What inspired you to create Dubscape?
We simply started it for fun. It all kind of started with awe and a love for a dubby chord.
How would you describe what Dubscape is?
Dubscape, like its name, is somewhat of a digital “landscape” for artists to share their music. Although it’s called Dubscape, and dub is our first love, by its nature it spans multiple genres.
Thinking about the type of music we’d associate with Dubscape from our own collection we think about dubby chords with a minimal influence behind it, deep and sexy. Having said that, that may not necessarily be how other artists interpret it, and that’s fine.
But as we mentioned before, it’s translatable, and there’s a lot of influence between these genres within this dub sound. This translation is evident when listening to the mixes.
Of everything happening in electronic music right now, why dub? What draws you to that sound?
We’ve loved this sound since we got into this work. We’re drawn to it by its rawness - we guess it’s just a visceral feeling that evokes emotion heavily depending on the track and the person listening. It’s deeply personal.
We’ve also recently noticed a huge shift from artists in the Cape Town scene towards being more open with dub, including a lot of DJs who previously played very different genres, like indie-dance, now taking a liking to the more underground, housey sound and being way more open to the subgenres we push, like dub and minimal. We’ve definitely noticed that people are more open to receiving it, and even playing it themselves.
Although this hasn’t necessarily been a “why” for us, and it’s not the reason we chose dub out of everything else happening in the scene - but it has seemingly shown to be an advantage.
There have been a few artists known for other genres who’ve done mixes with you, showing their dub side - how important is it to keep having guests we don’t usually associate with these sounds?
We wouldn’t say it’s about importance so much as it’s just interesting to showcase. There are always interlinking elements between genres - house, techno, and dub all share things that translate across each other. A simple dub chord can be expressed in so many different ways.
As a DJ, you collect records, even if it’s just mp3 files now, and there are certain elements you’re always searching for in a track. Those elements carry over between genres, even when they’re not obviously connected on the surface.
We think it’s really about allowing space for artists to showcase the other side of their collection. DJs often get boxed into whatever genre they’re known for or booked to play, so it’s nice to give them room to show a side of their taste that people don’t usually get to hear - and extra nice to hear their offerings in more of a listening capacity rather than a club/party capacity - this definitely affects the journey the artist takes you on as a listener.
When you’re inviting a DJ to record, what are you actually looking for - and are there any principles or values you want them to hold onto when showcasing a mix for Dubscape?
Honestly, our prerequisite is simple: be a nice person and have good tracks. It’s not about performing anything or putting on a show - it’s just about people playing their music and being themselves.
We don’t buy into the elitist mindset that DJs need to “earn their stripes” before they get a platform. If you can mix and you’ve got the tracks, that’s cool with us. Because at the end of the day, it’s really not about the artist anyway - it’s about the music.
Is there a “golden thread” running through every Dubscape mix, even as the artists and sounds change, and what do you want a listener to feel by the end of one that they wouldn’t get from just streaming a dub playlist?
We want listeners to feel whatever it is the artist wants them to feel - we just create the space for that. We literally just give artists the brief of “dub,” whatever that means to them.
Every artist could pick one dub element in a track that makes it dub to them, so honestly, there isn’t really a golden thread other than the dub sound itself. We’re not going to tell artists what to play, and that’s exactly why we’ve kept the brief vague. It leaves room for their own interpretation.
The difference between streaming a dub playlist and listening to an artist play is that you get their personal, human curation and emotion, something an algorithm or playlist just can’t offer.
What’s a mix or artist moment from the series so far that felt like exactly what Dubscape was meant to be?
We love it when there’s an unpredictable, surprising moment, whether that’s an artist who doesn’t usually play slow suddenly playing slow, someone dropping their own unreleased music, an unexpected artist showing up with a dub set, or just an artist digging deep into their collection.
A couple of moments that stood out: Fvrger closed his set with a hip hop track, and Tafs played some really gorgeous and interesting tunes too. The occasional change in location-set backdrops here and there has also added a surprising element that we’ve loved. Those unpredictable moments are what Dubscape is about.
What does success look like for Dubscape - what are you trying to create?
Dubscape is about showcasing local talent, and if we can do that, then that will look like success to us, no matter how big or small Dubscape evolves. Success for Dubscape will look like whatever it looks like, because it is purely a passion project - we feel largely unattached to the outcome. We aren’t trying to “be” anything, per se. We just want to try our best to provide people with a weekly, reliable stream of quality dub music. For now, we have no interest in hosting our own event, but we are interested in doing intimate listening parties. We’re also very open to showcases and collabs with other existing parties or festivals, and we have an exciting showcase coming up.
How did the collaboration with Loaded Ceramics come about?
We’ve been lucky enough to have the support of Loaded Ceramics. The craftsmanship and intentionality behind the design of our new sound system is evident, and it has made such a difference to our booth.
Having Elan (Unterberger) back us to this degree means the world to us. Friends, acquaintances and strangers alike are seeing our vision and, most importantly, believing in it as much as we do. We love our community that is growing literally by the day from all corners of the world. It is so special to watch unfold.
