We’ve all heard the term one-man show, and few people embody that title as well as Benjamin Stanford, better known as Dub FX.
For those not familiar with his work, Dub FX is a street performer and recording artist famous for creating intricate and impressive tracks completely on his own. He uses tools such as live looping and effects pedals to manipulate and layer his voice in incredible ways.
His talent and hard work have landed him worldwide success and six hip hop/reggae/drum and bass albums, including his newest one just released this week, titled Thinking Clear.
Aside from his remarkable talent and unique musical form, what really sets Dub FX apart is his perspective on the state of the world. Through many of his songs, including the hits “So Are You” and “Fake Paradise“, he directly addresses a number of issues that most mainstream artists would never dare to touch.
We at Collective Evolution were able to catch up with Dub FX to better understand his passions, intentions, and work moving forward. Here’s what he had to say:
1. What sparked your personal “awakening” or your experience of the world in a different way from what seems to be the status quo?
In my humble opinion, Most people in society never undergo a real “heroes journey” or “pilgrimage” to awaken your warrior spirit. I went through mine without even realizing by living in a van from 2006 till 2012. In that time I lived completely off street performing all over Europe and Australia. It definitely gave me a whole different perspective on the world around me and my ability to take control of it through my actions.
2. What does vibration mean to you?
Vibration means everything! Light and sound are vibration, emotions are vibration, heck the whole universe is made of vibration! So if everything is made of vibration, including ourselves, then vibration is our God! Music is such a pure form of vibration, so to me it’s one of the many messengers from God.
3. The video ‘Fake Paradise’ is clearly inspired by the powerful classic film ‘They Live’ what inspired you to make this creative alignment?
‘They Live’ is one of my favourite movies of all time! Although it is B grade, the concept is incredible and is very much in tune with my beliefs. Whether or not aliens are in control of our world, the powers at be definitely see us as consumer zombies in a constant state of amnesia who don’t look past our own ego to see the greater world around us! I was racking my brain thinking of a cool concept for the ‘Fake Paradise’ video and it just popped into my brain! I can’t believe no one else has done it before! The lyrics in the song are very in line with the concept of the video.
4. In the song ‘So Are You’ you say “there’s too much digital calamity, let us be what we need for prosperity, but we keep on using up more than we need and we build on slavery power and greed”. What changes do you think society needs to reach a positive form of prosperity?
Everyone needs to WAKE THE F*** UP! The majority of the western world is so wrapped up in their own ego. consumerism wouldn’t be such an issue if we were all working on ourselves and truly moving in line with our spiritual purpose in life. For example, if everyone in the world just meditated for 20 minutes a day including those in power their wouldn’t be as many problems. For example, racism wouldn’t exist, pollution would be as low as humanly possible, the government would be a lot more empathetic to society as opposed to their own agenda. The main problem is our entire planet is focused on getting rich as the number one goal. But if being enlightened was the number one goal we could all be rich together!
5. Do you feel that music can be a powerful outlet for sharing truth and shedding light on a lot of things we need to come to know in this world?
Yes and no. Music is a great way to maintain the messages we need to hear and deepen our understanding, but most of the time people don’t realize the messages in music until they have already figured it out on their own! “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”. It’s up to each individual person to enlighten themselves. I feel like it’s my job to help people see the truth, but its down to you to really get it.
6. What is one message above all others that you are hoping to convey to the world through your new album?
Self empowerment is and always will be my fundamental message. Through self empowerment we wake up and make better choices for ourselves and the world around us!
Dub FX’s newest video, Fake Paradise, is beyond eye opening and, as alluded to in the interview above, largely inspired by the classic and controversial film They Live. Check it out and see what you think:
Dub FX • http://facebook.com/dubfx “Fake Paradise” is a track from Dub FX’s new album, Thinking Clear.
