Dane Rumble's successful experiment

Kiwi hip-pop heart-throb Dane Rumble's clean-cut image belies the fact he spent part of his youth travelling around music festivals with his T-shirt-selling father.
But spending weekends at New Zealand rock institutions like Mountain Rock and Strawberry Fields will stand him in good stead for his stint at the last festival of the summer, Selective Soundz at Settlement Rd, Mangawhai on February 26.
"I was a huge festival kid when I was younger. My dad sold T-shirts at the festivals and would take me and my brother around with him," says Dane.
"We loved it. We loved the freedom of being able to wonder around this big site and see bands like Supergroove and Head Like A Hole and then I started going to the Big Day Out when I was like 11 or 12, and I haven't missed one yet. So yeah, I'm a music festival kinda guy.
"I've always been passionate about music and about the performance and at a music festival is where you see some great performances. I always loved watching those performances and breaking them down to see how the performer works and how they get the crowd going."
He puts his success down to these early experiences and making the brave decision to move away from the sound of his first band, The Fast Crew.
So when he made the break, was he worried that his new pop-infused sound would drive away his existing fans?
"I'm feeling fantastic now with where I'm at and the music I'm making, but I didn't expect it at all. There were some people who only considered me to be a hip-hop MC and were hoping that I'd fall flat on my face, but I was really passionate about what I was doing," he says.
"To be honest, with the place I was in at the time and with the Fast Crew situation I didn't really care. But the fact that people really like it is great. When I was writing that first album though I just really wanted to enjoy it and it was a true reflection of where I was in my life at that time and hip-hop doesn't really allow things to be that personal."
Dane says writing in a pop style was new to him, so for inspiration he decided to look at the people who wrote the pop songs he held dear to him. "I'm a big U2 fan and I always wanted to write songs as epic as they do.
"So while there wasn't exactly a template for me, I did use them as a bit of a guide."
And the people loved it. His debut album, The Experiment, topped the charts winning him Best Male Solo Artist at the 2010 NZ Music Awards along with a staggering six nominations.
Dane recently took home a Silver Scroll Award for Most Air Played song for his single Cruel and has shared the stage with international acts, opening for performers such as Missy Elliott, the Black Eyed Peas and D12.
He's doing a short tour before the Selective Soundz festival which also features Kora, six60, Anika Moa, Soaljah and more.
The all-ages School's Out For Summer tour, with Dane and Ivy Lies, hits Wellington Opera House on December 16, Palmerston North's Arena 2 the following night and Putaruru's Plaza Theatre on December 18.
Dane says the shows, with full four-piece band, will hardly be a warm-up as they have played more than 300 gigs together in the past year.
"We're pretty tight mate, so they'll be great gigs. But the festival show, wow, watch out ..."