Dubfire

The making of a technological superstar

By David Day

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Ali Shirazinia has been there, done that. As a member of Deep Dish, the definitive trance duo, he's remixed just about everyone under the sun, from Janet Jackson to Tina Turner to Paula Abdul. Lately, though, he's been singing a different tune. Gone are the days of fist-pumping, layered über-trance, of endless pop vocal echoes and filtered goo-goo breakdowns. Instead, like most everyone in dance music, Dubfire's gone a bit minimal, much darker and more progressive with his walls of noise. "I Feel Speed" was his international club smash that was less like riding a rainbow and much more like piloting a supersonic jet plane. Its icey-cold minimalism is not as far from his roots as you might think. This isn't experimental, this is extra sensory production skill and mixmaster-level production in effect. It could even be called maximalist—doing the most with the least. "I've always been about pushing the envelope musically," he said in a press release, "and anytime there's a new sound, I'm paying attention."

Despite this transformation or, in fact, as a result of this, Shirazinia is again at the top of his game: spinning at only the biggest clubs in the world and spinning mainly his own music. Rather than pushing a vinyl-only label or otherwise stressing out about the current digital revolution transforming club culture, Dubfire is embracing it. "Since the music industry climate has changed," he said, "I though it was the right time to start a new digital-only label. I also needed an outlet to release my productions quickly and at a great value for the fans."

Unlike more traditional DJs, Shirazinia has always embraced technology. Some of his earliest productions were the vanguard of the art. "That way you can get to the heart of the song," said Dubfire in an interview with Apple. "And when you throw it into the computer, you can expand on your ideas." Dubfire put together a home studio with help from the computer company. "We have built little home studios for those 3am bursts of inspiration," he said. "The home studios have really reinvigorated us, inspired us to produce a lot more music. It makes me really excited about where music and technology are going."

Dubfire's love for technology shows through his music. "I Feel Speed" transforms the human voice into a sound that has more in common with the shoegazer music of Ride or Chapterhouse than his pop remixes with Deep Dish. "People are more skeptical of my new direction because I come from Deep Dish," he told the well-regarded club magazine Ibiza Voice. "A lot of people thought Deep Dish had become this commercial beast turning out Top 10 hits and were wary of accepting me. But the music speaks for itself."

As an Iranian-American, Shiranizia is not completely comfortable calling himself an American, especially when asked about our country's relationship to Iran and the Iranian people. The fact that he is visiting Boston on a tour that includes Bucharest, Romania, Paris and Kolobrzeg, Poland should be enough to put us on the map. And should prove to Dubfire he hasn't done exactly everything just yet.

DUBFIRE

FRI. 2.29

ESTATE

ONE BOYLSTON ST.

BOSTON

617.351.7000

9PM/$20

THEESTATEBOSTON.COM

MYSPACE.COM/DJDUBFIRE