Brooklyn-based producer/DJ Marc Glasser, aka Dubbel Dutch, is the man behind the sweet summer beats of FADER cover star Popcaan's summer smash "Everything Nice," a song that pulled the Jamaican dancehall artist into new sonic territory. Over the past five years, Glasser has built up a reputation for neatly sidestepping classification by finding the feel-good in the spaces in-between genre, releasing records on London club music label Unknown to the Unknown and Brooklyn dancehall label Mixpak, amongst others. With Popcaan's debut album out Where We Come From out today on Mixpak, it only seemed right to celebrate with a FADER Mix from Dubbel Dutch that navigates deliciously summery notes from the worlds of R&B, pop to dancehall, kicking off with another Dubbel Dutch-produced Popcaan cut (full tracklist below.) Plus, check out Dubbel Dutch's favorite moments in dancehall history from our Summer Music issue.
Where are you right now? Describe your surroundings. Right now I'm sitting down in this temporary studio sublet in Brooklyn. I'm surrounded by dusty vinyl records and vintage synthesizers that don't belong to me. There's a poster of Mariah Carey on the wall. I'm only here for a couple of weeks so trying to use that as motivation to get as much music done as possible in that time. I mostly hang in my home studio where I produce at my standing desk so it's nice to tap into a different energy.
What vibe were you going for on your mix and what's on it? For this mix I dipped into my recent archives and featured some lesser known cuts (many by female dancehall deejays), a bunch of my own unreleased remixes ranging from pop to R&B records, and I also included the first track that I produced for Popcaan that finally came out today along with his debut album. There's also a track from UK artist Murlo featuring Gemma Dunleavy (a vocalist he's been collaborating with) and a new pop dancehall thing from Palmistry. The general vibe of the mix is uplifting, innocent, and ethereal. This will sound cliche, but it's a complete soundtrack for falling in love in the summertime.
How did you first get into dancehall? I always liked the disconnected reggae vocals in random electronic, bubbling house, and jungle tracks but didn't fully get into dancehall until 2009 when I started streaming The Heatwave show every Sunday on Rinse FM. I got really obsessed with 'riddims' and the idea that you could have several different vocal interpretations of one instrumental and the DJs would seamlessly 'juggle' back and forth between different tracks. The idea that music can be customizable like that isn't really a crazy concept today, but Jamaica figured this stuff out long before anyone else.
What's next for you following your work with Popcaan? Up until this point I've created mostly alone but currently I'm really open to collaborations with artists, songwriters, and musicians of every kind. [I'm] working on some more things with vocalists, but nothing specific to announce yet. I'm also starting the process of recording a Dubbel Dutch full-length. After working on and watching the process behind exactly how an album happens conceptually it doesn't seem as scary to me as it once did.
What's the last book you read that had a big impact on you? Recently I've been reading a lot since I downloaded this speed reading app for my iPhone where the words just scroll past you one at a time and you either have to keep up or die. Not sure how much I'm actually retaining yet but it got me through a lot of long train rides through Europe. The last book that really messed me up was David Brooks' The Social Animal. It basically reads like a novel and follows these two fictional people from the beginning to the end of their lives in different stages. When I finished it I was riding through the insanely beautiful Bavarian countryside and fighting pretty hard not to cry in front of random Europeans.
What's your favorite dish to cook and how do you make it? I'm definitely a chili and spice head and love things with intense flavors. [The] most recent thing that I made was a play on Indonesian Beef Rendang but adapted for a slow cooker. I don't really have time to prepare elaborate meals so I'm usually throwing whatever I got into crock pot and as long as you break every rule in the book and don't follow any recipes it usually comes out amazing.
Tracklist
Popcaan - Addicted (Dubbel Dutch Prod.)
Popcaan - Naughty Girl (Dubbel Dutch Hyperwine Rmx)
Gyptian - Vixen (Dubbel Dutch Hyperwine Rmx)
CK - I Wanna Be Down
Brandy - Hardly Breathing (Dubbel Dutch Rmx) Vs. Spice - So Mi Like It
Vybz Kartel - Love U Baby
Alexus Rose - Left Out
Toi - You'll Be Mine
Ellie Goulding - Burn (Dubbel Dutch Rmx)
Mya - Case Of The Ex (Dubbel Dutch Rmx)
Stylysh - Fall In Love
Rodney Jerkins - Shockwave (Remix - Instrumental)
Murlo & Gemma Dunleavy - Jasmine
Palmistry - Protector
Lil Troy - Wanna Be A Baller (Morning Ride Riddim)
Tinashe X Dubbel Dutch - 2 On (Rare Earth Riddim)