A Backing Band Means Less Scrilla For Dub FX

What had started in 2009 for Benjamin Standford, busking a loop station on Burn City streets, has, six years on, seen him amass his live talents into a worldwide bass-culture following for which Dub FX is widely regarded as a beast among bass-hitters. He's only recently been able to roll out his new live three-piece and a comprehensive UK tour saw Standford play 41 solo shows in 80 days. Alas, he still feels exuberant about his upcoming Australian dates. 

"When I first conceived the idea of what I was going to do in music, it was going to be with a band. But I just couldn't afford it," admits Standford. "Now I can start bringing other blokes out on the road and start making something that I was originally trying to do, which is kind of UK bass culture beats done live with added soul and jazz."  

"It just goes into another level because the bass player can ride out over the bars and change where suited, keeping it interesting."

Listing Fat Freddy's Drop as a benchmark when envisioning morphing his dimensionally gifted talents into a bass-heavy band, Standford explains: "that's what I'm working for and eventually I'd like to have a band". "At the moment it's so uncool," he jokes, "just me and two guys."

And a drum machine has always been so much cheaper. "Yeah!" Standford admits. "When you play by yourself you can actually live off your music. So, if I hadn't started by myself I wouldn't get to the point I'm at now where I've got something where I can start taking people out on the road with me."

Standford's latest album, Theory Of Harmony, described as a hypnotic trip through bass, had invited many guests on board, including Tiki Taane, Eva Lazarus and MC Xander, but it was those he worked with when adding the live instrumentation who helped push the dream.

"When I was recording the new album, I started to get a bit more colourful and using more instruments in the music, like keyboards and sax. So I decided to bring in a guy that I use in the studio who did all the saxophone on the album. Then, I decided to also get a bass player involved and it makes the live aspect so much better. I still open the show, so you get to see the whole 'me making the music all by myself' and then I get the boys on and it just goes into another level because the bass player can ride out over the bars and change where suited, keeping it interesting. It's, like, a very musical show. It means I don't have to spend half the show building up the songs, I can just go straight into top gear."

Live, Dub FX provides a visual feast featuring a unique chorus of beatboxing with vocals and loop pedals. Finally having a three-piece live incarnation — adding keyboards, sax and backing vocals — Standford is grateful. "Working with amazing musicians, I get to put on even better shows, which means fans who come to my other shows can see something better each time and it will eventually get bigger."