Dub Architect 2015 Year In Review

What a year 2015 has been! As we wind down these last few days of the year I wanted to take a moment to look back at the DUBWISE vibes 2015 brought forth! Thank you all for being a part of it and I look forward to continuing to DUB it up in 2016!

As the clock struck 12AM on January 1st, 2015 I was ringing in the new year performing alongside The Expendables at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach, California! Here’s a photo I took during sound check:

This was the first show of 8 in 8 days as part of my California Winter Tour 2015.

Teaching a dubwise mixing class in San Diego, CA in January.

While on this tour I stopped at my friend Hawaiiantist’s crib in Hollywood, CA to shoot a live dubwise mix for Rebelution featuring Don Carlos & Logan from Katchafire for their Count Me In Remix EP – definitely one of the biggest mixes I’ve ever done!

The final show of my California Winter Tour 2015 was at the legendary Dub Club @ Echoplex in Los Angeles, CA.  If you don’t know about this venue and you love reggae music.. you need to know! Huge crowd, massive vibes! A likkle tribute to the legend Bob Marley seemed fitting for my debut at such a historic venue. Here’s video of my full set (audio only available on my SoundCloud).

February marked an epic milestone for me – getting to perform to a nearly sold out crowd at one of best venues in the United States – right in my backyard in Washington DC – the legendary 9:30 Club! And I got to perform alongside my good friends and 10 time Grammy nominees Third World & upcoming star Jesse Royal! My friend Jim Fox of Lion & Fox Recording Studios (one of the most legendary US studios in reggae history) came to see me and I got to introduce him to Third World – who he had recorded performing their hit song 96 Degrees in the Shade live at Reggae on the River more than a decade earlier – a song that I credit with helping kickstart my reggae career.  It was an unbelievable night and way to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday!  Here are 2 clips from the night:

January & February also brought forth some new analog dub mixes (special thanks to Piper Street Sound for donating the old Mackie to me!):

The winter months also got me working on some original Dub Architect tunes – I’m looking forward to releasing some of my first original works in 2016! Check out Meditation Dub – cutting the wires from dubwise mixing control!

Spring was still cold here in Virginia which led to some trippy vibes via The Basement Sessions:

Full Circle… fitting title from my friends Iya Terra! On New Year’s Eve in Hermosa I had shared the stage with Iya Terra and heard them for the first time.  In a smoke filled conversation in the parking lot after the show I told the guys I loved their sound and wanted to do a mix for them.  In April my mix of their song Stand Strong was featured on their album Full Circle.

In early May I was very fortunate to join Easy Star All-Stars on some of their east coast tour which included The Skints who were making their US debut all the way from the UK! Great people to be on the road with!

In between touring with Easy Star & getting ready to head back west for Cali Roots & another tour I found some time to push the limits of what technology can do for dub – performing a live dubwise mix of Tatanka’s Make It Count while walking around in the middle of the woods.

At the end of May I returned back to the west coast to attend Cali Roots and for another tour.  I got to link up with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad for shows in Las Vegas & SoCal and then linked back up with Easy Star All-Stars for some more NorCal shows. Here’s a live mix I did of Marley’s Jammin when I returned to Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach, CA:

While I was at Cali Roots I had the chance to meet one of reggae’s legends – Don Carlos – 2 weeks later while I was on a break from tour in the middle of the desert near Joshua Tree, CA I got the opportunity to record a live dubwise mix for Don Carlos featuring my good friend and fellow DC artist – Christos DC! Huge honor for me!

When I returned home later in the summer I enjoyed performing at Camp Barefoot in the mountains of West Virginia! 2 epic late-night dubwise sets!

In September I was performing in New Jersey when I happened to catch internet gold on film.. about 1 million plays later (between Facebook & YouTube) & I present to you… drunk girls requesting “the whip & nae nae”

It’s been an unbelievable year! I’m so fortunate for the places I’ve traveled, the artists I’ve worked with, the music I’ve made, and the things I’ve been a part of.  I’m humbled to get to have dub reggae music be a major part of my life and I look forward to continuing the journey in 2016!

December 24, 2015 | Categories: Life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment