Co-founder of Nas Jota Records. His career began as a member of the (Three Double One - Band) in 2002 & later transitioned to (Three Double One Entertainment) in 2003. A couple of years later, MR. DEE was also credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of House music in Sudan & Malaysia. MR. DEE's career was built upon a series of successful released & unreleased music tracks that spread globally and conquered numerous dance floors, such as the official original track (FEARLESS) released by TDO Records. MR. DEE is considered to be a sought after DJ in Riyadh's Underground events. He's been in Middle East since 2013, gaining a lot of fame in KSA, UAE & Bahrain as he performed in many big underground events such as (Future Sounds, The Illusion, Rave Heads, Translucent, Groove on The Roof & Many More). He also played in big scale events such as (Wapi, Riyadh Season festival, Diriyah festival, Al Janadriyah Season, Autoville, Saudi International Motor Festival, Reebok festival).
-What was your first interaction with music? A Mixtape, a gift from my uncle, it my first ever interaction with music at around 8 years old. The Mixtape included pop, disco and house hits, later on by the age of 10 to 12, I started to discover more music and I was able to differentiate between the music genres by the way it sounds.
-Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
Technically, my father. He introduced me to a lot of music as he has a huge records library, I used to listen to music on my father's cassette player when there were no mp3 copies, I discovered a lot of music in the 90's. I used to listen to artists and DJ's of the 90's techno scene which are considered today's legends such as Juan Atkins, Jeff Mills, Monika Kruse. I also listened to the Jackson 5, MJ, Bob Marley, the hip hop duo Pete rock & Cl smooth, the Hip Hop group Geto boys and many more.
-What was your experience like making house music in Sudan?
I started making my own music in 2003, I used to pick cuts and loops and combine them together, I pick whatever it sounds good to my ears such as Pop,Funk, Jazz to Hip Hop and House. Most of my records were Hip Hop until 2008, after that I started to focus on house. I used to also mix African vocals and combine them with fast tempo beats and melodies to create house momentum.
-It is clear that you are not only involved in the artistic side of music, but the business side of it as well. What was your beginning of your music journey as an entrepreneur and what made you take that route?
I have decided to pursue my passion for music on a business level in 2008, as as events and creative manager at Three Double One Entertainment, I launched my small company Three Double One Entertainment as a service provider (record label, Sound, stage production and music events management). I was a very well known music events manager in Khartoum, Sudan between 2008 up to 2013, before I relocated to Saudi and I've been doing the same over here ever since. Being a music producer is leading me to manage everything related to music production and events management. The music industry is large and allows me to do many things, including being an entrepreneur. There are many reasons that made me want to start my business in the music industry and those include my desire to release my records as an artist and to help others get some form of exposure to improve their craft. The main reason however, is that I am always driven to do my own thing so I don’t have to wait my whole life to be found when I can control everything myself.
-What has my experience been like in the music business in Saudi and what are your thoughts on its growing industry?
my music experience in KSA as a musician and events creative manager is really good, the music scene in KSA is still fresh, although the capacity and the magnitude are huge. For example, If the number of events held at the KSA's entertainment Seasons in 2019 up to now is any measure of success...!!! then Saudi Arabia’s live music industry is set to become the biggest driver of the domestic entertainment business. I’ve never in my previous years of experience, worked on projects with such scope. DIRIYA season 2019 and all the Riyadh seasons from 2019 up to 2021 was a big time and had a vision of excellence at a world-class level, backed up with the effort and determination required to achieve that. It's a great opportunity for me to be part of the the seasons and the other private and public events.
-Many of your tracks have become international hits, how did you feel when you got your first hit? I have many released and unreleased tracks, it's really great seeing my tracks go places like Malaysia, KSA, Austria and many more. My 1st official track was a Hip Hop track (unforgettable moments) released in 2010 in Malaysia. It was super exciting hearing my track on air at many radios.
-What’s your favorite track of yours and why?
I released many tracks in 2022 and it took too long to release. I consider Aspiration, as my favorite track in 2022, my feelings were risen when I started building the track.
-Who are 5 artists you dream of collaborating with? -Fnx
-Omar
-Artbat
Goom
-Gum.
-Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
10 years is way long for an artist to achieve their targets, 1 to 2 years is what I need to reach my ultimate goal, and there are always no limits ...
-From the beginning of your journey until now, what are the 3 most important lessons you've learned? -The less friends you have, the less problems you have. -Work in silence. -I am to be my number 1 supporter.
Check out MR.DEE's music at:
Follow us on:
Make sure to share this post and subscribe to our newsletter to receive notifications on our latest posts, as well as exclusive content and much more!