Dirtyphonics

Formation and early career

Dirtyphonics was founded in 2004 and began performing live shows in 2006. For the first two years, the group consisted of Charly, Thomas Desbouvrie, and Pho. In 2008 PitchIn joined the fold. Their influences include Daft Punk and Pendulum, as well as metal bands such as Metallica and Korn. "Most of us started by playing in metal bands," recalls Charly. "Our sound was always meant to be powerful, high-impact, and precise. From the day we’ve started, we’ve challenged ourselves to create something new - we love to push boundaries."^[3] The boys did just that in translating the energy and excitement from their head-banging days to the emergent world of electronic dance music.

In 2008, the group signed to Shimon's label, AudioPorn Records. They released their first single that year, the aptly named "French F**k" which quickly rose to the number one spot on Beatport's charts and stayed there for several weeks.^[4] Follow-up singles "Quarks" and "Vandals" proved the act's ascension was no fluke, showcasing the group’s signature style-shifting low-end heavy sound. The group quickly became a hot commodity in the remix world, lending their talents to tracks by the likes of Skrillex, The Bloody Beetroots, Marilyn Manson, Benny Benassi, Excision, Datsik, Borgore, Nero, and Linkin Park. In 2013, Thomas quit the band to become a painter as "Matheo de Bruvisso".^[5]

2013: Irreverence

In 2009, they earned "Best Newcomer Producer" honor at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards.^[6] The next three years were a busy time for Dirtyphonics. They headlined sold out shows worldwide with everyone from Skrillex and Knife Party to Steve Aoki and DJ Snake. They also made notable appearances at festivals like EDC, Glastonbury Festival, SXSW, Pukkelpop, WMC, Tomorrowland and countless others.

On 19 March they released their first full-length album Irreverence on Dim Mak Records. The album is a heavy mix of anthemic electro, frenetic drum-step, thrash guitars, and pounding drums. It features notable collaborations with Steve Aoki, Foreign Beggars, and Modestep.

2015: Write Your Future

In early 2014, Thomas Desbouvrie resigned from the band to pursue his aspirations in Art. Although one member short, the band lost no speed and continued touring at major festivals worldwide. Finding a second wind in the studio, Dirtyphonics released a collaboration with Zeds Dead, Where Are You Now feat. Bright Lights on Mad Decent. In February 2015, the band released their sophomore Write Your Future EP on Dim Mak Records including collaborations with UZ, 12th Planet, Trinidad James, Matt Rose and Julie Hardy. The band toured the US and Europe while keeping writing lots of music. Back from tour, the band released Anonymous in homage of their Drum and Bass roots and as a strong statement of their sound. Quickly after, the Write Your Future – Remixes EP came out on Dim Mak Records with remixes from Habstrakt, Funtcase, High Maintenance and Infuze. On 21 October 2015, the band released "Hoverboard", a song they wrote in 2005.^[7]

Sources

• Knowledge Magazine (September 2008)
• Knowledge Magazine (March 2009)
• ATM Magazine (April 2009)
• International DJ Magazine (August 2009)
• Interview with Broken Beats (September 2009)
• TRAX Magazine (August 2010)
• BBC 1XTRA Crissy Criss Show (August 2009)