INTERVIEW // We chat to music producer Dübelu and find out a little more about him

Dübelu has an amazing personality that explodes through his grooves. His unique approach to music-making keeps his sound different constantly learning and evolving. On stage, in Live or DJ set, his music gravitates everyone together into one entity moving the deeper parts of your soul.

We had the incredible opportunity to talk to Dübelu and find out a little more about him.

Tell us about your earliest musical memory?
My mom received letters from neighbours about me playing the drums in the garage after school, the funny part was he said he worked for the FBI and needed his rest! lol

At what point in your life did you have that moment where you said to yourself “This is it. This is the type of music I want to create?”
I really don’t believe artists even say that to themselves, I just create. I am still growing, learning and discovering myself.

I will tell you when I said ”that’s it, this is what I want to in life” It was 2014, I left working for the hospital and was working at my dad’s business. I told him I wanted to take a year off to be able to learn the piano and guitar and sound design/music creation and engineering. He told me one thing, if you leave the business you can never come back, so I left. I took out my 401k retirement fund (which really was only like 3k) and worked over 16 hours a day for 1 year just in music.

Please list some of the most influential albums on your creative outlook and output:
Echos / Pink Floyd |

White Pony / Deftones |

Radiohead / Rainbows |

Portishead / Dummy |

I can go on!

What key pieces of gear/software are you using to define your sound?
I use to struggle from time to time sitting in front of a computer not getting anywhere. An old friend of mine told me an important thing that I will never forget, ”go back to where you started, what made you start making music” and that was the guitar. So key pieces are guitar and piano, I believe what I create is more organic than digital, so its basically live instruments, guitar, piano and bass. I record a lot of my banging on shit, lol

What inspires you outside of music? What do you turn to when the creative well runs a little low?
Nature, family and art. Sometimes I like to take creative field trips, its what I call them. If you ever struggle or feel uninspired about creating music then you forgot why you started making music in the first place. Creating music is FUN and if you struggle then you forgot then FUN and sometimes on rare occasions the fun isn’t there. So go do something else.

What is your opinion on the ever-spreading sub-genre vine? Are there too many? Do you think there’ s perhaps a sub-genre that doesn’t get the attention it deserves?
I think sub-genres are more for the people that want an individual acceptance or a place to belong to, I think yes maybe there are too many but who am I to judge. I just create the music

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, what do you prefer?
Wow, that’s like saying, do you like food or do you like to eat? Lol.

They all have their pros and cons, I love performing in front of a crowd there’s nothing like it. Nothing compares to that joy of putting smiles on peoples faces with that “wordless association” but when you’re on tour for so long all you miss is your studio. All you really want to do is go home to the comfort of your own studio and create, as opposed to working from a hotel or airport.

As a musician, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

If I could, I would, but I believe it goes deeper than that. The business is what it is, it’s business. Some times we have to deal with shit we don’t usually accept. The way that I see it, is that the business aspect of things is usually just a platform, what you do is music and the music speaks for itself. From agents to record label, everyone is trying to get a piece and if you do the business yourself you’re liable to lose.

Any new or upcoming artists on your radar? Who shouldn’t the world sleep on?
Greta Van Fleet

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
New album coming out with my buddy Marcelo Cura, due to be released next year on Kindisch. Working on a project here in Berlin with Kapela a buddy of mine Samir is in the works. As for gigs, end of September  London & Lisboa and beginning of October Paris & Barcelona. Check my social media for exact dates.

Famous last words?
There is always someone trying to take your place