Dilby is a New Zealand born DJ/Producer that now resides in the electronic music hub of Berlin. With releases having been on the likes of Glasgow Underground, Toolroom Records, and Definition in the past, he returns to his family base label for his next release, the always dance infused Mother Recordings. We sat down with the man recently to discuss his recent release ‘Work Your Body’, his close ties to the Mother label and its bossman Nhan Solo, and his plans for the rest of 2017…
Hi Dilby, how are you?
I’m doing great, thank you very much!
We love the recent release on Mother Recordings! How did you come to release on Mother and what’s your relationship with the label?
That’s awesome, I’m glad you like the EP. The response so far has been really good. I think in the beginning I started writing to Nhan on Soundcloud and sent him some demos. After a few messages he agreed to sign something to the first VA release on the label. He probably just signed it so I would stop pestering him, hahaha! But we’re both living in Berlin so we met each other in person and ended up being good friends. Since then Mother has come to be one of my home base labels. I have released a lot with them over the past five or so years. For me it is really important to work with cool labels where I can have a good relationship with the team. And with Mother we have a really strong crew of artists and everyone gets on well so it’s really nice for travelling and playing shows together.
Were you always musical growing up? What was growing up in New Zealand like?
I have always been into music and collected music since childhood. It wasn’t until my late teens or early 20’s that I got into electronic music. New Zealand is cool for growing up. There is amazing access to nature and it has a more relaxed pace of life than Europe (actually Berlin is pretty chilled too!). It was awesome growing up being able to surf and snowboard and do all of that pretty cheaply and easily. That’s one thing I miss about home, the beaches!
What made you choose to move to Berlin?
My girlfriend (now my wife) and I were living in Wellington, New Zealand and working in office jobs and we really wanted to get away from the daily grind and do something different. Our plan was to come to Berlin for a year long working holiday but we loved it so much that we are still here after five years.
How do the two compare?
Both are very different. Each place has its pros and cons but both are great.
Would you say moving to Berlin was pivotal and inspirational for your musical career?
For sure. New Zealand is a very remote country with a small population so it is really hard to live from music, especially electronic music. I was actively DJing and writing music for years before moving here but I couldn’t do music as a career in New Zealand back then, and I think I would still really struggle to make it work as a full time career.
You regularly play in Berlin, what other destinations are your favourite to play in?
Anywhere with warm weather, sunshine, a big sound system and an up for it crowd!
Any clubs or destinations you would love to play in the future?
We’re working on a South America tour for later in the year so that will be awesome.
Who would you say your main influences are on your music?
Wow, this is a really hard question. My tastes are pretty broad so it is always in a constant state of change.
How would you describe your sound?
When people ask me, I usually just say „house music“. Like my tastes, my output can be pretty broad. I release some deeper stuff, some melodic stuff and some more clubby things. Variety is the spice of life, so they say.
What’s you studio set up to make the music you do?
It’s actually super simple. I use Ableton Live with a midi keyboard and a bunch of plugins. I have had lots of different gear in the past but I really tried to strip everything back to just the essentials as it helps me focus on making music and being productive in the studio.
I also have some different monitoring options. I have Focal Alpha 65’s and KRK Rokit 5’s as well as a pair of Sennheiser HD 650 headphones.
What does the future hold for Dilby? What are your goals and ambitions for the future?
I have a remix I did with Pornbugs coming out that we did for Mihai Popoviciu’s album on Bondage Music. I also have a solo EP coming on Bondage Music with killer remixes from Dave Pad and Under Current. I also have stuff scheduled with Indiana Tones, What Happens and Deeperfect as well as a few other things in the pipeline.
As far as goals go, just to keep doing what I love doing for as long as I can!
Dilby’s ‘Work Your Body’ is out on Mother Recordings. Grab it here.
