The local sound system scene recently reached a massive milestone. The launch of WA’s first custom-built, homegrown Reggae & Dub Sound System, the Red Earth Sound System, brought together four years of hard work and community building in an unforgettable night. I caught up with Lloyd Sabin, a.k.a. Acid Dub Foundation, co-founder of Red Earth Dub Circus, in the afterglow to talk about this dream the community has helped manifest. In the first of a three-part series, we went back to where it all began.
The origins of the name, Lloyd tells me, are: “Red Earth – representing the WA ground we stand, grow and dance on – local. Dub Circus [because] nobody can tell a circus what to do and everybody can run away with it.” This was born from recognising a need for community, for moments away from screens where people can meet and share collective memories. “[Even] if that means I’m in front of a screen all day doing spreadsheets,” he says.
Red Earth Sound System Launch. Photography by Third Eye Shoots.
Red Earth Dub Circus (REDC) was born after a chance encounter between Lloyd and Michael Batcock, a.k.a. Ringmaster Mikey, at Blazing Swan in 2021, when Lloyd was drawn to God Said No’s reggae programming, which Mikey initiated. From there, their love of DIY sound as a way of bringing people together grew. The collective and their dream to grow a healthy reggae, dub and sound system culture in WA quickly developed, and by December that year the collective hosted a sold-out warehouse party to raise funds for their budding project.
The REDC Collective draws its strength from its active members – a wild bunch of DJs, musicians, artists, circus performers, sound engineers, carpenters, and event professionals. Lloyd, who has worked as a Music & Festival Manager for the past 15 years, is no stranger to event planning, having hosted Germany’s first Dub & Sound System festival when he was 19. Running that for five years, and later running 2,500-capacity venues in Berlin before moving back to Walyalup, gave him the tools and network to build a solid foundation for the local community to congregate on.
From the beginning, the focus was on building a strong community by sharing the rich history of Sound System Culture, hosting film screenings such as Brazilian director Bruno Natal’s Dub Echoes to inspire and educate. That initial warehouse party made them realise they had something special, and that maybe this sound system idea wasn’t so wild after all. Early estimates calculated that running events twice a year would allow them to fund a sound system in 9.8 years. You may have noticed that this Boorloo story did not start a decade ago (spoiler alert!).
Cue Freo Dub Club. The crew had a vision to bring interstate and international reggae and dub artists to Walyalup as well as showcasing local artists and enabling collaborations. The first Dub Club featured The 4’20 Sound and Sky Eaters from Byron Bay. Later Dub Clubs involved local heavyweight sound systems like KBI Sound System and Traction Sound, Perth’s own DNB Sound System, and saw artists and producers from around Australia come to WA, such as Chris Munky from Sydney, Adrian’s Wall and Housewife’s Choice Sound System from Melbourne. Highlights since then include hosting Jamaican legend Scientist, UK Dub pioneers Dubkasm, and Scottish duo Mungo’s Hi-Fi, bringing them to our shores for the first time. But it’s not just about inviting interstate and international artists – it’s about creating collaborations and nurturing local WA talent. So it’s not unusual for a local MC such as SPEX, MC Amani, or Cruz Patterson to come on stage and perform with special guests, or for singer Grace Barbé to join British dub heavyweight Mad Professor live at the Dub Club and later in the studio when he’s in town. Being fertile ground for community, art, and culture, Lloyd tells me, is what the crew keeps as their compass.
Red Earth Sound System Launch. Photography by Third Eye Shoots.
The Freo Dub Club has quickly grown into WA’s premier event series for the local and international Dub & Sound System community. In the past two years, the REDC Collective has hosted over 15 Dub Clubs, uniting more than 6,000 dancers – a movement that is truly thriving.
This month, Freo Dub Club celebrates its second birthday and, as if that wasn’t enough, the crew is also launching the South West Dub Club – taking the Dub Circus on the road and expanding the movement to the Margaret River region on the same weekend. It’s going to be a special weekend featuring the six-piece powerhouse Reggae Dub Band Subtribe (NZ/NSW) for their WA debut, as well as the first outing of the Red Earth Sound System since its launch. In the next part, we delve into the monumental journey of designing the sound system through to its first dance.
NEXT UP: Birthday Weekender with Subtribe (NZ/NSW)
Fri Sep 12 – Freo Dub Club 2-Year Birthday Bash @ Port Beach Brewery
Sat Sep 13 – South West Dub Club Launch @ Cheeky Monkey Brewery
Sun Sep 14 – Raindance Festival Sunday Takeover