London-based techno stalwart, Doubleffe, has accomplished an impressive amount of work in his relatively brief professional involvement in the scene. Between his work as a DJ and producer, he has made a name for himself as a CEO, Founder and Artistic Director. His efforts have taken him all over the world, where he has organised events, and performed alongside artists such as Pinch, Inigo Kennedy and Detroit Techno Militia.
December 3rd, 2010, saw Doubleffe launch Coma, a club-based platform dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge Techno from both emerging and established names from the underground. In the wake of the night’s success, Coma Agency was established, in 2014, and, in 2016, Doubleffe announced the birth of Coma Records. These moves were made in order to foster the artistic family and unique sound that Doubleffe had witnessed growing over time.
Listen to the energetic 1 hour long set below from Doubleeffe.
Tell us about you, how long have you been producing music? What inspired you to start?
I have been experimenting with music, and producing my own material, since the age of 16, as I began further developing my interest in electronic music, music production and sound.
What mainly inspired me to start was the need to express myself through music, my chosen medium of communication.
How would you describe your creative processes?
I would definitely describe it as “spontaneous action making” because I am usually quite direct, instant and fluent while creating music, giving rise to a sense of urgency and excitement.
Take us through your favourite gear, tech or software that accompanies you.
Throughout the years I have used both analogue and digital equipment, from Focusrite mixing desks to the Yamaha DM-1000, Fostex MR-8 MKII eight tracks digital multi-track recorders, live instruments, microphones, and pretty much all the best professional DAWs available (Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, Ableton). After about 10 years of experimenting with different gear, tech and software, I decided to stick with Ableton, as my main blank canvas for my music creations, with the use of KORG Kaossilator, a couple of live recorded percussions (which I play), and a Novation Keyboard as my palettes, allowing me to be as instinctive and direct as possible.
Considering the very complicated and heavy global political and social climate, do you feel that music should be a reflection of this or an escape from this? How has this influenced you as an artist?
As a creative person, I believe that my work does have certain duties towards the public, such as trying to make them think and send important and valuable messages to them, in order to make them aware of certain facts, even more so in this dark period in which we currently live in. The electronic music scene seems to have a huge void in that sense, as artists seem to not consider the importance of some of their actions, and/or the titles given to their music. Some tracks are titled with drug names, others are simply dull which, I believe, do not reflect, and inspire audiences.
I want to get away from the stereotype that has always been linked to electronic music, which for many is only a scene of illegal substances and alcohol. Nowadays, it is much easier to induce young people to be transgressive, in order to make them feel ultra-modern, without considering that they are the future generations that could potentially bring about positive changes in the world. Listening, or making good music, does not mean dissociating from existing problems. This has undoubtedly had an influence on me as an artist since I felt that everyone in the scene seemed to be blindfolded. At this point in my life, I have no intention of doing so, I cannot close my eyes and force myself to believe that everything is fine when the U.K. votes to leave the E.U., people in Syria are bombed, young people in the US are been shot dead in schools, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
That is why I expressed strong criticism of world politics in my last record. I want my work to have a positive impact on a global scale, highlighting serious issues that need to be solved if we really want progress.
What important lessons did you learn through your Coma club nights?
My Coma club nights have been very important milestones in my artistic career. They have taught me to keep my eyes open, be wary (as this is a very unreliable sector which lacks in people with values and professionalism), but most importantly it taught me to be resilient, which I believe is a vital quality to have.
What inspired the decision to start Coma Records?
Coma Records was born out of my desire to further express my creativity. I had enough of unreliable record labels, or of those who did not understand my music or, most probably, just tried to block my professional development. The label was also a way to keep on developing exciting artists alongside established ones and create a vibrant artistic family.
To those not yet familiar with Coma, how would you describe the Coma sound?
Uniquely Detroit inspired, with a futuristic twist.
What’s next for you?
I am currently planning a worldwide tour for my new record Rebellion, which has been recently released on Coma Records. I will also be preparing the 10th Anniversary of Coma, which will be in 2020, with a number of very exciting projects, for which I cannot reveal much more at this moment in time.
Furthermore, I have also worked on a number of music videos for my new EP. Following the record’s great success, I have decided to make them available on Bandcamp (together with other exclusive material), to those who will purchase the album in full.
Follow Doubleffe:
Follow Coma:
Bandcamp – Twitter – Facebook – Youtube – Soundcloud
By Alaric Hobbs
