BlackGummy

BlackGummy began as the brainchild of Los Angeles-based producer Iman Marouf. Marouf discovered the entity called “BlackGummy” in 2013 during a trip to the Middle East and Asia, and instantly formed a unique and inseparable bond with the alien-like idol. Since their first meeting, the producer and the entity have virtually conjoined into an indivisible whole, never leaving one another’s side.

Trained by Steve Duda, the legendary sound engineer (who counts mau5trap head honcho deadmau5 among his frequent collaborators) and creator of the Serum VST, BlackGummy consistently showcases his unique prowess for employing a wide variety of entirely original sounds in his songs. A graduate of the Icon Collective music production school in Burbank, CA, BlackGummy and Duda met via the school’s mentorship program, where his apprenticeship under the venerable sound engineer helped to hone the young producer’s sound design and engineering skills. That is when BlackGummy started beta testing the Serum VST for Duda (and is accordingly listed in the VST’s credits, along with deadmau5 himself).

BlackGummy has an obsessive fascination for sound design and music production. He views his productions as checkpoints in a tireless quest to improve his mastery of this skill, routinely spending 15 hours a day honing his craft. In 2015, mau5trap discovered BlackGummy, and immediately recognized his unique prowess for production and sound design. Later that year, the label released BlackGummy’s first original — “Lullaby” — on mau5trap’s We Are Friends compilation, which Earmilk called a “can’t miss.” Most recently, in February 2016, mau5trap released BlackGummy’s debut EP titled “Singularity,” inspired by the concept of “technological singularity,” which Dancing Astronaut praised as “an intriguing artistic vision,” which “moves uninhibited from dark industrial to uplifting progressive, challenging the notion that producing one style necessitates ignoring the other.”

Since the implicit convergence of the producer’s and idol’s identities into one amalgamation, BlackGummy spends almost all of his time locked away, with the idol, in his in-home studio, crafting new productions that attempt to lend a voice to the silent idol. He only withdraws from his studio in rare instances: first, to perform alongside the idol in nightclubs and music venues, and second, to search the four-corners of the Earth for more clues as to the idol’s origins. His fascination with the latter arose from a Latin inscription that lay emblazoned beside the idol when he first discovered it.

The quote read, “In perpetuum, salutem in omnibus locis; In omni loco, in omni tempore.”

The exploration of the deeper side of techno by Dosem, since busting onto the scene almost 10 years ago, has seen him clock up countless air miles, release a string of hit club tracks and earn accolades from many of his peers, who deem him to be one of the most influential underground Spanish DJs in the scene today. The demand for Dosem’s infusion of deep textured sounds, relentless precision drums and driving rhythms which make up his club cuts that are making dance floors shake the world over shows no sign of slowing.

First emerging in 2008 with a number of early releases, it was his eloquently carved club hit ‘Silent Drop’ that was released on Technasia’s label SINO in 2009 which first cemented his name into the consciousness of fans of deep and soulful club music. But it was the release of the cosmic classic ‘Beach Kisses’ in 2009 via Joris Voorn’s influential Green label that confirmed his position as one of the scenes leading new artists. The coming years saw his profile flourishing with an expansive booking diary and a host of releases on a wide scope of labels including Danny Howells famed UK Label Dig Deeper and the Barcelona based Suara owned by Spanish tech-house mainstay Coyu. But the true marker to Dosem’s potential came in 2011 when he unveiled his critically acclaim, debut album called ‘Parallel.’ Hinting at his rich pallet, he delivered atmospheric techno, with sweeping pads conjuring epic, ethereal soundscape and laid down a blueprint for the Dosem sound, that had been steadily maturing, for the coming years.

The immediate years following saw him drop tracks and remixes on some of the biggest labels around, making Dosem one of the key influences within the bubbling melodic techno scene. Labels such as Christian Smiths Tronic, Hernan Cattaneo’s Sudbeat, Slam’s Soma Records and John Digweeds seminal Bedrock all feature in Dosem’s swollen back catalogue. Yet it was the 2013′ album ‘Origin,’ the follow up to ‘Parallel,’ that heralded the next chapter of his esteemed production career. ‘Origin,’ saw Dosem re-explore his roots, diving further into the sounds and ideas which inspired him, the result saw tougher, club driven tracks interspersed with soulful melodies and interstellar funk that became a firm fan favourite.

A host of releases followed, revisiting labels which felt like extended family, such as Carl Cox’s Intec and Coyu’s Suara as well as making new bonds with releases on US label Halocyan and Gregor Tresher’s ‘Break New Soil’ label. During this period he dropped his third, full-length artist album ‘City Cuts’ in 2014. The accomplished release touched upon influences running throughout the Dosem sound. The referencing of urban life harked back to an earlier era on electronic music looking to the earlier Detroit techno pioneers use of music to capture the imagery of the city’s industrial heritage, the synth lead explorations of sound undertaken by artists such as Mike Oldfield and William Orbit and Vangelis’s conjuring of a dystopian future with his Oscar award winning scores are all prevalent. Dosem applied these ideas of ‘City Cuts’ and produced a deep, soulful album touching upon his love of techno, house and urban club music. Dub-influenced gems, disco-tinged anthems and rave-inspired floor-fillers, ‘City Cuts’ — that again saw him release on the esteemed Suara – also took home Spanish publication Vicious Magazine’s ‘Album Of The Year’ award that same year, indicating the Catalan’s supreme passion, talent, depth and versatility as a producer.

Most recent releases, from his remix of Hot Since 82’s ‘Planes & Trains’ which reached No.1 in Beatports Techno charts to working his deep house magic on Umek & Mike Vale’s ‘All I Want’- that has kept dancefloors rolling deep into 2015 and upon its release taking the #1 spot on Beatport’s deep house chart — make it apparent that the demand for his productions shows no sign of slowing and thankfully for his fans, neither does the rate at which he produces such seismic beats.

Earning a coveted spot as one of Beatport’s Top 5 techno artists of 2014, Dosem’s global acclaim a as a producer and highly prized re-mixer continues to spread. But his skills as a DJ are equally heralded and a relentless touring scheduled since appearing on the international circuit has won him not only the adoration of his fans but also the respect of his peers within the scene itself. This summer saw his most prolific Ibiza schedule to date taking apart Sankeys, Blue Marlin and Privilege Vista Club, as well as Ushuaïa, Space and Pacha on previous visits to the island, Dosem’s versatility between festival annihilator and beach party connoisseur, magnifies his appeal and his dexterity when crowd reading and critically knowing when to play the right record at the right time have left audience in raptures.

Career defining sets at Berghain (Berlin,) Womb (Toyko,) Gashouder (Amsterdam,) Nitsa Apolo (Barcelona,) Rex Club (Paris,) Space Ibiza (New York,) and Ministry of Sound (London) as well as festival performances at Sónar, Ultra Music Festival, Loveland, Awakenings, BPM Festival and Monegros as well as many more have put Dosem in the bracket of top Dj-Producers at the moment.

So given his history, its no surprise that he has also gained wide support across the electronic spectrum and with fans and followers of the Catalonian’s unique perspective of electronic music, 2016 is set to be a big year.