Keeping an ear to the ground is essential as a keen drum and bass enthusiast because more often than not the best music comes from the lesser known or up and coming artists. One such artist who has been peaking the interest of some of the scenes more merited producers goes by the name of Dub Head.
Originating from and residing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dub Head has been on the radar for about 4 years amassing releases on revered labels such as Syndrome Audio, Citrus Recordings and the legendary Dispatch Recordings! Also getting regular plays from artists such as Noisia, Icicle, DLR, and many more.
He has recently been working alongside Lab Samples on his very own sample pack which will be the first in their artist series for the production heads amongst you and on the lead up to the release we thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with the man and get a little more insight into what he’s about!
Yo, Dub Head! Thanks for taking the time to chat to us here at In-Reach!
Happy to chat!
So to give a little bit of background let’s start with the basics. How long have you been producing for and what’s your musical influence?
I’ve been making beats for around 8 years. Back then I was hugely impressed by Spor and Noisia. I had a copy of FL Studio which I occasionally messed with. There was not much tutorials so you had to discover most of things by trial and error. With time I’ve got more into drum and bass, discovered lots of new artists and different sides of the genre. Bit more cold and deep ones. Icicle, Cern, Dabs, DLR, Break – those artists changed my style and tastes as well.
So you hail from Kyiv, Ukraine, what is the scene like for an aspiring producer out there?
It’s not easy being drum and bass producer here. There are not many promoters that do dnb nights at all and there are even less of those who can do them properly. It’s not quite clear what to expect in the future. I know a many peers that are a lot more talked about in Europe than in Ukraine. It’s quite frustrating, but I hope eventually things will change.
How would you describe your sound for those that hadn’t heard before?
I lean towards more atmospheric, dark and grim sound in my tunes. I try to completely immerse the listener into my world – minimalistic and cold.
As far as releases go you’ve managed to make a mark on imprints such as Syndrome Audio, Mindtech, Citrus Recordings and now the mighty Dispatch Recordings, how did this all come about?
It’s all James’ DLR fault. I sent him a couple of my works hoping to get a feedback. And I got some – quite comprehensive too. We started talking and six months later he advised me to send my tunes to Ant TC1. So, all in all, James was definitely the key influence.
You opened your own studio where you are a teacher and sound engineer, is that a project of your own or something you’ve worked on with friends/colleagues?
The studio itself is a joint project between me and my close friend. We spent around six months making it happen, because we wanted a place just for music, free of everything else. I’ve started teaching because of my own early experience – it was hard learning the DAW and production blind, I’ve missed mentorship and advice. So now I’m always prepared to give some.
In terms of forecast, what can we expect from you over the next 6 months? Releases, shows, festivals etc?
Next EP for Dispatch is almost done. I’m working on an EP for Vandal Recordings and few tracks for Blendits Recordings. There’s also one big project, but I can’t talk about it yet. Speaking of shows, I have nothing planned for next six months, but I’m working to change that.
In relation to the drum and bass scene, who do you take inspiration from and what artists are you currently feeling?
Break keeps surprising me with every thing he releases. Looking forward to Amoss’ album. Arkaik, Zero T, DLR, M-Zine & Scepticz, Mako and the whole Dispatch Crew. I also keep an eye on Nami and Black Barrel – quite talented guys.
If you could choose a dream collaboration, who would it be with and why?
It’s about to come true! I can’t say much more than that at the moment – only that it’s going to be a quite cool EP : )
Dub Head, Thanks for taking the time to speak to us here at In-Reach, any final words, radio shows, other projects? Big up!
Thanks and big up to all the dnb family!
You can check LabSamples over at – www.labsamples.co.uk
And Dub Head,
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dubheadua/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/dub_head
