Sally Doolally is one switched one girl.  As a label dj for Transient she has played at some of the most beautiful places on the planet and also happens to be one of the nicest people you'd be lucky to meet.  She was recently in Perth to work her unique magic on a very appreciative dancefloor at Namaskas Wonderdownunderland.  Akira managed to catch up with her to chat about find out what its like to live your dream.

First of all I have to ask, what inspired your name, Sally Doolally?
Doolally is pretty old English slang for someone a bit crazy or eccentric. It comes from the days of the Raj when India was a British colony and there was a town by this name in Maharashtra which had many psychiatric hospitals so the English whom were sent there were branded as Doolally back in England. My name is Sally and after making a series of trance parties in London called Doolally the name stuck to me.

We're currently living in a world where people are waging war against one another over religion, money and all sorts of heavy issues. What is it about your music that brings people together, and gets them dancing to the one beat?
Trance music is a way of life for many, it attracts people with an urge to express themselves freely. Our parties are often held in remote locations with some special gatherings related to phenomena like total solar eclipses. People travel from all over the planet to these hot spots to celebrate together, so I don't think you can put it down to the music alone, I think its a combination of many factors with the music being a main attraction and the location being another, but actually its the people themselves that make a trance party a special gathering, its an alternative culture.

You dj-ed in the Himalayas once, what was that experience like?
It was my first experience of DJ-ing to a proper dance floor and this is were I got hooked into playing trance music. The Himalayas are one of my favorite places on the planet and there is something spiritually calming about them, totally inspiring and absolutely breath taking, so if you combine these factors I can honestly say it was a life changing experience for me.

You've recently released one compilation and are currently working on another one, given how much work you put into these albums and the high quality of these releases, could you give us some insight into the process of compiling an album?
I am currently working on a compilation called Headspace which will be released on Plastik Park records this July 2005. Compliing a CD involves an intense process of track selection which of course is the most important factor for a good release, good tunes. I use my own artist contacts as well as selecting from music which is sent to me via the label, choosing carefully the best tracks which fit together and compliment each other.  Working on Headspace has been great and I have really enjoyed testing these tracks on the dance floor and getting a great response from the dancers. Now I am atthe stage of working on the artwork with a great graphic designer and I am really happy with how it has come together.

Is this your ideal job and if you weren't involved in the music industry, what would you be doing instead?
This is definitely my ideal job, I love my work and I know I am lucky to do what I do, I feel very blessed. I cant really see myself doing anything too far away from music. I also work in event production and have worked on some pretty big projects over the years, some trance related and some not. I would like to spend more time in the studio actually, making music, but finding spare time is hard. I guess if I didn't work with music at all maybe I would like to have my own guest house in some remote place of the planet like Guatemala, but I couldn't see me keeping away from music for long, music is my life.

My girlfriend wants to ask, what is your favorite item of jewelery and is there a story behind it?
I am not too big on jewelery but I do have a few special pieces. I was given my favorite ring as I left Koh Phangan in 2002 after a big party we put on over there. It was a gift from the ring maker whom had played a DJ set on our party, Patricio. Its really chunky silver with a Mexican fire opal set in it, I love it. I also have another ring which I now wear on my other hand, it has a Rainbow Moonstone set in it and is also pretty chunky. This one was a valentines present from my boyfriend Goetz this year in Australia.

What do the next 5 years hold for Sally Doolally?
Heaps of fresh changes I hope, who can know what the future holds. I just wish that its full of love, luck, health and happiness for us

Sallys new compilation titled Headspace is out in July 2005 and will be available from
www.saikosounds.com and www.psyshop.com