Amy Dabbs Mix
London-born now Berlin-based, Amy Dabbs is the daughter of an original Northern Soul DJ and is here to take over Tapes #69. 2022 is fast-becoming a breakthrough year for the multi-genre artist. This year alone Amy Dabbs has dropped releases on Lobster Theremin, launched her own label ‘Dabbs Traxx’ with a huge house EP and collaborated with fellow junglist Coco Bryce on a new project 'Slightly Involved'.
On top of this, Amy Dabbs has just announced another solo EP on Low Battery, coming out end of August, in which she delivers four killer uptempo tracks in her trademark style recently coined 'radiant jungle', and has forthcoming releases on Shall Not Fade, Aus & Time is Now as well as her own imprint Dabbs Traxx.
Tracklist
Sempra - IDK [unreleased]
Amy Dabbs - Your Move [forthcoming - Low Battery]
L Major - In a Prayer [forthcoming - Future Retro London]
DJ Sofa - Crush On U [forthcoming - Myor]
Decibella & L Major - Waiting 4 U [Club Glow]
Necrotype - Fever [Myor]
Amy Dabbs - Don't Go [forthcoming - Low Battery]
DJ Sofa - G-Man [forthcoming - Lobster Theremin]
J:Kenzo - All In (Coco Bryce Remix) [Artikal Music UK]
Dwarde & Tim Reaper - Stretchpants [forthcoming - Shall Not Fade]
FFF - Never In A Million Years [forthcoming - 3AM Eternal]
Tim Reaper - The Cosmik Connection Track [forthcoming - Unknown To The Unknown]
Local Group - DSP [unreleased]
A-Sides - Earthquake (Remix) [Boombastic Plastic]
Ollie Rant & Malaika - Take My Hand (Amy Dabbs Remix) [forthcoming - Time is Now]
Sempra - Desires (2022 edit) [forthcoming - Draconian Audio]
Coco Bryce - Cherry Riddim [Myor]
Hey Amy! Welcome to the Tapes series - great to have you on board! Can you start by introducing yourself?
Thanks so much for having me. About me… Londoner living in Berlin since 2018. Juno 106 addict. Dabbs Traxx label owner. Owner of a very sweet rescue dog called Melody who’s having a breakthrough year and made cover star on my first label release. Studio recluse. Overly energetic DJ who recently sprained both ankles at the same gig.
Tell us a bit more about the mix? Is there an ideal setting to listen to it?
I was fortunate enough to get sent a load of really incredible new and forthcoming music for this mix - it was actually really hard to decide what to leave out (I almost asked you if the mix could be 2 hours at one point...). Alongside this stuff, I also included two new tracks from my Baddest Gal EP, which is out at the end of August on Low Battery, and a new remix I’ve got coming out on Time Is Now early next year.
I feel like the set has some very sweet emotional moments, a few melancholic ones, and a few ragey ones too. I guess this is the kind of set that I would listen to when I’m getting myself in the zone for something, either a gig or a night out with mates when you are kind of just warming up but want to bring up your energy levels.
You recently launched your new label ‘Dabbs Traxx’ with the ‘Four Track Mind EP’ by yourself - talk to us about that and what we can expect from the label.
Well it’s called Four Track Mind EP but actually it only has three tracks on it, just to make things confusing. I did have a fourth track ready for this release, but then I fell out with it just before the record went to be pressed. I really wanted my first Dabbs Traxx release to have only standout tunes on it, so the more filler-ish fourth one got canned (even though I spent god knows how long writing it).
Next up on the label, there might be another collab EP coming up with Coco Bryce since we just launched our new ‘Slightly Involved’ project in which we rework each other’s tracks. He’s been a huge inspiration to me and I feel like our sounds and styles complement each other’s well.
You’ve quickly become known for your signature sound that spans between classic house to high energy jungle - how did you get into producing jungle and who were your main influences?
So when I first got my head down and started to write music properly (late 2019) I wrote a four-track house EP, Girl Like Me EP, which was later signed by Lobster Theremin. But I wasn’t very confident in my writing, so I just sat on those tracks for ages and didn’t send them out. In the meantime just to try and hone my recently acquired Ableton skills, I decided to see if I could write a jungle track. But I applied the same techniques to this that I applied to writing house, not using loops and just programming all the drums in manually - which turned out to be an absolutely enormous undertaking - but being a control freak I really enjoyed the freedom of doing things this way gave me.
So I made my first jungle track Allure like this, and whilst I was writing it I spotted that Paul Woolford (under his Special Request alias) was running a competition where-in if you used some samples from his recent sample pack you could submit your song to him and the top 3 would be pressed to vinyl. Anyway, I just thought why not give it a go, and then I remember leaping around my studio screaming when he came back and said he had placed me in the competition and pressed me a copy of Allure. That was actually my first ever physical record. After that, I wasn’t so scared to send out my music anymore so I sent my Girl Like Me EP to Lobster and they signed it on the same day.
Influence-wise there are so many! Sometimes I just sit and listen to all the old Kiss FM mixes by LTJ Bukem and Fabio & Grooverider and I’m like f*ck most of the tracks in these sets are so bangin they sound like they could have been made yesterday - the liquid sound has definitely infused itself into a lot of my writing.
It goes without saying that Coco Bryce, Tim Reaper, Special Request, Dwarde are all massive inspos in the present day. But I also feel like I’m constantly influenced by everything - the sounds I hear in and use in writing house definitely influence my jungle tracks, and the same the other way around.
How is it living in Berlin - have you found that it’s helped develop your sound or career?
I think it’s helped both massively. I have a shared studio space here which has been a game-changer for getting my music writing focus on. Gig-wise it’s definitely been absolutely amazing, but more from a house than a jungle perspective as the scene isn’t big for jungle here. But that’s fine because it gives me a reason to stay well connected to the UK circuit too. I love playing and writing both genres equally so never gonna complain!
In general, I absolutely love living in Berlin. The city is brimming with creative energy and the clubs and the crowd is unrivaled IMHO. People are just very respectful of the music and of each other I find. I feel like the vibes are really special here.
There seems to be a new wave of jungle fusion emerging across the UK and even globally - are there any artists, parties or clubs that stand out to you?
There are some really amazing producers coming through in jungle right now like Sempra, L Major, DJ Sofa (her stuff is so sick, there are two of her tracks in my mix). I also love the fusion vibes, artists like Peaky Beats & Ell Murphy - who I am also working on a collab with at the moment - bring so many UK sounds together in their sets and their creative output.
Party-wise I hardly go clubbing these days unless I’m playing as it impacts my studio time too much, but one place I am super hyped to play at is Hidden in Manchester this December, alongside Coco Bryce. I’ve heard amazing things.
What’s next in the pipeline? Any exciting gigs or releases coming up?
Oh yes! I have a four track EP out on Shall Not Fade right around the corner, as well as three collab projects underway including a brand new one with Athlete Whippet which I’m really excited to get out there.
I’ll be over in the UK returning to Fabric in November, which I’m really looking forward to, and here in Berlin I have a gig coming up at Watergate at the end of August which is gonna be a big one!
Thanks for being a part of the Tapes series!