Interview: Dubfire and the Detroit Connection

Interview: Dubfire and the Detroit Connection

23 May, 2008 | 9.52AM

• Section: Music News Topics: Movement 2008
• Written by: lizwarner

Many within the scene have known the name Deep Dish for quite a while.

Within Detroit techno in particular, the label run by the duo (also known as Deep Dish) enlisted Carl Craig for a remix for BT — then known as Brian Transeau — for an effective Urban Affair version of ‘The Moment of Truth’ in 1993.

And since then, Craig has been a supporter of many things Deep Dish, and in particular of one half of the duo, Dubfire himself.

“Carl has been very instrumental in getting exposure for our productions with remixes and things like that by giving his name and support to some of the early releases — I’ve always been indebted to Carl,” Dubfire tells Beatportal.

But the Detroit buck, so to speak, doesn’t stop with Craig alone.

The D.C. resident has apparently been an avid collector of the Detroit sound since its beginnings, having been on his radar since the late 1980s.

“I’ve literally been collecting all the records that have 313 area code on it for years and now have a really huge Detroit techno collection — it’s formed the backbone of who I am today and my production style,” says Ali.

“For me, it’s one of the original homes of electronic music that ushered in my generation’s era.”

Dubfire’s appreciation for the city takes something of a sociologist’s perspective.

He says, “There was a European mentality towards everything that was released at that time; not only in terms of artwork, design and content, but in terms of the production, and I don’t think that that existed anywhere else at the time.

“New York and Chicago had their thing, which is just as important, but I think Detroit really went beyond.

“The producers there weren’t afraid to experiment, and that’s what pushes everything forward — I mean everything.

“Detroit didn’t seem to really care what was going on anywhere else in the world or what other people were doing,” adds Dubfire, referencing the DIY mentality that’s always been prevalent in Detroit — not only with electronic music.

“They realized that they were leaders in their own right; they were not followers.”

When you consider the movement of his own sound to a darker, more techno-infused path compared to his work with Deep Dish, it all makes sense.

And in retrospect, his partnering with Loco Dice for his Desolat label with ‘RibCage’, and then Richie Hawtin for his Dubfire Rework of the Plastikman classic ‘Spastik’, all signs point towards this path; his rise to techno prominence in 2007 virtually gave him co-ownership of the sound.

Yet somehow, despite his success with music (and particularly last year’s success), he still approaches the production of music with a genuine curiosity that’s the sure sign of an artist on the right path.

“I’m anxious to reconnect with Stacey Pullen, Derrick May and Carl Craig,” reveals Dubfire.

“There’s going to be a lot of bridging the gap between the old school with the new school this year.

“I’m really curious to see sonically what all the other DJs have to offer.”

It’s here that Dubfire waxes poetic about spending time at Derrick May’s Transmat HQ, where May once had his living quarters.

“One time, years ago, I ended up at Derrick’s house with Stacey, which was insane because he was just running around and giving me a history of the place, telling me that Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode was there.”

Anyone who knows May can easily imagine such a scene of the very excited producer and DJ bouncing curiously off the walls, something that he still easily demonstrates today.

In describing what activities may possibly ensue this year, it, of course, involves the Movement festival along with several after parties and then, “You never know, we might all end up at Derrick’s house!”

As for what to expect for Dubfire and his Movement set closing things out on the Beatport stage on Monday night?

“I’ve been trying to pull out some of the classics for my set this weekend so I can reintroduce them to myself and to possibly do some re-edits,” he says.

“But it’s so difficult because there are so many great records!”

It’s not as if the irony of the problem is lost on him, as he quickly acknowledges, “I guess it’s a good problem to have.”

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