Techno Producer Vladimir Dubyshkin Is Ready for His U.S. Debut

Growing up in Tambov, Russia, Vladimir Dubyshkin wasn't exactly surrounded by a robust electronic music scene. Instead, he relied on external influences, like the Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers, and Crystal Castles, to propel him from a university student to an international DJ and adroit producer.

A quick listen to his music reveals a Nineties techno influence, replete with aggressive drum patterns, euphoric melodies, and an icy strangeness from his use of sampling.

On Friday, March 14, after stops in Los Angeles and New York, Dubyshkin will take over the Ground as part of Objects Don't Dance, the party series founded by Sister System, True Vine, and Jonny From Space, for his debut U.S. tour.

"This is my first time traveling to the United States, so I'm really looking forward to this small tour after an exhausting visa process," Dubyshkin tells New Times via email. He will also perform live that night. "I can't wait to test new music that no one has heard yet on a big sound system. I'm going to play released and unreleased tracks and just have fun."

In 2018, Dubyshkin began crystallizing his distinct rave sound, which he dubs "psychedelic techno," bordering on the eerie and blissful. His previous albums and EPs showcased Dubyshkin's malleability, but in 2018, he made his Trip Recordings debut with the Cheerful Pessimist EP.

The record's second track, "I Decided to Fly," is a perfect example of the kind of homage to the bygone era of warehouse techno Dubyshkin often produces. It's a throw-your-hands-up anthem featuring a stomping bass and hazy melody alongside a simple vocal delivery: "I really needed to fly; I decided to fly."

Dubyshkin never dwells on figuring out his signature sound — if anything, it's a natural occurrence. "I still experiment with various genres in terms of dance music, using roughly the same approach, instruments, and plugins as a few years ago," he adds.
Whether it is a track as warped as "I Decided to Fly" or as beatific as 2022's "Ticket to Childhood," Dubyshkin's productions never stale or waver.

How an artist can be malleable is anyone's guess. For Dubyshkin, it could be a result of his Eastern European underpinnings, which often serve as the source of his sampling, like Balkan brass or the balalaika, a Russian guitar — though he started to move away from that kind of sampling, according to the producer.

"People have more opportunities to represent their ideas in various areas of creativity than in the past," Dubyshkin adds about his plethora of influences.

While Dubyshkin has never stepped foot on U.S. soil until this tour, his music has been heard at American clubs time and time again thanks to his colleague, Nina Kraviz. In the last decade, the Trip Recordings boss has devoted space in her sets to test Dubyshkin's music and tease the crowd with his unreleased tracks and remixes.

"I've known Kraviz for a long time — if I'm not mistaken, since 2015. Initially, she offered me to participate in an LP compilation. 'Ivan, come on, unlock the box,' Kraviz would say. In fact, I've been releasing on her label from the beginning, but nobody knows I waited for my first solo EP for three years," he says of his relationship with Kraviz.

With an expansive sonic palette, Dubyshkin keeps finding more shades to inhabit.

"I believe that side interests and hobbies allow me to stay in shape and keep the same essence," he explains. "It always happens differently. Sometimes, I feel apathy to music and delete new tracks because they sound the same or spend the whole night sampling folk music, but this never affects the audience. On the contrary, I'm always interested in seeing the first reaction to a new material."

Vladimir Dubyshkin. With Ben UFO, Coffintexts, Nick León, and Jonny From Space. 11 p.m. Friday, March 14, at The Ground, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 786-616-6742; thegroundmiami.com. Tickets cost $14.99 via dice.fm.