Meet Tribal: Upcoming DJ And Producer Talks Beauty, Bristol & Berlin
Tribal, Bristol-based techno DJ and producer. Image credit: The Groove, Ella Faye Howcroft
‘The world needs more beautiful things.’
Dan – or Tribal, as he’d rather you introduce him, is a Bristol-based techno DJ and producer.
With a razor sharp work-ethic and introspective nature, Tribal’s eloquence is striking. His ability to dissect and discuss topics is precise, well-informed, and acutely self-aware.
Building his fanbase across the UK, Tribal has performed at Nowadaze and Triduum Festivals, and regularly slots in at Bristol’s legendary Lakota, Greenworks and The Crown, plus West London’s ‘Gallery’, with track support from techno heavyweights Richie Hawtin, Bailey Ibbs and Carl Craig.
The 27 year-old’s next release, ‘Midnight Baby’, is out later this month. The titular track, an incessant industrial pulse that transports you straight to the centre of a heaving dancefloor, is coupled with complementary force, ‘Keeper’, an ethereal throughline to hedonism.
The Groove sat down for a chat that delved into Tribal’s music, future plans… and what it’s like making art with ADHD.
Read the full conversation below.
Dan, aka Tribal; Bristol-based DJ, promoter & producer. Image credit: The Groove, Ella Faye Howcroft
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Interviewer: So, tell us who you are, what you do, and where you’re from.
Tribal: Hello, I'm Tribal! I’m a producer, DJ, and promoter. I’ve lived in Bristol for the last six years, but I'm originally from Salisbury, and hopefully I’ll be moving to Berlin in the near future – that's the game plan.
Why do you want to move to Berlin?
Tribal: My job's always been nightlife, right? I want to be where it's happening. The first time I went to Berlin, I knew it was going to be cool because that’s always been the rhetoric. But it is just another world. I don't know if this is a bit of a generalisation, but I feel like Germans take everything seriously… including partying. They know how to do it to a ‘T’.
Where does the name Tribal come from?
Tribal: I would love to give you a deep and meaningful reason, and maybe if I was that way inclined, I would. But honestly, I came up with the name when I was 16. I just needed something that was two syllables and easy to say!
How would you describe your music to someone that's not familiar with it?
Tribal: I would say it’s deep, moody, atmospheric and driving. In terms of production, the music I would like to make isn't the music I'm good at making. It's a bit of a dichotomy. Stuff I really admire in terms of production and skill is music that’s uplifting and euphoric.
“The first time I went to Berlin, I knew it was going to be cool because that’s always been the rhetoric. But it is just another world... I feel like Germans take everything seriously… including partying. They know how to do it to a ‘T’.”
Is there a venue you’d love to play?
Tribal: In the current stage of my career, it’s got to be Tresor in Berlin, because that was the first club I went to there. Tresor or RSO.
What’s going to be your ‘I've made it’ moment?
Tribal: So for DJing it would be if I was booked to play a headline slot in one of those clubs. For production, big labels. Mutual Rhythms is a big one for techno. If I had a release on Mutual Rhythms, I would feel like I'm definitely making good headway.
You’ve shared on Instagram about making music with ADHD, are you comfortable talking about that?
Tribal: Love to, yeah. It's part of me. I think you'll find most creative people have a neurodivergent streak as part and parcel of who they are. It’s very helpful for music because it means I can lock in for a long time. If I'm feeling it with a tune, I can be there for hours and the ideas will keep coming.
But with daily stuff, organising my life or my finances, it's catastrophic, it’s a real hindrance. It kind of frustrates me when people think it's a bit quirky to have a neurodivergence, it's not fun all the time. Some people say you're lazy. Well I wish it was as simple as that, but it really gets in the way. It's like having 20 tabs open in your brain all the time, it’s very chaotic!
What inspires you?
Tribal: I think an important distinction to make between electronic music and more traditional bands is that I believe it’s more abstract. With bands, they're singing about a thing, a feeling, an occasion or a vibe. Whereas electronic music, oftentimes, it's not about anything, it's just a mood, but it's something we can all sense, and you can't put it into words. I can feel it in the tune and craft it auditorily.
I think there are a lot of things that can't be explained. Humans can hear from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. And we can only see in the spectrum of light from ultraviolet to infrared. Dogs can hear beyond 20 000 Hz. An eagle can read a paragraph in the Bible from 200 feet or something crazy. What I'm trying to get at is there's things that exist, but we simply don't have the physical capabilities to perceive them.
Do you try to bring a sense of spirituality into your music?
Tribal: I wouldn't say so — but I think a lot of producers will say this, you never get to pick when you make a tune. You can choose to sit down and make one, but you don't get to decide when the magic happens. I believe it comes from somewhere else, with the knowledge you have about production and music theory – that’s the conduit. But that's why it's important to try every day and just have a go.
Is that what you do?
Tribal: Yeah, I try to.
How are you able to translate moods into sounds?
Tribal: It’s such a cliché answer, but it gets easier the more you practice and skills you pick up. When you’re a novice, you have the concept in your head, but because you don’t have the technical abilities, you don't know how to manipulate sounds. Over time, when you learn how to craft different sounds from synthesisers, or make oscillators do certain things, the transition from your brain to the computer is a lot smoother.
“Electronic music, oftentimes, it’s not about anything, it’s just a mood... and you can’t put it into words. I can feel it in the tune and craft it auditorily.”
I'm using tension and release, and dissonance and harmony. If you're talking in an abstract sense, those will serve you well. A lot of the time in techno, the sounds are not in tune with each other, a lot of the melody sounds really discordant.
If you want something to sound uplifting and euphoric, things should be in key, in harmony. If you want something to sound a bit deep, a bit moody, like when I make a synth in techno that’s got an arpeggio in it, you intentionally make it not in tune, dissonant – and that's what gives it that distorted sound.
Do you have any shows coming up in Bristol?
Tribal: I do. So the first one is Saturday 15th November at Club 395. And that is for MP3 Records, run by two very nice lads called Jack and Euan. I've got an EP coming up with them in January, which I'm really excited about.
The second one is Friday 21st November, and that is for the DJ Expansive, which is run by my good friend Cat. She is a wonderful, talented lady. She's given me the freedom to play what I would like to. So I'm just going to play deep techno. That will be at Take 5 Cafe ,in Stoke’s Croft.
What other new music have you got coming out?
Tribal: My next release is forthcoming on Flat 7, which is one of the few Bristol-based techno labels, run by a man called Edetto. He is tremendously switched on with production, I sat in the studio with him and it’s like watching a wizard at work. He's very cordially invited me to have a release on his label, out on 28th November. It's a two-track EP and I think that's a good showcase of what I'm currently making.
Do you have any words of wisdom for people who want to get into music production?
Tribal: If I could offer any advice to anyone that maybe hasn't even started producing or DJing… if you have a love for it, you should do it, because there can never be enough artists in the world.
Nobody can be like you. Yeah, the tunes might sound a bit rubbish to begin with, but then you have your own sound, and that's more. You can never have enough beauty in the world. There's a lot of sadness in the world. So we need more beautiful things to look at and listen to.
Who are your role models?
Tribal: I don't know if I have anyone specific. I just like it when I meet somebody that's driven and ambitious and works hard. Oh, actually, there is one person I've always been a fan of; Skream. Skream’s been about since the mid-2000s.
He was one of the pioneers of dubstep, he pioneered a whole genre, and he's always managed to stay relevant in electronic music, whether it be popular or underground. He's made stuff from dubstep to disco to techno to house, so I would aspire to be like him.
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Stream the ‘Midnight Baby’ EP out on 28th November, or catch Tribal in Bristol at Club 395 and Take 5 Cafe.