DON  TOCABAJO

Musician  Composer  Producer

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHY

 

Highway to Hell by AC/DC and a 12-string Ovation guitar were the impulse for the musical career of

Don Tocabajo (tokabaho spoken). 

The rhythm and sound of the album, as well as the sound of the guitar of his then school teacher impressed so much

to buy from the saved pocket money the first acoustic guitar of poor quality and to learn the first riffs at a young age.

The musician, autodidact and autosponsor, who comes from Heidelberg / Germany,

realized early on that he wanted to create his own music.

With his discovered passion for deep tones and rhythms, he had found the ideal instrument in the electric bass guitar.

The musical career, among other things as a full-time bass player,

has since been supported with the additional activity in mechanical engineering.

 

With the hard rock band Parasite the first band and concert experiences as an electric bass player and composer were gained.

Off Limits, Tangled Blue, Los Gloriosos, Tone Island with (Heavy-) Rock, Indie, Funk, Latin, Crossover,

were further stations. As co-founder and co-songwriter of the popular band Alienshake, he moves in the funk-rock genre.

 

Don Tocabajo has always been more interested in the whole sound of a band than just individual musicians.

In the 90s he was influenced by bands like AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour,

Faith No More, Stevie Salas and Mothers Finest.

He discovered further musical diversity on his travels to faraway countries,

as well as by living in South America for several years.

 

In the best times of MySpace, his first solo songs were successfully listened to and

positively reviewed with tens of thousands of clicks. 

Instrumental crossover rock crystallized as the solo style. This is characterized by a crisp, direct,

punchy and rhythmic sound and as the review of Ark of Music / USA describes it = 

bold, expressive and musically explosive.

 

With investments in professional instrument and studio equipment

the path as a composer, arranger, programmer, sound mixer and producer was completed. 

Each of his solo EPs released so far concludes a theme.

Thus, "Bass 4.0" is occupied by electronic sounds, rock drums and electric bass.

"Big Bang" as heavy rock with metal guitars / drums,

electric bass and the award-winning album "Ad Gustum" Latin funk rock, with electric bass,

brass, percussion, rock drums and metal guitars.

These albums can be assigned to the film, soundtrack, games and advertising fields.

With the trio Alienshake was published funk-rock album "The First Contact".

 

Milestones are interviews and approx. 3000/month airplays at national and international radio stations in USA,

Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia, England, Central & Eastern Europe,

in advance with the award-winning album "Ad Gustum" and its songs Let me touch you,

Revuelto as well as Sweet Waste.

In addition, the cooperation with Music-Supervisor in the USA and top ten placements at Reverbnation.

 

Other highlights include several German and global jury awards at the German Rock Pop Award,

Akademia Music Awards USA, Global Music Awards USA, 5 Star Nomination Songwriting Contest England,

Semifinals American Tracks Music Awards USA, Honorable Mentions at Ark of Music USA and at SongDoor USA.

 

The vision of the solo projects is to expand musical horizons with unorthodox and versatile music.

Ideas for this are still abundant, so more projects will follow in the future on the highway of creativity.

 

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS :

 

* HALL OF FAME at Akademia Music Awards USA 2023

* 4 Stars Awarded UK Songwriting Contest 2022

* 2 German Rock Pop Awards 2021

* 2 Bronze Medal - Global Music Awards USA 2021

* American Music Tracks Award 2021

* Akademia Music Award USA 2021

* EP „Signs“

* Video „Revuelto“ at Gravity One Music Video Network USA &

Viral-Phase European Video Channel 2020

* Interview with Marquix.tv USA 2020

* 5 Stars Nomination UK Songwriting Contest 2020

* Honorable Mentions „Let Me Touch you“ SongDoor USA 2020

* 2 Bronze Medals "Creativity, Originality" - Global Music Awards USA 2020

* Honorable Mentions Top Ten 2020 - Ark of Music USA

* Approx. 3000 Radio-Airplays in USA, Australia, Japan, South-America,

  Central-East-Europe, Germany, England 2020

* Semifinal American Tracks Music Awards USA 2020

* Akademia Music Award USA 2020 „Best Instrumental / Ambient EP „Ad Gustum“ 10/2020

* World Wide Music Promotion / JamsMusic Review 10/2020

* Cooperation with Music Supervisor USA / Moviemusic-Agency 2020

* Report & Interview “Presseverlag Deutschland” 2020

* Airplays at Flashradio Deutschland 2020

* German Rock & Pop Award 2019

* Interview & Airplays at Sunray FM (BRD) 2019

* Airplays at ITNS-Radio (USA) 2019

* EP-Album „BIG BANG“ 2019

* Top Ten at Reverbnation „German Instrumental Charts“ 2018

* EP-Album „BASS 4.0“ 2018

* Live TV  RNF Rhein-Neckar-Fernsehen (Alienshake) 2016

* CD-Album „The First Contact“ Band Alienshake 2016

* 1.Place Reverbnation “German-Alternative-Charts” (Alienshake) 2014

* Finalist German Rock & Pop Award (Alienshake) 2013

* Interviews & Airplays at Newcomer Radio Germany /

RBC-Das-Wolfsradio / Dein-Radio-Berlin / Campus-Radio-Jena / Bermuda-Funk-Radio Mannheim-Heidelberg / 

FM-Rundfunk-Meissner-Rockbar-Radio 2013-2016

* Approx. 30.000 Clicks at MySpace 2012

* 3. Winner Mannheimer Herzogenriedpark-Bandcontest about 10.000 Visitors (Alienshake) 2012

* 1.-Places at International Unsigned Days- & Week-Charts

Road-Runner-Records (Alienshake) 2010

 

 

Bands / Projects :

 

* Booster - Solo-EP (Instrumental-Electronic-Funk-Rock)

* Signs - Solo-EP (Instrumental-Oriental-Metal)

* Ad Gustum - Solo-EP (Instrumental-Experimental-Rock-Funk) 2019

* Big Bang - Solo-EP (Instrumental-Experimental-Rock) 2019

* Bass 4.0 - Solo-EP (Instrumental-Experimental-Electronic-Rock) 2018

* Alienshake (Funky Rock) 2010 - today

* Several Projects 2009 - 2010

* Tone Island (Rock-Soul-Jazz-Experimental) 2008 - 2009

* Los Gloriosos (Latin-Folklore-Rock) 1998 - 2001

* Tangled Blue (Crossover-Funk-Rock) 1994 - 1997

* Off Limits (Indie-Crossover-Funk-Rock) 1992 - 1993

* Parasite (Hard & Heavy Rock) 1987 - 1991