Sub Focus

Starting out

Originally a fan of rock music, and bands such as Nirvana, at school aged 11 or 12 he started a band with some friends although this was a short-lived ambition as he "wasn't very good" at playing musical instruments. At the age of 13, however, he discovered computer software for producing electronic music and became a self taught producer. The major reason he enjoyed this and ultimately got more into it was because it meant that he could successfully create a whole song on a computer without having to be able to play a musical instrument. His first major influences were groups such as The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers, artists who blended guitars with dance music. In the late 1990s he was exposed to drum and bass as a concept music through artists such as Goldie.

He didn't start taking music production seriously until he left school and deciding what to do for a career. From early 2000 onwards, largely due to encouragement from his friends, he started sending out demo CDs. His big break came in 2003 when his CD found its way into the hands of RAM Records boss Andy C. He was so impressed that he signed every track instantly, and Douwma was signed to RAM's sister label Frequency, before making his debut on RAM two years later.

2005–08: Early career

In March 2005 he had a number one single on the UK Dance Chart with "X-Ray / Scarecrow". The single reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart. In June 2008, he hit number one on the UK Dance Chart again with "Timewarp / Join the Dots".

2009–10: Sub Focus

In August 2009, he cracked the UK Top 40 for the first time with "Rock It / Follow the Light", which reached number 38. "Rock It / Follow the Light" also got him a third UK Dance Chart #1, as well as reaching the B-List of BBC Radio 1's playlist. Sub Focus has also remixed selected works of The Prodigy, Deadmau5, Rusko, Dr. Octagon, Empire of the Sun and Dizzee Rascal. On 6 October 2009, Sub Focus released "Smooth" which was free to download. On 12 October 2009 he released his debut studio album Sub Focus, the album peaked to number 51 on the UK Albums Chart.

2010–present: Torus

In 2010, Sub Focus was a support act for Australian drum and bass band Pendulum on their UK tour to promote their third album Immersion. Later that year, he produced the Example track "Kickstarts" for his second album, Won't Go Quietly. The track was successful in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #3. This makes it Sub Focus' most commercially successful production to date. A free track "Falling Down" featuring vocals from Kenzie May was released on his website and was later released digitally as an EP. In 2012, he released "Out the Blue" featuring Alice Gold and it reached #23 in the UK Singles Chart. It was followed by "Tidal Wave" featuring Alpines which peaked at #12 in the UK Singles Chart, which also became his first to spend at least 2 weeks in the Top 40. Tidal Wave also featured on the Mercedes Benz "Sound with Power" advertising campaign, along with Tinie Tempah. On 12 May 2013, "Endorphins" featuring Alex Clare was released, continuing his recent chart success, peaking at #10 in the UK Singles Chart. The album's fifth single "Turn It Around" was released on 22 September 2013 and reached #14. His second studio album Torus was released on 30 September 2013. He headlined the Radio 1 Dance stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals 2013. Sub Focus played at Glastonbury 2013 with his new live show setup. Later in the summer of 2013 he went on to play at Dour Festival, Reading & Leeds, Global Gathering, Bestival and Isle of Wight festival among others. He headlined BBC Radio 1Xtra Live at the Bournemouth International Centre on 7 October. He then completed a 2013 UK tour. The sixth single from Torus, "Turn Back Time", slowly climbed the UK Singles Chart to number 10. The next single from Torus, a new version of "Close" featuring a session singer instead of MNEK, failed to chart.

Discography