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Taken from Time Out Hong Kong (Nov 20, 2013)
Dub FX
by Ying Lo
DUB FX |
You may already have seen Dub FX before, but might not have known it. That’s because, before Benjamin Stanford, aka Dub FX, gained international recognition, he was a humble street performer, busking his way through Europe, creating his crowd-stopping one-man beat box shows. YouTube propelled his street performances across the globe – and now, he’s become perhaps the world’s biggest ‘street looping artist’.
Indeed, Dub FX’s shows are hypnotic. Armed only with a looping machine, the Australian lays down beats, harmonies and drum ‘n’ bass-like melodies, before rolling into reggae and hip-hop vocals, preaching about society, ‘the man’ and the like.
But it takes more than a catchy tune for a street performer to attract worldwide adoration. Dub FX fuels his performances with an unrefined yet refreshing personal touch. Alongside his fiancé Flower Fairy – who is always nearby, selling CDs – the duo dance and sing with their hearts on their sleeves, creating shows that are hard not to find endearing.
This fortnight, Dub FX comes to Hong Kong to celebrate his third album, The Theory of Harmony, along with a special documentary screening from Paramount Pictures about the indie music scene in Hong Kong, which premieres in the spring. It’ll be in a club rather than on the street, but we imagine that this won’t detract from Dub FX’s charms one bit.
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