Get ready for a journey through your favourite hits with Hot Dub Time Machine’s extraordinary blend of iconic music and live performances.
Created by Sydney DJ Tom Loud in 2011, Hot Dub Time Machine is a party powerhouse. Featuring a unique blend of tunes played in chronological order from 1962 to the present day, Hot Dub Time Machine has cracked the code to creating joyous musical experiences that delight crowds of all ages and demographics. From Coachella to Tomorrowland, Hot Dub Time Machine has made his mark on some of the world’s biggest festivals. Ahead of his Australia New Zealand tour, I sat down with Hot Dub Time Machine to find out what makes the Hot Dub Time Machine tick and tackle the most important question of them all – what is the ultimate banger?
You’re playing bangers from 1962-2024. With such a diverse range of tracks and eras to cover, how do you curate your setlist to create the perfect blend of tracks?
I started in 2011 and I’ve been perfecting the ultimate party playlist. When I start a new tour, I always spend a lot of time trying to find new songs. A lot of people have seen me many times over the years. There’s a guy in Edinburgh who has seen me over 30 times! So, I’m always trying to find some new angles. Before the tour starts, I’ll come up with some new bits and I like to bring some guests along because that adds a surprise element to it. I think about what people will really like. I think, when you see a band, you want to hear certain things. If you see the [Rolling] Stones and they don’t play ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Paint It, Black’ then you’re like what the heck …? So I try to keep that in mind and make sure I include the bits that people like. Then when I’m actually up there, the job of the DJ is to adapt to the room and to read what people are vibing. Every room is different. Sometimes there might be more older people, or there might be younger people, or there might be more women and it’s all that kind of stuff. You’ve got to process when you’re on stage and have some fun.
Tell us about the concept behind the “100% Bangers Tour”
The concept of 100 percent bangers is kind of an inside joke. I did some live streams during COVID in 2020 and 2021 that a lot of people really enjoyed. The joy of playing a live stream is that you can play whatever you want! There’s no pressure from a dance floor to maintain a certain tempo, so I really enjoyed playing random songs like the ‘Duck Tales’ theme and then saying, “bangers!”. I enjoy doing things like playing the ‘Home and Away’ theme and calling it a banger.
I really appreciate that, after watching a couple of your shows, I could see that there was a sense of humor that runs through the gig, and I think that is a lot of fun.
That’s the reason I kind of started Hot Dub. When I started, I found a lot of music gigs and a lot of DJs a bit too serious. I remember seeing a band I really liked. And at the end of the song, the lead singer turned his back on the crowd and just kind of chatted to the drummer and had a sip of water and then started the next song. And I’m just like ‘screw you, man!’. You know, the audience paid that money to see the performance – every night should be the best night. Like every show is the best party ever. There is definitely a place for serious music and serious musicianship, and a lot of the musicians I love, like my biggest influence, DJ Shadow, is incredibly serious, but what I want is to have fun and I want my shows to be fun. And fundamentally, I know that’s what I do. It isn’t high art – I’m playing songs in chronological order, but I take it very, very seriously. I love the art of deejaying, and I love the huge amount of work that goes into making all the little details of the show right. But fundamentally, I like to remember that it’s pretty silly.
As you travel across Australia and New Zealand, do you notice any regional differences in musical tastes or reactions from the audience?
Yes, always. I spend a lot of time in the UK and I’ve played all over the place now, and there are differences. Even between different parts of Australia, there are differences and I think good DJs are hypersensitive to the crowd. You’ve got to be on stage and have your antenna up to figure out what’s working and what’s not. A significant difference can be how much hip-hop people like in Australia. That varies a lot depending on the crowd. Between Australia and New Zealand, there’s a whole stream of music that New Zealanders absolutely love that we don’t. In terms of more Reggae and the type of music that can go off! And actually, drum and bass is just absolutely enormous in New Zealand.
The Hot Dub Time Machine show’s I’ve seen were absolute non-stop energy from you and from the crowd, how do you keep your energy up and excitement up through a big tour?
Well, it used to be drinking but I’ve been sober now for almost four years, so that has added an interesting wrinkle that I really had to refine. There was a there was a point there where I felt like I couldn’t do the show unless I was drunk. It got quite dark because when you’re a DJ, you’ve got to be the lightning rod. You’ve got to be sensitive and that also means you’ve got to raise the energy and be the hub for the energy of the room and feel everybody’s euphoria and reflect it back to them and get that loop happening and alcohol can be a shortcut to that. But these days I just absolutely love it. I feel so lucky and fortunate to stand on stage and play the songs that I love and everywhere I go I walk out on stage and that people are so happy to see me. I can’t believe this is my life! You can feel tired and sometimes it can feel like, you know, going to work, but then you walk out there and everyone’s so happy to be there and it’s pretty great.
Are there any venues or cities on this tour that you’re especially excited to perform in?
In Brissy, we’re doing the Princess Theatre, which I’ve never played before. I do love a theatre! It’s a lovely old theatre that’s been refurbished, and that’s kind of my background, playing in theatres. I’ve played at some big festivals and nightclubs and all that kind of stuff, but where Hot Dub really works the best is in theatres because it’s a show, and I want everyone to be comfortable. It’s great playing at a festival, but also, you know, everyone could be exhausted, and I think that’s maybe why that business model is struggling in Australia. But give me a theatre where everybody’s comfortable, and the bar’s just there, and there are toilets. Also, when you walk into a theatre, there’s a certain feeling in the air that you’re a part of something.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I’d say playing Tomorrowland in Belgium was a real pinnacle for me. I got to play Tomorrowland twice, once in 2019 and once in 2022. It’s probably the biggest dance music festival in the world. There are larger ones in terms of numbers, but there’s nothing like it. It truly is like a Disneyland for dance music, and the atmosphere is just electric. Everyone’s traveled from afar to be there. The attendees have saved so much money, and having seen it on YouTube, they’re finally there. Everyone is so happy to be there. Also, the stage that I played on a couple of times is set on a lake, so the only way to get to the backstage is on a jet boat. You literally get in this water-skiing boat, and they take you over to the stage. I thought, “Alright, this is already the best day of my life!”
What message or feeling do you hope audiences take away from your “100% BANGERS” tour experience?
I would say, just joy! I like people leaving a Hot Dub gig sweaty, happy, and perhaps having met some new people. It’s that kind of feeling you get when you walk out of a gig, just floating because you’ve forgotten your troubles for a couple of hours. You’ve danced and sung, and you’ve just had fun. That’s what Hot Dub Time Machine is about.
What is the most unlikely but perfect combination of tracks you’ve discovered in curating multi-genre sets?
Well, that’s genuinely an interesting question. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before. There was one I was really happy with on the previous tour, and I might give it another run. I came up with this 80’s bit where I really wanted to play ‘Wicked Game’ by Chris Isaak. I think it’s a banger, but it’s incredibly slow. However, it’s such a good song and I love the challenge of playing a song like that at a giant gig. So, I transitioned from ‘Walking on Sunshine’ into ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’. They’re the right BPM to mix together and there’s a fun link between those songs, which is kind of what I look for when I’m DJing. Then, out of ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’, I played the ‘Home and Away’ theme, which is a change down, and it gets people thinking what is going on. Then, out of the ‘Home and Away’ theme, I drop ‘Wicked Game’! Something about that combination of songs worked in a way that was very satisfying to me. That’s what I’m looking for when I’m putting songs together. It’s that level of thought that goes into it about the energy of it and stuff like that, and sometimes – it just works. I want people to be surprised. Those are the moments I’m chasing.
What is the ultimate banger?
Oh gosh, you’d think I’d be more prepared for this when I named the tour that! I would say it’s ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder. I don’t think there’s any party that can’t be improved by playing that song. Wait, I’m tempted to say the correct answer is actually ‘I Want You Back’ by the Jackson 5. Just playing that song makes everyone happy. It raises the vibe, and I don’t care if it’s Tomorrowland – let’s hear ‘I Want You Back’!
Get your tickets to Hot Dub Time Machine 100% Banger Tour
25th May – Metro City, Perth
8th June – Forth Pub, Tasmania
15th June – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
5th July – The Forum, Melbourne
6th July – Power Station, Auckland
5th October – Princess Theatre, Brisbane
12th October – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
