Dubfire

Ali Shirazinia grew up surrounded by music, frequenting a Washington D.C based record store called Yesterday And Today Records and absorbing everything from dub reggae to new wave to hardcore punk. As he reached his teens he discovered an all-consuming passion for electronica, fuelled by the discovery of bands like Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, and started experimenting with compositions of his own. In 1991, the budding producer met and struck up a friendship with Sharam Tayebi, a fellow producer with whom he formed the DJ and production duo Deep Dish. Within four years the band had become one of the most acclaimed acts in American electronica, releasing remixes of acts like Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul in 1995 alone.

However, bravely enough the duo decided to part ways a couple of years after their biggest successes, like garnering a Grammy award for a remix of Dido's “Thank You” in 2002. Shirazinia took the stage name Dubfire and embarked on a radically different sounding solo career, with his debut solo single “Emissions” showcasing a markedly more downtempo, minimalist side to his work. It paid off, with his debut effort netting a nomination for Single of the Year at the 2007 Beatport Music Awards. Ever since then, Shirazinia has continued to go from strength to strength, with his solo careerr remaining as acclaimed and successful as his time in Deep Dish ever was, and even getting to collaborate with the revered English electronica act Underworld in 2010. He's a true artist in his league, and for that, he comes highly recommended.