CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 161: HOT DUB TIME MACHINE ON WHAT MAKES A GOOD BANGER
Interview by Brooke Gibbs.
Hot Dub Time Machine is turning up the energy for his next run of headline shows across Australia – get ready for 100% BANGERS! Having consistently delivered the best party rocking shows around Australia and the world over the past decade, Hot Dub Time Machine is back with a brand-new show, celebrating the best in dance music from 1962-2024. Expect nothing but 100% Bangers.
Futuremag Music sat down with Hot Dub Time Machine ahead of the tour to discuss what makes a banger.
FMM: I’m really excited about your upcoming tour. Can you tell us more about the concept of the 100% Bangers tour and what we can expect from it?
Hot Dub: Yeah, sure. So, last year I did a tour called Boogie, which was like from the 70’s to the present day and that was focused on disco and the history of dance music. Then, the year before that, I did a rave tour which was 100% dance music from 1990 and both those shows were great. But, this show is about going back to what Hotel was all about, which is like going the whole way from rock and roll up to the current day. So starting in 1962, and we're playing bangers.
FMM: That sounds incredible! You’ve mentioned the bangers span from 1962 to today, and so much incredible music has been released during that time, so how do you choose what bangers make your set list?
Hot Dub: Yeah, it's an ongoing… I think that's my life's work at this point, trying to find the right song. I think there’s a lot of people out there who've seen me before and have certain songs that they definitely want me to play at a Hot Dub Time Machine. I'm very aware that, you know, to do that and also find new songs and so for me, I think that's why I like the term ‘banger,’ because to me any song could be a banger. It's all about the context. You know what I mean? Recently, I've been playing Wicked Game by Chris Isaac which is so slow, but it's amazing. If you DJ it right and you set everything up right, you can get away with playing Wicked Game in front of 5000 people.
FMM: Yeah, incredible because it's a song that you wouldn't think would do so well, but then when you do your own take on it, it's surprising what you can do with it.
Hot Tub: Totally, and I think it doesn't have to be, you know, EDM or, like, heavy rock to be a banger. I think that bangers are just songs that connect with heaps of people.
FMM: I agree. So, you mentioned Wicked Game. Are are there any other particular songs that you're personally keen to perform?
Hot Dub: Yeah, look at the 60 stuff. I'm very excited to get back into some rock and roll at the moment. I'm just loving classic Rolling Stone songs. I really enjoy playing Jumpin’ Jack Flash at the moment. I think that's an underrated Stones’ track but, you know, then you can go the whole way up to now. I put a thing on my Instagram asking, you know, is this a banger? And put the Texas Hold ‘Em song by Beyonce, 2024 song. That's, you know, divided opinions of whether or not that is a banger. I think it's a banger. I think it's awesome.
FMM: Yeah, definitely. It's always going to get mixed responses because everyone will have different takes on what makes a banger and what's not a banger.
Hot Dub: Indeed, and I find that those mixed responses are always more on the recent songs. On the older songs, everyone has kind of agreed on what great songs are. Like, no one's going around saying that The Beatles aren't great or that Superstition by Stevie Wonder isn't great. But, like, the more closer you get to the present day, the more people have strong opinions about whether something is good or bad.
FMM: Yeah, and I think certain songs make a comeback, too. Everyone's jumping back on with Murder on the Dancefloor, which is an older song, but now it's so popular again, which I'm very interested by.
Hot Dub: I think Murder on the Dancefloor… I don’t know if that song was ever out of fashion. I've been playing that for years and it's always gone up. So, yeah, it might have come back into more social media relevancy with Saltburn, but, hey, it's always gone off.
FMM: Yeah, so you might have to include that in your set list again as well for this tour.
Hot Dub: Totally.
FMM: What makes Hot Dub Time Machine stand apart from other party experiences and other DJs in the industry?
Hot Dub: Yeah, well, I started Hot Dub in 2011 and because I was just a bit bored by everything else that was going on. I'm not into bands or DJs that take themselves too seriously. At Hot Dub, it's about every night. It's the best party ever, and every night is about having the most fun possible, the most dancing, the most singing, all that kind of stuff. It's about celebrating music and coming together. Whereas, as opposed to, you know, other DJs and stuff, where it might be more about, you know, the DJ in their own music and their own artistic goals. My goal is just to rock the party, and that's what Hot Dub is all about.
FMM: Yeah, I've seen some of your videos and as you said, it always looks like it's the most incredible time.
Hot Dub: Yeah, we’ve done it for a while now and I just try to try to perfect the ultimate party soundtrack, trying to create the ultimate night. That's the big difference between what I do and what other DJs do. It's a show. I never just do a set. Every time it's a show. It has a beginning, a middle and end. I spend a lot of time sitting there thinking about the songs, thinking about the energy, trying to work out how to create the best two-hour musical experience.
FMM: When thinking about how to create the best musical experience, how do you maintain the energy and excitement of your shows, especially when you've performed to heaps of sold-out crowds as well?
Hot Dub: Because it's just so fun. It's not that hard to enjoy standing in front of thousands of people playing music that you love. Whenever I'm feeling a bit tired of it, it fades away immediately. I'm very fortunate these days. Wherever I go in the world and especially around Australia, as I walk on stage, there's just people who are just so happy to see me and you have that feedback loop. I think we need to DJ. You're like the lightning rotary energy of the night, of the party. You come out on stage, everyone's happy, they're excited. It makes you happy and excited, and it just becomes this feedback loop of joy.
FMM: You’ve obviously got years of extensive experience. What have been some of your highlights as a DJ over that time?
Hot Dub: Yeah, look, Tomorrowland was really, really great. I played that twice in Belgium in 2019 and in 2022. That was one of the highlights of my festival career. In Australia, I really, really enjoyed doing Splendour on the Grass and that kind of stuff. Those festivals are really, really fun. But, yeah, doing my own tours and connecting with the fans and kind of connecting with the Hot Dubbers is a more special thing. You get to play for longer, so that's kind of what this tour is like. I'll be playing for like two to two-and-a-half hours. It goes more in depth and that always leads to, like, even probably more special than most festival things where you might only get to play for like an hour.
FMM: Of course, because then you can maintain the crowd more and you can connect with your fans a lot more as well.
Hot Dub: Yeah, it's a different thing. They're both really fun. There's something wild about the energy of festival. It's really just a fun thing to be a part of, but when you get to curate the whole night, people are rewarding.
FMM: Sure, and you can tell that you love what you do. Obviously, you're not stopping anytime soon, so how do you see Hot Dub Time Machine evolving in the future, both in terms of musical selection, but also overall performance?
Hot Dub: Yeah, look, I just want to keep going. I'm not going to stop anytime soon. I think the show keeps getting better and the DJing keeps getting better. I don't know where to go next. I'm gonna get this tour done and then I'm having a little break and then we'll see what the future holds. I'm not really sure yet. I just want to get this one done.
FMM: What do you think contributes to the overall appeal of Hot Dub Time Machine that draws in a diverse group of crowds who keep coming back for more?
Hot Dub: I think the fact that it's just really fun. I have an interesting position in the music industry. I don't make music, I don't release songs, whereas almost every other DJ does. That's kind of how that business model works. I'm not a band that goes out and makes albums. I just put on shows and I make those shows as good as I can, and the people who come to them tell their friends. My entire business model is word of mouth. All I do is focus on making that show really great. I think people can tell that. I think people, when they come and see my show, they can see there's a different level of passion and fun that has gone into it, and it seems to work.
FMM: Yeah, and obviously it does work as people are coming out to the show and you’ve got such a huge following, too. I’d love to hear more about this business model, though. How did you reach the decision not to release your own music and perform other music?
Hot Dub Time Machine: I think it's a bit of a myth that everybody can do it. I think it's one of those things that, you know, a DJ should be able to make music. I've got too much respect for great musicians and great songwriters. I think it's an art and I think it's a separate art to being a good DJ. Being a good DJ is not the same as writing music. It's like, you know, someone who's a singer or an actor, they're both performing, but they're different things. I think there's an assumption that they're the same thing, but to me, they’re not. Also, the other part of that is that I just want to be different. I never want to do what everybody else is doing. I think in the music business, you got to really find your identity and you've got to work hard to be different.
FMM: Definitely. I feel like in your case, it's really worked out for you, which is great to see. Is there any particular DJs that you personally look up to or draw inspiration from?
Hot Dub: Yeah, always. I'm a DJ nerd. I just love the art of DJing. And so, like today I was watching on YouTube, there's this dutch young DJ who plays techno called Maddix and I love what he's doing. He's this young guy and he just plays the most awesome… It's kind of very rooted in 90’s raid stuff, but he’s brought it up to date. So even someone like him, whose style is totally different to me, I get off of watching someone like that. But, my deeper influence is this guy in the UK called David Rodigan, who's a reggae DJ. He doesn't mix songs together, he just uses the power of his charisma. He puts a song on, talks and has an incredible career based on that kind of DJing. So, I think I enjoy watching everybody and seeing all the different types of DJs.
