One of the world's most acclaimed techno DJs, Dubfire will bring his most ambitious achievement to date to this month's bank holiday SW4 festival - dubfire:liveHYBRID.
This innovative live show seamlessly weaves together elements of 2D and 3D animation with live audio and lighting to explore the intersection of science and technology - of man and machine - and their resulting evolution and inevitable fusion.
Check out our exclusive clip of HYBRID above...
On the eve of his arrival in London, Dubfire talks to HuffPostUK about his latest creative offering, why it's different from other shows, and why he laments the 'plug and play' DJs that promoters have got used to...
What makes your show unique?
Well, first of all my show isn’t a DJ show. It’s a meticulously developed, live audio / visual performance; using state of the art 2D / 3D technology and some of the best visual and stage design that the “techno” genre has seen to date.
My only lament is that most promoters in our genre (and beyond) have gotten so used to the “plug and play” performer and DJ that they don’t see the value of what we’re bringing forth. So getting it into as many festivals as possible has been an ongoing battle. Which is a shame because the fans from around the world who’ve been the MOST supportive of all - literally BEGGING us to bring it to their turf - are the ones who are being denied this level of entertainment.
The only way to change the perception that mainstream electronic music organizers and audiences have towards our music is by allowing a platform for shows like HYBRID to exist. I’m tired of being a part of one lone stage with an embarrassing amount of production dollars allocated to it and tucked into the end corner of a massive 10-stage festival. And the lineups on the main stages deserve a more balanced approach.
What’s been the biggest change in the rave scene in the past 15 years?
I’m not even sure what the word “rave” means anymore; raves were born out of the early electronic music scene in the UK, being an illegal gathering place for young fans who were made to jump through hoops and follow vague directions to ultimately arrive at a field or warehouse with a generator, strobe lights and a sound system. It is the blueprint of the current worldwide festival scene and created the superstar globetrotting DJ.
How has it changed? For starters raves are now legal; backed by huge corporations, funded by mainstream sponsors and drawn hundreds of thousands of fans to a single event! But I’m guessing that the most shocking change has been in the amount of money a DJ can command nowadays. And the fact that dance music has overtaken traditional pop and rock music, becoming a cultural phenomenon.
What’s been your reaction to that in terms of what you include in your show?
These thoughts did not weigh on my mind when working on HYBRID. I simply set out to create the best Dubfire “experience” that I could. Not only was it a personal goal and challenge that I had set for myself, but something exciting and new to give the fans. A uniquely personal musical statement that I needed to make. HYBRID presents some of the best material I have produced over the past decade in a new and exciting way. And I’m just getting started!
Dubfire will be performing 'dubfire:liveHYBRID' at the SW4 Festival - info here.
Check out our exclusive clip above...