Calibre (artist)
Encyclopedia
Calibre, birth name Dominick Martin, is a Drum and Bass
, and Liquid Funk
, music producer
and DJ hailing from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. He originally started producing at a young age and has spent many years refining his sound. He is a classically trained musician playing a variety of musical instruments eventually becoming a self-taught music producer. Martin started producing Drum and Bass
in 1995 and his first signed release was credited under the now defunct Quadrophonic label owned by U2
.
In addition to impressing some of the biggest names in the business, he soon came to the attention of drum and bass DJ Fabio
, who signed Calibre to his influential Creative Source label.
While studying Fine Arts at the University of Ulster
in Belfast, he became interested in the music of John Cage
whose work was influential in entitling Martin’s first album release Musique Concrète in 2001. Since his initial releases in 2001, Martin has been known for his consistent signature style and sound, which is highly sought after for remixes, by both major labels and independent recording artists.
Although Calibre is quite successful within the drum and bass circuit, he is a notably quiet man. Short Circuits Magazine refers to him as "one of the quietest people in drum and bass". He only shares tracks with a small circle of friends. On top of this Dominick had no website or even any blog presence to showcase his tracks online. Most news about his work came from BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Marcus Intalex (his labelmate), his myspace or other DJs associated with him.
.
, Zero Tolerance
and High Contrast
using tracks from Overflow in their live mixes.
was to be released on the 11th of May 2009. Another retrospective album including the long lasting dubplate
s "Life" and "Why Time". As with previous albums, this release featured few guest artists, but there were vocal contributions from Lariman and MC D.R.S.
.
Again, as with previous albums, this was a double album
. It also includes many downtempo
tracks.
Very soon after the release of Shelf Life Vol. 2, Calibre stated he would be releasing his long anticipated downtempo album, Shine a Light. In October 2009 S.T Holding announced it to be released on Monday 16 November. Calibre stated that he has wanted to release a downtempo album for the last 2 years, but decided to release his second retrospective album first. “I have spent over 10 years writing music, the majority of my work being drum and bass, so i wanted to write an album that wasn’t attached to a particular musical genre; to me it felt like feeling my way in the dark”
EPs:
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, and Liquid Funk
Liquid funk
Liquid funk is a sub-genre of drum and bass. While it uses similar basslines and bar layouts to other styles, it contains fewer bar-oriented samples and more instrumental layers , harmonies, and ambience, producing a calmer atmosphere directed at both home listeners and nightclub...
, music producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and DJ hailing from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He originally started producing at a young age and has spent many years refining his sound. He is a classically trained musician playing a variety of musical instruments eventually becoming a self-taught music producer. Martin started producing Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
in 1995 and his first signed release was credited under the now defunct Quadrophonic label owned by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
.
In addition to impressing some of the biggest names in the business, he soon came to the attention of drum and bass DJ Fabio
Fabio (DJ)
Fitzroy Heslop better known by his stage name of Fabio, is a drum and bass DJ and producer from the UK. Fabio has been described as one of the best DJ's of all time. He runs the Creative Source record label.-Biography:...
, who signed Calibre to his influential Creative Source label.
While studying Fine Arts at the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
in Belfast, he became interested in the music of John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
whose work was influential in entitling Martin’s first album release Musique Concrète in 2001. Since his initial releases in 2001, Martin has been known for his consistent signature style and sound, which is highly sought after for remixes, by both major labels and independent recording artists.
Although Calibre is quite successful within the drum and bass circuit, he is a notably quiet man. Short Circuits Magazine refers to him as "one of the quietest people in drum and bass". He only shares tracks with a small circle of friends. On top of this Dominick had no website or even any blog presence to showcase his tracks online. Most news about his work came from BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Marcus Intalex (his labelmate), his myspace or other DJs associated with him.
Signature Records
In 2003, Martin decided to launch his own record label, Signature Records, which became his primary vehicle for launching singles and full-length releases in both vinyl and digital media format. Martin states, "Signature has been set up as an outlet primarily for my own work and collaborations. There won't be any other artists on the label for the foreseeable future". For a few years the label's website ran of the back of Soul:R, the record label he ran alongside Marcus Intalex. With the Soul:R website receiving very few updates since 2006, Calibre has published most of his work and news through his own MySpace Page which he however deleted in early July 2011.Second Sun
November 2005 marked Martin's second full-length album release, through the Signature label, entitled Second Sun. Second Sun was released after much anticipation following his 2001 release. He stated, "I look upon my move to Logic as a process in the studio to be a second part of the story. But having said that, the 22nd is my birth date, it's my second album, I'm the second son in the family, this is the second phase production wise but for me its nothing to do with numerology, its more to do with reinvention, a new life." The album Second Sun is regarded by those working in and those listening to drum and bass as a landmark release for the genre. On the 17th of September 2008, BBC 1Xtra drum and bass DJ Bailey gave special praise to the title track of the album, noting it as the tune of the festival for Sun and Bass 2008, a dedicated drum and bass festival which is held in SardiniaSardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
.
Shelflife
In October 2007, after numerous petitions, including one on MySpace started by international fans, Martin released Shelflife a retrospective album featuring 21 unreleased productions spanning from 1998-2005.Overflow
Martin released Overflow in Spring 2008. Overflow features vocals from Martin himself, along with his signature artwork. Tracks from the album have been immensely popular with drum and bass DJs, the likes of GoldieGoldie
Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist...
, Zero Tolerance
Zero tolerance
Zero tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are...
and High Contrast
High Contrast
Lincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast , is a Welsh drum and bass DJ and producer.-History:...
using tracks from Overflow in their live mixes.
2009: Shelf Life Vol. 2 & Shine a Light
In January 2009 there were final confirmations from S.T Holdings and Calibre's MySpace, Shelf Life Vol. 2Shelflife vol 2
Shelflife Vol 2 is the second retrospective album & the fifth solo studio album by Calibre. Released on May 18, 2009 by his own imprint Signature Records...
was to be released on the 11th of May 2009. Another retrospective album including the long lasting dubplate
Dubplate
A dubplate is an acetate disc – usually 12, 10, or 7 inches in diameter – used in mastering studios for quality control and test recordings before proceeding with the final master, and subsequent pressing of the record to be mass-produced on vinyl. The "dub" in dubplate is an allusion to...
s "Life" and "Why Time". As with previous albums, this release featured few guest artists, but there were vocal contributions from Lariman and MC D.R.S.
MC D.R.S.
MC D.R.S. is a British rapper. Born Delroy Pottinger, he landed a spot as the resident MC at Club Xtreme and came into contact with drum and bass artist LTJ Bukem and rapper MC Conrad. He proved to be one of comparatively few rappers who could keep up with the intense rhythmic intricacies of drum...
.
Again, as with previous albums, this was a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
. It also includes many downtempo
Downtempo
Downtempo is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. The beat is sometimes made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling...
tracks.
Very soon after the release of Shelf Life Vol. 2, Calibre stated he would be releasing his long anticipated downtempo album, Shine a Light. In October 2009 S.T Holding announced it to be released on Monday 16 November. Calibre stated that he has wanted to release a downtempo album for the last 2 years, but decided to release his second retrospective album first. “I have spent over 10 years writing music, the majority of my work being drum and bass, so i wanted to write an album that wasn’t attached to a particular musical genre; to me it felt like feeling my way in the dark”
2011: Condition
Released in October 2011, Condition was described by Mixmag magazine as “a shape-shifting trove of wonders that leaps ambitiously from the serene to the brutal”, awarded Drum ′N′ Bass album of the month and rated 5/5.Discography
Albums:- Musique Concrète - Creative Source (2001)
- Second Sun - Signature Records (2005)
- Shelflife - Signature Records (2007)
- Overflow - Signature Records (2008)
- Shelf Life Vol. 2Shelflife vol 2Shelflife Vol 2 is the second retrospective album & the fifth solo studio album by Calibre. Released on May 18, 2009 by his own imprint Signature Records...
- Signature Records (2009) - Shine a Light - Signature records (2009)
- Even If - Signature records (2010)
- Condition - Signature records (2011)
EPs:
- Just Fine EP - Creative Source (2003)
- Late Night Squeeze EP (2006)
- Corner Dance EP (2006)
- Deranged EP - Soul:R (2006)
- Roundhouse EP - Signature Records (2008)
- Don't Mind EP - Signature Records (2008)
- Judgement Day EP - Samurai Red Seal (June 7) (2010)
- Hummer EP - Samurai Red Seal (August 29) (2011)