Dublew lifts the lid on Pakistan’s progressive house underground scene plus the artists who got him hooked

Where are you based and what made you decide to start DJing?

Dublew: I come from a small city in the North Western part of Pakistan. For me, it all started as a nice hobby and inspirations from great artists like Quivver, Mantzur and Cattaneo. Above all some of my great memories come from heavy nights that I can’t forget plus the love of music had me deciding for myself.

Can you remember your first gig? Where was it and did you rock it?

Dublew: My first gig happened in 2016 to a small crowd but yeah the energy was good and we all enjoyed.

What’s the local underground scene like for the music you play? Plus where are the best places to play?

Dublew: In my opinion, progressive house is the reason why the underground scene exists. I respect other genres equally but to be honest progressive house does the damage in the local underground scene here and around the world. Some of the best places to play in Pakistan are Lahore and Karachi.

Talk to us about your DJ setup when you’re performing? How would you describe your style?

Dublew: I have a simple setup, a pioneer mixer and of-course my laptop. I don’t like fast music, instead I like to give people a much more deeper groove starting slow and progressing through the night.

How often are you DJing?

Dublew: I don’t Dj very often because we don’t have clubs here or dance events happening every other week. Everything here is underground, it’s like the 90’s of dance music, people raving in warehouses.

Do the promoters you know take chances on local talent? Or are they mainly booking big names?

Dublew: It’s different in the sense that the promoters are not benefiting from the event that takes place here. They are just doing it for the love of music and yeah local talent is always given a chance. However, in the big events, they look for one or two big names.

How difficult is it to get promoters to take you seriously and what strategies did you use to get their attention?

Dublew: It is difficult of course to get the attention but then again it’s all about the networking and how well the dance community knows each other.

What’s the single most irritating thing about being a DJ?

Dublew: Track selection. You have nearly 25,000 records releasing every week now and to pick a handful of those matching your style can be very irritating.

What’s been your biggest achievement this year?

Dublew: This year I have started producing as a duo with my buddy under the name Cryptic Realms and I am looking forward to be releasing out some exciting stuff on cool labels in the coming months.

Which countries would you like to start playing next?

Dublew: For the music I play, I would definitely wish to play in Argentina and Germany.

Finally please share with us your current top 5

Orsen – Wakey Wakey
Davi – Kayser soze
Khen- Cornfields
Chicola – Yoav
Alejo Gonzales & Max blade – Sunday

Catch Dublew performing at 15:00 CET on 9th January and at 00:00 on January 10th on Pioneer DJ Radio

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