Skip to main content

DJ MAG IBIZA CELEBRATES A DECADE OF DUBFIRE!

We meet the prolific DJ/producer on the White Isle to talk his new live show...

Dubfire is a big fan of Ibiza. Choosing to spend much of his time between Barcelona and the White Isle in the summer months, the renowned DJ/producer is set to celebrate ten years as a solo artist on the island this year. He’s lined up dates at Amnesia, Space, DC-10 and Pacha over the coming months, where he’s tipped to play with his new live touring set-up, titled Dubfire:liveHYBRID. 

One half of much-lauded dance music duo Deep Dish, Dubfire (real name Ali Shirazinia) is also set to drop a special box-set collection of the pair’s sensational 2003 'GU25 Toronto' mix, as well as several appearances alongside his good pal Richie Hawtin to promote Hawtin’s new mixer Play Differently. On the brink of what might be the producer’s busiest year yet, we catch up with Dubfire at Dalt Villa atop Ibiza’s picturesque old town, to chat about Space, playing live and poetry...

It’s a decade of Dubfire in Ibiza this year, what’s the toughest professional lesson you’ve learned in the last decade?
“Make sure to set a budget before putting together a live show, as costs can spiral out of control very quickly!”

Global Underground has just released a box-set collection of your 'GU25' mix — what’s your thoughts on dance music nostalgia?
“I’ve never been into nostalgia, choosing to always look ahead; except for when digging into my vast music collection for those special ‘classic’ records that will make my sets stand out! But it’s nice once in awhile to reminisce about a particular moment in your past, captured by musical millstones — as in the case of the 'GU25 Toronto' reissue. Our (Deep Dish) compilations were extremely time-consuming to put together, so it’s always nice to hear from the fans about how they defined a period in their lives.”

Last time DJ Mag met you, it was in Miami. Be honest, are the crowds in Miami too commercially-focused for your liking?
“Generally, of course, they are, but that has changed over the years. Look at how massive Carl Cox’s arena at Ultra has gotten, or how cool it was for the Resistance stage to bring in the large Arcadia spider from Glastonbury. And it’s not just at Ultra — I had the best time ever at Damian Lazarus’ Get Lost event this past March. Miami is still full of bottle-service bling, but you’re seeing a much more balanced landscape musically these days.”


And your thoughts on the Space closure?
“One ending heralds a new beginning."

You’re touring your Dubfire:liveHYBRID show this year to great acclaim! Do you think people are moving back to live music sessions rather than homogenous ‘Beatport Top 10’-style sets?
“Doing HYBRID involves an incredible amount of time, money, patience, joy and disappointment. And most DJs out there aren’t going to go down that road, so I’m sad to say that you’ll probably be seeing more 'homogenous' DJs enter the arena.”

You just played at Richie Hawtin’s mixer launch in Berlin, will you ever collaborate? WE MUST KNOW!
“Rich and I have been trying to collaborate for years and almost came very close a few times. We both obviously want to; but time is our mutual enemy. One day, for sure...”

Finally, we read on your reddit Q&A that your dad is a poet. What’s your favourite poem of all time?
“Edgar Allan Poe - A Dream Within A Dream.”