DubVision decipher their melodic dance overhaul, tease landmark run of new material for 2014
For brothers Victor and Stephan Leicher, the moniker of DubVision has been more than an overnight success story of stubborn euphony and quality club cuts. Between consecutive signings to Spinnin Records, a high-profile first for Axtone, an unprecedented peak on the global live circuit and recent Doorn Records return “Rifler” , that determination has been an all empowering tool for the melodic Dutch powerhouse and their upwards spiral of quality releases to date. Euphoric without the trance throwbacks, emotive without the cheesy toplines and infectious without the obnoxious drops, DubVision have proven the precedent setting family affair European dance music was praying for. The Leicher clan, it seems, are that melodic sense of reason in an often rigid peak in the sound of big room dance music.
But with the tides of change constantly hammering the next generation of electronic dance hopefuls, the duo has not been immune from the reality of North America’s fixation with the heavier footed sound of electronic dance music. Sat in a quiet bar in Amsterdam, both young artists are rightfully chirpy among the manic backdrop of Amsterdam Dance Event. Right now, the market is working positively in their favour, but as Victor is quick to suggests, the sound of today just doesn’t quite cut it. “For us personally it is going a bit in the wrong direction. The sound is so hard. I don’t disrespect those guys, but for us the more melodic and emotional stuff is far more important. We want to tell stories as well as get people moving. We hope it is heading back to a more groovy and melodic place than it is today. We try to go a little harder, but not go the full way and lose our own signature sound.”
With a track record like DubVisions, however, it is hard to think that the duo behind such collaborative triumphs as “Triton” alongside Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano and remix duties for Afrojack’s “The Spark” would have much to worry about moving forwards. As ongoing advocates the divine melodic composition found in 2012’s breakout Spinnin debut “All By Myself,” Victor and Stephan are yet to take their ongoing ascent for granted. “We get often get scared that people will expect us to conform,” admits Stephan. “You never really know what music is going to do culturally. You can never anticipate the next trend and when things will fade out. Sometimes we worry the melodic stuff wont hold its corner but with the things we have been doing, we feel like maintaining that sound will help push us up there for the years to come.”
Compromise, however, need not be an all-encompassing affair. Joining Doorn Records this month for their first solo stint on the label, “Rifler” challenges the boundaries of their own comfort zone and the industry status quo with reassuringly quality results. Tough, on-point yet 100% melodically charged at its core, the track is enough to suggest that somewhere along the line, their unyielding stance on the genre has found a standpoint fans new and old can find solstice in.
“We were definitely pretty stubborn in preserving what we think makes us who we are,” laughs Victor. “The track is still very melodic, but a little harder than people are used to from us. It still sounds like us though. This is our way of connecting with the crowds without compromising too much on what we have believed in from day one – a good melody can be immortal, no matter what genre. We have to shift between styles occasionally, but that versatility is just essential to not knocking yourself out of the game completely.”
If you weren’t already excited by the forward motions of DubVision, the road ahead is sure to prick a few ears. With two tracks on the cards for Phazing alongside Michael Brun, a follow-up for Axtone, an original debut for Size Records and collaborations with Dutch peers Firebeatz, the duo’s studio footprint looks to be tested and trialled across a host of the most prolific labels for the majority of 2014. On the live horizon, the duo points to North American headline aspirations, immediately glazy eyed over the prospect of not only letting their own sound run havoc on the industry, but letting their own name build on the profile that their profoundly melodic studio has established over the past several years. Yesterday, DubVision stood for breaking the mould on the melodic present of dance music. The future, it seems, will follow on their own cardinal terms.
“You really have to think forwards in terms of where you want your brand to go. Eventually you have to make that leap where you become an act able to host your own nights, rather than just opening for other artists or supporting other concepts,” explains Stephan. “It would be great to take North America with our own concept and show the world we can be that bigger picture without bowing to what everyone else does. We believe in everything we have done to date and if we can match the sound we believe in with a brand that stands for even more, the lifelong dream will have really become a reality.”
Categories: Music