Brighton based DJ and producer Erb N Dub’s dramatic rise in the drum and bass world is a result of the hard work and dedication he puts into his music. With the recent release of his track Speak & Spell on Technique, coupled with the growing success of his side project Wicked City, it’s clear that Erb N Dub is showing no signs of slowing down.
Since 2007, Erb N Dub has been creating and remixing music that has made waves in the dance scene. He has built a reputation for consistently smashing clubs around the globe with his unique style of scratching and quick-witted moves behind the decks. Not only that, he has also collaborated with some of the biggest names in the dance music scene, producing remixes for the likes of A.Skillz, DJ Fresh, Krafty Kuts and Foreign Beggars.
In 2010 he launched the first UKF Podcast, which reached the top of the iTunes Podcast chart within the first 24 hours. The success of this attracted much attention, leading to endorsements by both Yamaha and Cubase.
First off, how did you get the name Erb N Dub? Back when we were kids, my friend Harry Shotta and I were trying to come up with a name for me. One night we were chilling, listening to all sorts of music for inspiration, then Shotta came up with the name Erb N Dub, and its stuck with me ever since.
How would you describe yourself? Focused and career driven.
What’s your style of music? It’s predominantly drum and bass. I use cutting edge production skills to produce dance floor DNB that can cross over in any club environment.
What inspired you to create your own music? I started drumming at a young age and soon became hooked on playing jungle/drum and bass beats. In 2002 I heard drum and bass in a club for the first time and was instantly hooked. It wasn’t long after that I started to teach myself how to create drum and bass music.
A pretty memorable moment was in 1999. I sneaked into Glastonbury and saw Roni Size, Represent and the Freestylers perform. I remember thinking I want to make music like these guys. Now in 2016 I regularly work with members from both groups.
You recently cut your dreads off. How have your fans reacted to your new image? Yeah, I cut my dreads off as a way of rebranding Erb N Dub. A fresh image combined with fresh music felt like a good way to start 2016. To be honest, my fans are more interested in my music than my image. But in saying that, I’ve received some pretty positive feedback on Facebook.
How long have you been living in Brighton? I’ve been living in Brighton for about 2 years. I still have my studio in Kent but I now consider Brighton my home. My profession has given me the opportunity to travel the world, but there’s definitely no place like Brighton. It’s nice living by the beach and still having the countryside on your doorstep.
What’s your favourite thing about this city? It’s definitely playing table tennis on the beach during summer. LOL. Brighton in general has a really easy going vibe. I love the people, culture and diversity of the city.
What’s your favourite place in Brighton to DJ at? Concorde 2 would have to be my favourite club to play at. It’s one of the most well-known venues in Brighton, and always attracts an impressive crowd.
What has been your most memorable gig to date? DJ wise, I’d have to say playing to over 10,000 people in Sicily in 2014 and playing at the Abbey Road Studios with the Wicked City boys last year.
Over the last few years your international reputation has increased dramatically. How did it feel to have your music released on Technique? Technique Recordings is a great label to be on. They are consistently going from strength to strength and I’m happy to be part of that growth.
Do you create all your own drum sounds for your tracks? Yes. When making my tracks I make my drums from scratch, mainly using synthesis and live drum sounds layered together. For one of my recent tracks Drummer, I recorded my jazz drum kit for the many live fill you can hear throughout the track.
Tell me a bit about your work with Wicked City? It’s a Future Funk project featuring artists from a range of different genres. Members include Krafty Kuts, Dynamite MC, Damien Soul, Steve HD, Skope & Big R. We’re making the music we want and we’re not confined by any musical constraints like we are in our solo careers. It’s great fun.
What’s it like working with the Wicked City boys? We all get on really well and playing live with the band is killer! We are all focused on the music, but we make time to enjoy the studio settings and whip up a healthy smoothie or two.
You’ve been doing some mentoring and teaching music in schools. What inspired you to get involved? When I left university I created the Youth Music Program that was soon picked up by my local council of Dartford. From there I raised over 20,000 pounds to run various charity workshops.
A few years later, I won the Princes Trust Young Achiever of the Year Award. I then worked with Dragons Den & Children In Need and built a community music studio in London whilst becoming a Yamaha Artist, lecturing in schools and universities across the UK.
Being so busy with my music career these days, I find it hard to do as many workshops as I would like to. However, I always try and make time for a few each month. I recently ran some sessions in Brighton for Stage Coach.
What makes you happy in your spare time? Exercise and spending time with my girlfriend Jess and dog Daisy.
What advice would you give to up and coming artists/producers trying to break into the music scene? Treat music like any business. You have to work extremely hard on both your music and production skills, but also stay on top of your social media as it plays an important roll in connecting with your fans.
So what’s next for Erb N Dub? I’ve just released a single called Speak and Spell that’s getting some good air time on BBC Radio One and Kiss FM. I’m also working on some remixes, one of which is for A.Skillz. At the moment I’m pretty focused on releasing as many singles as possible, whilst continuing to work on the Wicked City live album. I also have some great festival dates and overseas shows coming up in the summer, so it’s going to be a busy 6 months.
You can check out Erb N Dub’s official website for details on his latest track releases and upcoming shows here.
Links:
Management: [email protected]
DJ Bookings: [email protected]
SoundCloud : https://soundcloud.com/erbndub
