Dish fire is under control

If the late Seventies had disco, then the Nineties had rave parties. If they had the Bee Gees, we had Paul Van Dyk. I still remember the glory days of clubbing, when the word "partying" was still not associated with taking ecstasy but with having a ravin’ good time.

Men and women with tangibly charged energies were dancing to the dark beats of Abg’s, Sambos and Seven Eight Orange in Makati. Shades of that quintessential clubbing movie, Go. But what most people don’t understand about raves is that it was all about the music. So, whether it was techno, house, trance, electronica or industrial, music was a medium for transcendence. Thanks to the DJs, the high priests of the club culture.

To bring back the spirit of rave parties (characterized by cool DJs and hot clubs), Marlboro recently held the "M" party at Warehouse 135 in Yakal Street, Makati. This exclusive, by-invitation-only event was jam-packed with good grooves, overflowing booze, and people ready to rock and rave.

"We feel that the vigor and dynamism of the ‘M’ party fit the spirit of Marlboro," says Marlboro promotions supervisor Angela De Vera. "With the ‘M’ parties, we feel that the brand has proven itself as the purveyor of the most exciting gigs in town."

The highlight of Marlboro’s recent party was the performance of Grammy-winning duo Deep Dish, composed of Iranian-born, American-bred DJs Dubfire and Sharam from Washington D.C. The two are known for their sets that "display an epic, grandiose feeling, with tight programming and extensive genre-blending." Just the way ravers like it.

Deep Dish became popular in 1998 for their debut album "Junk Science." The duo created a lot of remixes for Madonna, P. Diddy, the Rolling Stones and even Justin Timberlake. But it was Dido’s Thank You that made them win their very first Grammy award in 2002. Since then, they have been traveling around the world playing in hot clubs and dance festivals. Touting their turntables to places as far as Southeast Asia.

Sharam Tayebi does production duties for other acts. He also manages Deep Dish Records, Yoshitoshi Recordings, and Shinichi Recordings — along with Deep Dish collaborator Ali Shriazinia.

Shriazinia also performs solo under the name Dubfire. His music unleashes the same diverse and unexpected grooves that characterize Deep Dish’s energetic sets.

Fresh from Deep Dish’s Southeast Asian tour, Dubfire recently sat down with Young Star to talk about his solo album "Taipei Global Underground 31." (An observation: Ali resembles a young Sylvester Stallone, but with a better wardrobe.)

"When Sharam and I do Deep Dish albums, we mix both of our personalities," explains Dubfire. "But ‘Taipei Global Underground 31’ is more about who I am — a lot darker and more underground. This is an extension of all my influences from day one and where my head is currently at."

Dubfire constantly pushes the envelope musically and whenever there’s a new sound, he’s paying attention. His solo album was made for the sole purpose of reflecting his recent DJ sets in Taipei where club culture is becoming more progressive.

Growing up in Washington, Dubfire listened to rock, dub reggae, hip-hop, new wave and industrial music. He says, "I was also influenced by the local punk scene. I listened to Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk, of course."

As for the Dubfire’s working philosophy when it comes to remixing, it is extremely important for him to retain the integrity of the song, but giving it a Deep Dish twist and making it really innovative. In the future, he wants to remix U2 songs.

For aspiring DJs out there, the equipment Dubfire uses isn’t as cumbersome as most people think. Dubfire explains, "Everything is computer-based. We use Logic and Apple computers. It’s not really what you have, it’s how you use it."

In electronic music, technology is simply a tool. Not the whole shebang.

As a master of the dark groove, Dubfire set a musical agenda for himself in the "Taipei" album by using controlled build-ups to hold a crowd in suspense, "before letting go with waves of techno-flecked electronica with enough energy to power the National Grid."

In this two-disc album, Dubfire starts off with the Francois Dubois’ I Try and electro-tinged groove of Myself’s Barbeque. He moves on to Booka Shade’s In White Rooms, Simian Mobile Disco’s Hustler and Deetron’s The Afterlife and finishes off with his first single I Feel Speed, which is a cover of Love & Rocket’s new wave classic. It features Dubfire himself on vocals.

The second disc revolves around Dubfire’s labor-of-love remix of industrialist Nitzer Ebb. Check out his remix of Robbie Rivera’s Float Away, which is such an aural delight.

Dubfire was born in Iran but grew up in Washington DC. Since there are no clubs in Iran, it would be a dream for him and Sharam to play there someday. Dubfire concludes, "If Deep Dish were given a chance to play in Iran, the first song we would play is Persepolis, a Persian song from the ‘Junk Science’ album."

And that’s the Dish of it all.

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For more information on Deep Dish and DJ Dubfire’s "Taipei Global Underground 31," visit www.deepdish.com or www.myspace.com/deepdish.

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E-mail love-hate whatever things to becca_rodriguez@yahoo.com or visit www.myspace.com/beccacrodriguez.