Dominick Martin, better known by his stage name Calibre, is a Northern Irish drum and bass music producer and DJ from Belfast. He is highly regarded for his influence on the liquid funk style of drum and bass, which was partially named after his distinct production style.[1][2][3] He primarily releases his own works through his personal label, Signature Recordings,[4] but has also released on labels such as Hospital Records, V Recordings, Creative Source and Soul:R.[5]
Calibre | |
|---|---|
 Calibre playing in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland in February 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dominick Martin |
| Also known as | Loose Dragon |
| Origin | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Drum and bass, liquid funk, downtempo |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Quadraphonic, Creative Source, V Recordings, Soul:R, Signature Records, Br:nk |
Many of his productions–some of which were unreleased at the time–became synonymous with liquid funk due to DJ Fabio playing most of Martin's productions on his BBC Radio 1 show, Liquid Funk, and at Swerve club nights (originally known as Speed, which was co-ran with LTJ Bukem) in the early 2000s.[2][3] Beginning in 2007, some of these unreleased productions would be released under the "Shelflife" series of albums alongside other works by Martin on his personal record label, Signature Records.[6]
According to UKF, none of Martin's productions have been officially remixed by other artists.[7]
In 2019, Martin was awarded Critics Choice in the Drum&BassArena Awards 2019.[8]
Career
editMartin started producing drum and bass in 1995, after being inspired by artists such as Goldie and LTJ Bukem. His first single was released in 1998 under the now-defunct Quadraphonic record label,[9][10][11][5] which was closely associated with U2's The Kitchen nightclub located under The Clarence Hotel.[12][13] During this time, he gave a tape demo to LTJ Bukem, who never sought an official release after reaching back out to Martin.[5]
Through Quadraphonic, he came to the attention of drum and bass DJ Fabio, who signed Martin to his record label, Creative Source, and later released his debut album Musique Concrète in 2001, named after the musique concrète compositions of John Cage, who he was influenced by while attending the University of Ulster in Belfast.[11] Although 21 songs were chosen for the final release of the album, 300 songs in total were created by Martin.[1]
In 2003, Martin was commissioned by Warner Music Group for a remix of "Put That Woman First" from Jaheim's Still Ghetto album (2002). Despite Jaheim's disapproval of the remix, 1,000 limited-edition white label vinyl records were pressed with permission from Warner due to the underground popularity garnered by the remix. In 2023, the remix was included on a compilation album for purchase on digital storefronts.[3]
In 2005, he released Second Sun, which is considered to be Martin's best album according to Beat.[14]
In 2019, a remix by Martin was included in an extended play of "Swan Song" by Dua Lipa.[15]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Title | Record label | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Musique Concrète | Creative Source | 25 September 2001 |
| 2005 | Second Sun | Signature Records | 24 October 2005 |
| 2007 | Shelflife | Signature Records | 1 October 2007 |
| 2008 | Overflow | Signature Records | 1 May 2008 |
| 2009 | Shelf Life Vol. 2 | Signature Records | 18 May 2009 |
| 2009 | Shine a Light | Signature Records | 16 November 2009 |
| 2010 | Even If | Signature Records | 12 November 2010 |
| 2011 | Condition | Signature Records | 3 October 2011 |
| 2013 | Spill | Signature Records | 20 May 2013 |
| 2013 | Valentia | Signature Records | 15 July 2013 |
| 2014 | Shelflife 3 | Signature Records | 19 March 2014 |
| 2016 | Shelflife 4 | Signature Records | 26 February 2016 |
| 2016 | Grow | The Nothing Special | 23 December 2016 |
| 2017 | The Deep | Signature Records | 31 March 2017 |
| 2018 | Shelflife 5 | Signature Records | 29 June 2018 |
| 2018 | 4AM | ThirtyOne Recordings | 16 November 2018 |
| 2019 | Planet Hearth | Signature Records | 29 November 2019 |
| 2020 | Shelflife 6 | Signature Records | 1 May 2020 |
| 2021 | Feeling Normal | Signature Records | 26 February 2021 |
| 2021 | Shelflife 7 | Signature Records | 24 November 2021 |
| 2022 | Double Bend | The Nothing Special | 02 April 2022 |
| 2023 | Shelflife 8 | Signature Records | 19 April 2023 |
| 2023 | Rudy | Signature Records | 10 October 2023 |
EPs
edit| Year | Title | Record label | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Just Fine | Creative Source | - |
| 2006 | Late Night Squeeze | Signature Records | 24 April 2006 |
| 2006 | Corner Dance | Signature Records | May 2006 |
| 2006 | Deranged | Soul:R | 23 October 2006 |
| 2008 | Roundhouse | Signature Records | 11 September 2008 |
| 2008 | Don't Mind | Signature Records | 22 October 2008 |
| 2010 | Judgement Day | Samurai Red Seal | 7 June 2010 |
| 2011 | Hummer | Samurai Red Seal | 29 August 2011 |
| 2012 | Renaissance EP | Footprints | 19 November 2012 |
| 2015 | Strumpet EP | EXIT Records | 18 May 2015 |
| 2015 | Fourfit EP | Soul:R | 31 July 2015 |
| 2015 | Dreamz Dub EP | C.I.A | 18 September 2015 |
| 2015 | Break That EP | The Nothing Special | 18 January 2019 |
| 2019 | Cowper Street EP | Signature Records | 5 July 2019 |
References
edit- ^ a b Jenkins, Dave (3 June 2020). "A lesson in liquid with Fabio". Drum&BassArena. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Dave (9 March 2020). "Why the current revival of liquid drum'n'bass is so refreshing". www.redbull.com. Red Bull. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Kicks, Whisky (23 October 2023). "In Conversation With Fabio". UKF. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Signature Recordings; Resident Advisor
- ^ a b c "In Conversation with Calibre ; fabric London". www.fabriclondon.com. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ Muk, Isaac (21 April 2023). "Calibre releases new edition of archival 'Shelflife' series". Mixmag. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ "Calibre: Meet the man who's never been remixed". UKF.com. 21 March 2014.
- ^ "Drum&BassArena Awards 2019: The Results". Drum&BassArena. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Host, Vivian (May 2004). "Short Circuits: Calibre". XLR8R. No. #77. XLR8R Magazine. p. 95. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Baird, Patric (15 August 2008). "Dominick drums up an act of a first-class Calibre". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Calibre biography - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Wynne-Jones, Steve (14 February 2019). "The story of U2's legendary The Kitchen nightclub". 909originals. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ Hickey, Shane (5 April 2002). "There's just not enough heat in Bono's Kitchen". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Calibre". Beat Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Swan Song (From the Motion Picture 'Alita: Battle Angel') [Remixes] – EP by Dua Lipa". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
External links
edit- Calibre discography at Discogs
- Calibre at Rolldabeats