Artist Profile: ENiGMA Dubz

It’s a crisp fall night in Birmingham, U.K., sometime in the mid-late 2000’s. A 14-year-old cello student, James Vine aka ENiGMA Dubz, is walking home from his classical performance when his relationship with music is forever changed. He pauses outside a pulsating nightclub at city center, admiring the bone-rattling bass of the iconic ‘Speakerbox’ by Beatfreaks.

In an instant, the seeds of ENiGMA Dubz take root as James’ lifelong love for music sprouts in a hundred new directions.

“I remember it so clearly. The bassline on that system excited me like nothing else I’d heard before, and it was a real turning point in my life,” recalls ENiGMA Dubz. “I was obsessed with bass and the raw, underground sounds from that moment.”

Multiple Avenues of Inspiration

​Being raised in a musically-inclined family informs the multifaceted ENiGMA Dubz project. James' mother and sister – both musicians – helped unlock his natural affinity for creative expression. By age 5, his mother immersed him in classical training. As he grew, his sister made him mixtapes featuring bands like Metallica, Nirvana, and Rob Zombie. Early exposure to a range of styles showed James how endless the possibilities in music can be.

​“My mom always supported and encouraged my musical life growing up. And my sister was involved in goth culture; she used to make me mixtapes to play on my walkman,” says ENiGMA Dubz. “I was taking in a lot of variety. And all of the classical training has proven so valuable in my career.”

In high school, James started exploring various genres of house and dance music. Venturing into the darker realms of garage unleashed his inner knack for narrative- and bassline-driven sound design. He cites multiple garage and dubstep legends for helping shape the widely-praised ENiGMA Dubz brand that fans know and love today.

“OG garage producers like DJ Zinc, Wookie, Sticky, MJ Cole and many others have been a big influence,” says ENiGMA Dubz. “The early days of dubstep also really cemented the sound into my blood – artists like Coki, Plastician, Caspa, Loefah and more.”

One old-school event in particular, SubDub/Exodus in Leeds, U.K., proved transformative for James on his path to developing the ENiGMA Dubz experience. He vividly remembers entering the venue while hearing Coki’s beloved ‘Goblin’ blasting from the decks.

“I’ve got goosebumps just reminiscing on that moment. It was genuinely life-changing,” says ENiGMA Dubz. “It was there that I fully discovered dubstep and experienced it for the first time on a big system. Everyone was focused on the sound, pure energy and good vibes – all amidst hearing one of the nastiest dubstep tracks to date.”

Adaptable Forms of Artistry

​ENiGMA Dubz also draws influence from a versatile range of musicians like James Blake, Bonobo, CASSisDEAD, Boards of Canada, Radiohead, and Bicep. These diverse interests arise in the multidimensional complexity that spans ENiGMA Dubz’ body of original work. He’s renowned for remixing encore hits into epic journeys, like his acclaimed renditions of ‘Marooned’ by Pink Floyd, ‘You Gets No Love’ by Faith Evans, and ‘Hide and Seek’ by Imogen Heap. Conversely, he raises hell with heavy heaters like ‘Chestburster,’ ‘The Darkness,’ and his recent collaboration Figure, ‘Something Evil.’

Amidst the ever-evolving soundscapes of ENiGMA Dubz emerge a few central themes. More than a decade of daunting dubstep, angelic downtempo, and energizing DnB line the depths of his enigmatic discography, celebrating the immeasurable power of emotional courage and pure imagination.

“ENiGMA Dubz is my way of expressing myself to the core, every emotion and feeling through the various styles I cover. When I hear a sick sound come from a virtual instrument or sample, if it gets under my skin, I’m locked in – and my mood then determines the direction in which my track will flow,” says James. “From dubstep and garage to downtempo and DnB, as long as the bottom end is warm and the vibe infects me, I’m all in.”

Rising Up with Recent Releases

​The multitalented musician is riding the wave of his newest release, Awakening, his first album in more than five years. Conceptually, this 12-track ensemble reflects ENiGMA Dubz’ reemergence from personal turmoil and pivotal turbulence. He marks this milestone in the wake of numerous life changes and inflection points that pushed him to redefine his passion for electronic production.

“Awakening is ultimately a showcase of all the styles I like to touch on the ENiGMA Dubz journey. The tracks represent where I’m at right now as a producer,” says the producer. “The last two years have been the most focused and productive for the ENiGMA Dubz project and I wanted to celebrate that with a body of work that captures it all.”

With a new album in the limelight, ENiGMA Dubz is launching a sequence of live events to bring his latest creation into physical spaces. Background Noise (BGN) recently headlined ENiGMA Dubz alongside Chief Kaya on the Grand Ancestor Soundsystem at their show in Baltimore, MD, on Saturday, March 12. The bass-heavy east-coast function was a certified slapper on the 2022 books.

At this event, fans caught glimpses of the ENiGMA Dubz guestmix newly released by BGN. The hour-long 140bpm adventure grounds itself in grotesquely low-end sonic layers, echoing the distant sounds of industrial warehouse parties while seamlessly moving through multiple new-school genres.

“With the mix, I was really getting pumped for the Baltimore show. I focused on 140bpm while showcasing a variety of styles and vibes around that tempo,” says ENiGMA Dubz. “There’s plenty in there from my new album, a few older tracks and dubplates, and plenty of fresh music from established and up-and-coming artists.”

ENiGMA Dubz is proud to partner with BGN between the Baltimore event and guestmix curation, pointing to the agency’s enduring mission to bring the background into the fold.

“I feel it’s so important to shine light on the underground and the absolute sea of artists expressing themselves out of the mainstream attention,” says ENiGMA Dubz. “There’s just no end to the amount of amazing art being created – and showcasing that art is key to the evolution of our scene.”

Imparting The Power of Impact

Outside of music, ENiGMA Dubz has a track record of dedicated commitment to impactful causes and community care. Alongside his wife and friends, he spent three years organizing a weekly soup and sandwich pop-up for people experiencing houselessness in the urban center of Birmingham. He believes mutual aid is one of many keys to building the better worlds we all deserve.

“This initiative was very important – it took just a small amount of time and effort to make a big difference,” says ENiGMA Dubz.

The ripple effect of his community involvement mirrors the global reach of ENiGMA Dubz’ wellspring of music. He’s cultivated a prominent following of listeners from the U.K. to L.A. and beyond. As an artist who deeply values emotional bravery, he reflects fondly on a memory of engaging with a fan at one of his hometown shows back in 2012. He was in the restroom when a bloke asked if he was ENiGMA Dubz – before proceeding to share a heartfelt token of gratitude.

“He told me how one of my early tracks, a bootleg remix I did of ‘Now We Are Free’ by Lisa Gerrard, had gotten him through serious depression and his second year of university,” recounts ENiGMA Dubz. “It really did take me aback. I’ll never forget it."

And much like the time he froze outside a nightclub in awe of soundsystem magic, this meaningful human exchange continues to expand his heart in a thousand different ways.

“How amazing it is to have created some music in my university room and for it to have reached and touched someone so deeply,” says ENiGMA Dubz. “ – how powerful music and sound can be.”

This article was originally published through Background Noise.