Don’t say you’ve seen an electro-group perform live, until you’ve seen DUBBS.
It’s only fair really.
Instead of going up on stage like most groups only to then just press a play button on a laptop, DUBBS re-creates every aspect of the beat-pumping tune with a variety of equipment- giving the audience the most real-live dynamic electro-concert experience possible.
The three-man Canadian team consists of brothers Alex (Vocals) and Chris (Drums) Van Den Hoeff, and Ottawa producer Martin Sinotte, who hope to make a name for themselves with their revolutionary club-bopping tracks and unique live sound-experience.
“Most DJ’s just turn knobs to play a hit song. That’s it,” says Sinotte. “But then you have us who play the song with a live beat pad, live keyboard, live everything. You have Alex singing, Chris on drums. It gets wild.”
Adds Alex, “It’s a poppy-techno sound with a twist. We call it a new age of electro-house.”
The recognition so far has been a small fraction of what the unsigned group can do in less than a year: over 130,000 MySpace views, winners of MuchMusic’s disBAND Audition Tour competition, an upcoming gig performing alonside Canadian Pop singer Danny Fernandes, and an invitation to play at the COCA showcase festival this summer.
“It’s honestly been crazy,” says Alex. “But we’ve been working 24/7 over the past few months, just networking, planning the next steps, so we’re just really psyched to show people our potential.”
One of the reasons for their success so far is their uncanny bro-manship and the credentials that each of them brings to the table.
At 13-years-old, Alex and Chris began working with Canadian producers such as Steve Rizun (Illscarlett, Alexisonfire), and Mitch Hall and Martin Davis Kinack (Brocken Social Scene, Stars, Feist). Over the next few years they would release their first demo and full length album which brought hundreds of live performances and radio air-play.
The up-and-coming duo then ended up being introduced to on-the-rise Canadian producer Sinotte, known throughout Ottawa as the “Beat Chemist.” Sinotte’s well-rounded 15-year background experience in the production scene was a perfect match, as he’s worked/recorded with Juno Award Winning artist Belly, Capital Prophets Records artist Danny Fernandes, and D12′s Bzarre- to name a few.
The trio hit it off immediately, and went to work in Sinotte’s brand new recording studio that he opened up in his house a year ago.
“The first night we met, we wrote a hit song,” says Chris. “We were just messing around until four in the morning.
“Ever since then, when we crash at his place, we wake up, go downstairs into the beat chemist’s ‘laboratory,’ and start recording stuff. And the best thing is that we have a relationship where if one of us has a beat that doesn’t really fly well, we’ll just be like ‘nah, scratch it man,’ but we’ll understand.”
As they anxiously await for the release of their debut album in the summer, the group agrees that it’ll be a contagious array of party-rocking tunes- modeling after artists like DeadMau 5, Black Eyed Peas and David Geutta.
“It’ll have a pop radio friendly vibe,” says Alex, “something that will get people partying for sure. It’s also got a few instrumental stuff for DJ’s to mess with and a few upcoming hip-hop artists featured too.
“Even though we wanted to get that house sound, we wanted to also incorporate a hip-hop vibe too.”
It’ll boast their raging singles so far like Here We Go Again, Generation Party, And We Don’t Stop, and Dance Bitch. Add in the music video that they hope to release at the same time too, and the group hopes that it’ll set them on course to eventually take on the international scene.
“Worldwide recognition man,” says Sinote.
Adds Alex, “we’re just starting out, but we feel like we have so much to show everyone, just non-stop tunes to get the crowd wild. I know we can do it.”
Check out all DUBBS info at www.dubbslive.com for new songs and all their upcoming shows:
May 27, 2010, 8:00 p.m, Rockpile Nightclub- Shock Thursday’s Party Night, Toronto, ON
May 28, 2010, 8:00 p.m, Private Yacht Party, Toronto, ON
June 16, 2010, 8:00 p.m, Nightlife with Danny Fernades, Sault Ste. Marie, CA
June 24, 2010, 8:15 p.m, COCA Showcase 2010, London, ON
June 25, 2010, 4:00 p.m, COCA Showcase 2010, London, ON
July 9, 2010, 10:00 p.m, Mansion Nightclub, Ottawa, ON
August 27, 2010, 1:00 p.m, North Bay Festival, North Bay, ON
