Dubfire
Encyclopedia
Ali Shirazinia, commonly known by his stage name Dubfire, is an Iranian American house
and techno DJ
and producer. Prior to his solo career, Dubfire was one-half of the four-time nominated and Grammy Award-winning duo Deep Dish
. Dubfire's style is noticeably different than that of Deep Dish, consisting of techno
instead of progressive house.
and moved with his family to the Washington, DC area at a young age.
During his youth he listened to mostly classic hip-Hop, jazz
/rare groove
, dub reggae, new wave
and industrial
and was also influenced by the local punk scene and the music of Washington DC-based bands including Fugazi and Minor Threat
. Shirazinia frequented a local record store called Yesterday And Today Records, where he became acquainted with the sounds of artists like Kraftwerk
, Ministry
, Jesus & Mary Chain, Depeche Mode
, Nitzer Ebb
, Adrian Sherwood
of On-U Sound and Einstürzende Neubauten
.
In 1991, Shirazinia and fellow DC resident Sharam Tayebi formed Deep Dish
, a DJ and production duo that became notable for their productions and DJ sets. Shirazinia and Tayebi established Deep Dish Records, and they went on to win a Grammy in 2002 for their remix of Dido's "Thank You." Following their successes as Deep Dish, both Shirazinia and Tayebi began to produce and DJ individually.
Shirazinia used his long-time stage name "Dubfire" for his solo productions. Shirazinia's solo sound differs noticeably from that of Deep Dish
, consisting of minimal
, techno
, and house
instead of the predominantly progressive house sound of Deep Dish. His production I Feel Speed
, which is a cover of an obscure Love & Rockets
song, features his own vocals. Shirazinia also sings in In Love With a Friend on Deep Dish's debut album. I Feel Speed has appeared in the advertisement of the Volkswagen Eos
.
In 2007, Shirazinia announced the launch of his new record label, Science + Technology Digital Audio, also known simply as SCI + TEC. The label, which began as an outlet for Dubfire's original productions, is now home to a roster of globally based artists.
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and techno DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producer. Prior to his solo career, Dubfire was one-half of the four-time nominated and Grammy Award-winning duo Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...
. Dubfire's style is noticeably different than that of Deep Dish, consisting of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
instead of progressive house.
Biography
Shirazinia was born in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and moved with his family to the Washington, DC area at a young age.
During his youth he listened to mostly classic hip-Hop, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/rare groove
Rare groove
Rare groove is defined as very hard to source or relatively obscure soul or jazz music. Rare groove is primarily associated with funk, jazz and pop, but is also connected to sub-genres including jazz fusion, Latin jazz, soul, R&B, northern soul, and disco. Vinyl records that fall into this...
, dub reggae, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and was also influenced by the local punk scene and the music of Washington DC-based bands including Fugazi and Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
. Shirazinia frequented a local record store called Yesterday And Today Records, where he became acquainted with the sounds of artists like Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, Jesus & Mary Chain, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
, Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
of On-U Sound and Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
.
In 1991, Shirazinia and fellow DC resident Sharam Tayebi formed Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...
, a DJ and production duo that became notable for their productions and DJ sets. Shirazinia and Tayebi established Deep Dish Records, and they went on to win a Grammy in 2002 for their remix of Dido's "Thank You." Following their successes as Deep Dish, both Shirazinia and Tayebi began to produce and DJ individually.
Shirazinia used his long-time stage name "Dubfire" for his solo productions. Shirazinia's solo sound differs noticeably from that of Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...
, consisting of minimal
Minimal
Minimal can mean:* In mathematics, see Minimal element.* In music, see Minimalist music.* In electronic music, see Minimal techno.* In art see Minimalism.* In computing, see Computing minimalism.* Names:...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, and house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
instead of the predominantly progressive house sound of Deep Dish. His production I Feel Speed
I Feel Speed
I Feel Speed is an EP from Dubfire, delivered with a large mix package. Dubfire delivers the original mix and the package features remixes by Booka Shade, Audion and UNKLE...
, which is a cover of an obscure Love & Rockets
Love and Rockets (band)
Love and Rockets were an English alternative rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash , David J , and Kevin Haskins . Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy had embarked on a solo career after Bauhaus split in 1983...
song, features his own vocals. Shirazinia also sings in In Love With a Friend on Deep Dish's debut album. I Feel Speed has appeared in the advertisement of the Volkswagen Eos
Volkswagen Eos
The Volkswagen Eos is a four-seat retractable hardtop coupe convertible, introduced in 2006 as the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet. The Eos is Volkswagen's first production coupe since the last Corrado in 1995....
.
In 2007, Shirazinia announced the launch of his new record label, Science + Technology Digital Audio, also known simply as SCI + TEC. The label, which began as an outlet for Dubfire's original productions, is now home to a roster of globally based artists.
Singles/EP's
- 2007 Emissions - #6 Resident AdvisorResident AdvisorResident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
Top 100 all-time charted tracks - 2007 RibCage - #1 Resident AdvisorResident AdvisorResident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
Top 100 all-time charted tracks - 2007 Roadkill
- 2007 I Feel SpeedI Feel SpeedI Feel Speed is an EP from Dubfire, delivered with a large mix package. Dubfire delivers the original mix and the package features remixes by Booka Shade, Audion and UNKLE...
- 2008 Diablo (With Oliver HuntemannOliver HuntemannOliver Huntemann is a German electronic music producer and internationally-touring DJ. He has played a significant part in shaping the genre through his numerous productions and remixes for Underworld, The Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode.-Biography:Raised in Oldenburg in northern Germany,...
) - 2008 Dios (With Oliver HuntemannOliver HuntemannOliver Huntemann is a German electronic music producer and internationally-touring DJ. He has played a significant part in shaping the genre through his numerous productions and remixes for Underworld, The Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode.-Biography:Raised in Oldenburg in northern Germany,...
) - 2009 Rabid
- 2009 Fuego (With Oliver HuntemannOliver HuntemannOliver Huntemann is a German electronic music producer and internationally-touring DJ. He has played a significant part in shaping the genre through his numerous productions and remixes for Underworld, The Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode.-Biography:Raised in Oldenburg in northern Germany,...
) - 2010 Rejekt (Cocoon J)
Compilations
- 2003 Global Underground: Toronto: Dubfire [Afterclub Mix] - #1 Top Electronic AlbumsTop Electronic AlbumsDance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five...
, #20 Independent AlbumsIndependent AlbumsThe Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
, #29 Top HeatseekersTop HeatseekersTop Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... - 2007 Global Underground: TaipeiGlobal Underground 031Global Underground 031: Taipei is a DJ mix album in the Global Underground series, compiled and mixed by DJ and producer Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia, one half of progressive house duo Deep Dish. Dubfire's release follows that of his Deep Dish collaborator, Sharam's solo mix, Global Underground 029:...
- #16 Top Electronic AlbumsTop Electronic AlbumsDance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five... - 2009 Sci+Tec: Past/Present/Future
- 2009 Dubfire's Digital Dreams
- 2009 Ten Years Cocoon Ibiza
Remixes
- 1993 Angela Marni - Slippin' & Slidin'
- 1994 Watergate - Lonely Winter
- 2006 Nitzer Ebb - Control I'm Here
- 2006 Robbie RiveraRobbie RiveraRoberto "Robbie" Rivera is a prolific house music producer and DJ born in Puerto Rico. He has an extensive catalog of original productions and remixes to his credit, ranging from Tribal to Progressive House, as well as incorporating Garage and Latin elements. He and his wife Monica Olabarrieta...
- Float Away - 2007 AxwellAxwellAxwell is a DJ, remixer, record producer and record label owner from Sweden. He is part of a three person group dubbed the Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello...
Feat. Max'C - I Found U - 2007 Meat Katie & D. Ramirez - Stop The Revolution - #99 Resident AdvisorResident AdvisorResident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
Top 100 all-time charted tracks - 2007 DJ Yellow - No More Enemy
- 2007 /b/ - Spastik - #26 Resident AdvisorResident AdvisorResident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
Top 100 all-time charted tracks - 2007 Nic Fanciulli - Lucky Heather
- 2007 Christian Smith & John Selway - Transit Time
- 2008 System 7 - Spacebird - #7 Resident AdvisorResident AdvisorResident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
Top 100 all-time charted tracks - 2008 UNKLEUNKLEUnkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
- Hold My Hand - 2008 Radioslave - Grindhouse
- 2008 Booka ShadeBooka ShadeBooka Shade is a German house duo. It is made up of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, described as veterans of the Frankfurt electronic music scene...
- Charlotte - 2008 Gregor Tresher - A Thousand Nights
- 2008 Minilogue - Jamaica
- 2008 Paul Ritch - Split the Line
Awards and nominations
- Won for Best Minimal Artist - Beatport Music Awards
- Won for Best Techno Artist - Beatport Music Awards
- Nominated for Best Single of 2007 - Emissions - Beatport Music Awards