To pull it off, you have to be bold and resilient in the face of likely failure. Success can be few and far between and while some performers don’t enjoy longevity, internationally lauded, Melbourne-born street artist Dub FX continues to dispel all underdog theories.
The man behind the moniker, Ben Stanford, loops hip hop and reggae vocals in with drum & bass beats to conjure a truly unique sound. He’s largely unknown in his home nation, mainly due to our unfamiliarity with his sound.
“Australia is probably my weakest market worldwide,” he says. “I have more fans in Auckland than in Australia. Stylistically, Australia is very behind the rest of the world because triple j is king and is very specific with what genres it promotes. For example, reggae and drum & bass are among the most listened-to genres pretty much everywhere else in the world, but in Australia they’re the least listened to. These are the main styles of music that I make so it’s no wonder I don’t have a big following in Oz.”
Before taking to the streets in 2006, Stanford provided vocals in former nu metal band N.O.N, emceed over house and techno in clubs, performed solo acoustic sets in pubs and joined in whenever jazz outfit The Soundwaves took to the stage. His musical resume was already vast but Stanford was restless and eager to explore – so overseas he would go.
“Dub FX was born in the streets. I bought a looper and started practicing in front of people on the street. I’d never have come up with my sound if I stuck around in Melbourne playing in bands. I had to hit the streets of the UK to get it. Street performance built my following, taught me to be a better performer and artist. I’ll never stop doing it in some shape or form.”
After years of relentless street performing, by 2009, Dub FX had sold over 100,000 CDs. Looping beatbox vocals with rap and other harmonies created a new type of street artistry, which unwilling passers-by had seldom been exposed to. It was a matter of consistency and innovation to gather the most unlikely of audiences and it didn’t take long for Stanford to achieve that.
From there, the festival stage beckoned and carrying his sound onto a live stage with a band would be his next challenge. He’s performed at some of the world’s most acclaimed festivals but admittedly, garnering the best live configuration is still a work in progress. “I’m slowly building my band. I performed for eight years by myself so I couldn’t go straight into a full band situation because it didn’t feel natural, plus it’s too expensive bringing heaps of people on the road.
“I’m slowly introducing more live elements into the sound on my records so I can eventually take it there live. For now, I have a keys player and a bass player. I run all the drum loops by triggering them from a drum machine or I beatbox and loop it. It’s so much better having these guys with me because we can jam and let the music evolve. When I was doing it all myself I was making a bunch of loops live in the moment. Then I had to make it interesting by rapping or singing over the top. Now the music is free to change and develop as the song progresses. It’s much easier on me.”
Supporting his fifth album, Dub FX returns to Australia for the first time since his Theory of Harmony tour in September 2015. He’ll perform at Pleasure Garden alongside the likes of Cat Empire, Blue King Brown, The Opiuo Band and Tash Sultana, something he’s looking forward to. “The lineup is awesome, I can’t wait to play there myself. Unfortunately, we’re given a very short set so we’ll have to put together a tailored show, but expect plenty of live drum & bass.”
By Tom Parker
