Mental Genius is the very apt alias for Dave Lubin, a British producer beginning to make waves in these parts thanks to his uncompromising dedication to all things house. An architect of an extremely savvy marketing campaign, you might have noted the Genius’ instantly recognizable imagery over the course of the island, where it’s been stenciled on to many walls. That said, there’s much more to this larger than life figure than clever marketing, and he’s most definitely got the music to back up the fact. A veteran of two decades in the scene, it’s somehow apt that his career’s beginning to fully blossom now. Read on and we’ll explain why…
Furthermore, in this disposable era of music and lifestyle, we felt we should use our expertise to create a brand that celebrates real music, creativity, and inner genius...Introduce yourself and give us some background on how you got to where you are today.
I'm Dave Lubin, DJ & Co Founder of Mental Genius. I've been playing music around the world for over 20 years now and am the Director of an International Media company. We founded Mental Genius in 2013 after identifying a huge gap in the global dance music industry.
Tell us about Mental Genius and what gave you the idea…
It all started with 5 simple words from my Co-founder, Jeff: 'You should be DJing more’. So now I am! If I’m honest, I became very despondent with DJing and more so the industry, but deep down inside I’m a music man, and feel I would be cheating myself if I didn't pursue my first love. Furthermore, in this disposable era of music and lifestyle, we felt we should use our expertise to create a brand that celebrates real music, creativity, and inner genius.
Has anything else inspired or influenced the project directly or indirectly?
Well personally I’m inspired by everything musically, ranging from an old rap sample to a tin pot banging. As far as influences go, there are too many to mention but to give you some idea: George Clinton, Kenny Dope, Al Green, Richard Pryor, Jean Michel Basquiat, Vivienne Westwood, Woody Allen, Ramellzee, Larry Levan & Grace Jones. Each and every one of these are true originators and fully certified Mental Genius!
Who else is involved with the project and what do they do?
We have, in my opinion, the best of the best involved behind the scenes at Mental Genius, but lets just say it’s taken us many years and a lot of socialising and relationship building to draw on the crème de la crème across all industries. From music management through to fashion designers to straight up entrepreneurs our team is strong. Musically, our stable of DJs and artists are all great friends, and DJs that I love and respect: Tom Crane, Clara Da Costa, Jason Bye, Claudia Lovisa, Quintin Christian, Johnny Landers, Jason Slater aka This is a Recording, Andy Baxter, Craig Baxter and Ken Fan.
There is a clothing line to come I understand – what will the vibe there be, and what’s the target market?
We're going to introduce fashions that we would wear, high-end street wear aesthetics. Think baseball caps, hoodies, and t-shirts. Our target market we're already looking into the idea of introducing a sneaker into the market but having said that…MUSIC FIRST!
I understand you were a DJ of some repute in the nineties and that you helped set up Ministry radio – how has the scene changed since then do you think?
That’s a great question; the scene is a whole different world. When I started playing out, travelling overseas was pretty rare, now we take the plane to work. So many people talk these days about the state of the industry and the whole EDM movement. It’s certainly a different art to what we grew up on. I'm still a lover of vinyl and the art of turntablism but ultimately we're all just playing music and entertainers. Now the audience has more options.
It’s our first year so we're definitely trying out different ideas and shying away from the obvious. With so many huge clubbing brands on the island we're definitely bringing it back and trying to contain what we do...Tell us about the sort of events you have planned and how you chose your headliners and venues…
It’s our first year so we're definitely trying out different ideas and shying away from the obvious. With so many huge clubbing brands on the island we're definitely bringing it back and trying to contain what we do. Only last Sunday we held a very special event on a relatively unknown beach for what was supposed to be 120 of our people.
Things got a little out of hand but it was a very special night with music by myself, Tom Crane, Andy Baxter & Jason Bye. Our next event will be a micro party for only 20 carefully selected people which will be streamed live on the web and our Closing Fiesta is on October 5th at Sankeys. Expect the unexpected!
What are the key things to get right with Mental Genius, what’s the main message you want to convey?
In a nutshell, I'd say we want to encourage clubbers to dance again, celebrate real house music and embrace their inner genius!
What else are you excited about and looking forward to?
We're developing 2 new live acts this winter: This is a Recording and Quietman, both will be releasing on Mental Genius Recordings, so this winter we'll be building a studio / rehearsal room in London which I’ll be spending a lot of time in. We'll also be touring Mental Genius after the summer in countries such as the U.S., Dubai and South Africa. Nowhere is safe. Now ya know!
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