Subb-an
Origin: None
Back in the summer of 2006, Sound Design undergraduate Ashique Subhan, aka Subb-an, would work his early productions into a full live performance via Ableton and hand it on a CD to the founder of Birmingham’s newly founded Below parties, Adam Shelton. He’d soon find himself booked for his debut live set, on the then uncovered Rainbow Courtyard alongside Dinky and Matthew Styles.
The party would go on to be one of the UK’s leading underground house institutions and it’s resident Subb-an would go on to become one of the main defenders of the tough, deep house sound that became the zeitgeist of the late 2000’s.
From his beginnings as a live artist, years spent honing his DJ skills paid off in the form of regular appearances behind the decks at prime clubs and festivals including fabric, Panorama Bar, DC10, Warehouse Project, D’Edge, Womb, Output and Stereo, as well as seminal festivals such as Movement in Detroit, Glastonbury, Mexico’s BPM and Exit Festival for industry mainstays such as Circo Loco, Cocoon, El Row and Enter.
A dynamic producer with a firm understanding of what it takes to move a dancefloor, Subb-an’s music has more than a little mystery about it. His productions are deep, raw, soul heavy and although always achingly relevant, glance backwards through a long lineage of house masters – his influences are sited as Craig Richards, Villalobos, Ryan Elliot, Zip, Professor Inc and Delano Smith. As a DJ, his sets pass between house and deep techno, balancing swing, groove and potent bottom end notes.
Able to utilize vocals in a goosebump-inducing fashion that many producers fail to grasp, Subb-an’s music has featured the sultry tones of Beckford, Anomaly Jones, Seth Troxler, Cedric Gasaida of Azari and III, Jacob Phono and Whitney XXX.
2014 saw a hefty world tour and the re-introduction of his killer live set – tinged with techno and more than a few straight dancefloor weapons, the set is so far unique in its delivery for every performance. Releasing music across his own One Records imprint, and in the past on favoured labels Crosstown Rebels, Silver Network, 2020 Vision and Tsuba, Subb-an’s first large scale break came with his ever-fresh ‘Lovers Night’ EP on Spectral Sound. Having delivered acclaimed remixes of Tiga and Blood Orange, amongst others, he’s also a keen collaborator, having shared studios and production credits with Seth Troxler, Tom Trago and Footprintz on his ‘Rain’ EP for Visionquest, with Tuccillo on their ‘Day Motion’ EP for One Records, and most recently with Christian Burkhardt and Eddie Richards – watch this space.
2015 sees Subb-an continue to conspire with close friend and fellow party instigator Adam Shelton, celebrating the fifth anniversary of their label One Records – one of the most exciting underground house labels of recent times and a breeding ground for numerous up and coming producers such as Samu.L, John Dimas, Jack Wickham and Yamen and EDA.
Clearly Subb-an is an artist well and truly in his stride, and with so many different aspects to his talent, will no doubt continue to blaze an increasingly unique trail.
