Biography
Scotland-born Michael Dodds developed an early fascination with electronic music through repeated listens to Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode while steadily acquiring keyboards and drum machines of his own. Launching his production work under the alias Rolanoid, he chose the name as a direct homage to Roland’s influential TR-808 rhythm machine. After relocating repeatedly across continents, Dodds ultimately spent the majority of his career based in Australia. The resulting body of work spans trance, house, and EDM alongside downtempo and chillout material. Rolanoid pieces have appeared as soundtracks for programming on BBC, MTV, and CBS. His compositions have also entered several songwriting contests, among them the International Songwriting Competition, the Australian Songwriting Contest, and the Billboard Song Contest. Rolanoid material reached audiences solely through independent online distribution on sites such as Broadjam and Bandcamp, without support from any recording contract.