Paris, FR · dubstep · drum-and-bass

Dirtyphonics

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French crew who came up through drum and bass and never lost the punk energy — genre-hopping bass sets played like a rock show.

Dirtyphonics formed in Paris in 2004, built around guitarist Charly Barranger and later joined by producer PitchIn in 2008. The pair grew up on metal bands like Metallica and Korn as much as on electronic acts such as Daft Punk and Pendulum, and that dual background shaped a sound that started in drum and bass before pulling in dubstep, electro house and other bass-driven styles.

The group signed to AudioPorn Records in 2008, and their debut single, "French F**k," reached number one on Beatport's charts and held the spot for weeks. Follow-ups "Quarks" and "Vandals" confirmed the style-shifting, low-end-heavy sound they'd become known for, and remix work followed quickly, with Dirtyphonics reworking tracks for Skrillex, The Bloody Beetroots, Marilyn Manson, Benny Benassi and Linkin Park.

Their debut album, Irreverence, arrived on Dim Mak Records in 2013, mixing anthemic electro, frenetic drum-step, thrash guitars and pounding drums, with guest spots from Steve Aoki, Foreign Beggars and Modestep. The record cemented the band's reputation for treating bass music production like a rock record, distorted guitars sitting alongside synths and breakbeats rather than replacing them.

Dirtyphonics have since worked with labels including Monstercat, UKF and Disciple Records alongside Dim Mak, and collaborated with artists such as Kaskade and Sullivan King. Their live shows are structured more like band sets than conventional DJ appearances, carrying the arrangement and energy of a rock gig into a bass music context.

More recent releases include the What The French EP in 2022 and a second album, Magnetic, put out on Monstercat in 2024, extending a catalogue built steadily since the band's earliest club years.

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dubstepdrum-and-bass