Introduce Yourself: D1

Dwayne Marsh, AKA D1, has been at the heart of the dubstep scene since its inception. The South West London-based producer is behind classic releases like ‘Missin’ and the ‘Trial Run’ EP on Tempa, which have played a vital role in the evolution of the dubstep sound. Continuing to release on the seminal Tempa imprint, as well as joining Caspa’s fierce Dub Police stable, Marsh remains at the forefront of the now global scene.

A varied producer, D1’s tracks are both affecting and dancefloor-friendly, showcasing an array of styles, ranging from moody half-step to infectious 2-step workouts. However, his music always maintains a prominent musicality and strong percussive edge. Ahead of his set at Dub Police on Friday, we shot him a couple of quick questions to see what is going on in the world of D1.

You have been classically trained. What instruments do you play?
I can play the piano and the saxophone.

Do you ever play live instrumentation on your tracks?
I have done in the past. One of the tunes on Beezy’s new album, ‘Perfect Stranger’, I played the saxophone on.

I think one of the things that makes your music stand out so much is its musicality and deft melodic touch, which makes a nice change to straight up beats and bass! How do you go about writing songs?
9 times out of 10 it starts with a melody and I will build around it, but that’s not always the case...I have no set method.

Both your parents were involved in music, presumably that had a big effect on what you listened to when you were growing up?
Definitely. I listened to wide a spectrum of music growing up. I was constantly surrounded by it, which has defiantly guided me into what I’m doing now.

When did you get into electronic music and the DJing and production side of things?
About 14 I begged my dad for decks and it started from there. I started buying music then decided that I wanted to make it.

You have been around since the very early days of dubstep, when it was emerging from the dark garage scene. What has it been like to see it grow into the international phenomenon that it is now?
It’s amazing to imagine that 6 or 7 years ago I was standing in FWD>> with about 30 geezers listening to beats and now dubstep is seen as the new cool thing to be involved in. It’s tearing down festivals yearly and major artists from other genres are getting involved, which just goes to show the respect dubstep currently holds now.

Do you think that the scene has evolved well?
Definitely; I mean people are making a living off it now, which right there shows how far the scene has come, and hopefully it will carry on evolving.

Your recent productions have been on more of a 4x4/garage tip. Is that representative of the kind of stuff you are playing out at the moment?
Yes and no. I definitely like and enjoy that kind of dubstep sound, but I play what I like, so if there’s a proper out and out tearout tune that takes my fancy, I ain’t afraid to sling it in my set.

You are playing at Fabric for the Dub Police takeover in Room 1. How did your link up with Dub Police come about?
Well I have known Caspa for years and he had always been keen to release some of my stuff and I always had been keen to work with him, so when the opportunity came for it to happen I took it. Now hopefully there should be some good things to come from me with them.

What have you been working on recently? Any forthcoming releases or projects planned?
There’s a few things, but I don’t wanna say too much cos if it doesn’t happen I don’t wanna look like a mug lol...but there should be some good exciting things happening. Just watch this space.

You can catch D1 in Room 1 at Fabric this Friday for Dub Police alongside Caspa, Skream, Benga, David Rodigan, and Emalkay.