Interview: In Conversation with Dave Shichman: Finding the Words for His Vibe City Debut

Dave Shichman knows drum and bass from several sides of the booth. As a producer and vocalist, he brings his own songs and instruments into the music. Through New York’s Driven AM, he also helps other artists find a stage and an audience.

His Vibe City debut brings those musical connections into focus, pairing collaborations with T:Base and Puerto Rican duo NRV. We caught up with Dave to explore what goes into the songs, how he approaches a room full of dancers, and the city behind his forthcoming Dirtbox project.

You’re making your Vibe City debut with two collaborations. How did the connection with the label come about, and what made these the tracks you wanted to introduce yourself with?

I’ve got a good relationship with Lee of Dirtbox and have been trying to release a liquid EP on Vibe City for a minute. These tracks have a similar vibe and pair well together. Both tracks are vocal-driven deep tunes.

Take us back to the first idea for Make Me Stay with T:Base. What did you start with, and what did the other person bring that changed where the track was heading?

Originally, T:Base sent me a work in progress with some melody and drums. At first, I added a few guitar lines and melodic parts. We listened and reflected on it for a minute until I realised it needed vocals.

I was in Mexico City last year and spent an hour playing the song on repeat, wandering around in the rain, harmonising with the song in my ear. It was a memorable and somewhat emotional day. It was on that day in CDMX that the lyrics and melody came together. I used a voice recorder while walking and relistened and rerecorded until it felt right. I came home and recorded the vocals, and the track was done!

Your own vocals feature on both tracks. What were you trying to say in each song, and how much of yourself do you feel comfortable putting into a lyric?

My lyrics are a reflection of what I am feeling in the moment. They are poetic and very much open to interpretation. They always mean something to me, but I appreciate that they can mean something different for others. I welcome different interpretations. I like to sing about moments, feelings, time, and sometimes play with words. My lyrics are not always about me, but reflect the state I’m in at the time of recording.

On the NRV collaboration, how did you, Trixx, and Judge work out the relationship between the vocal sections and the drop? Was there a particular version where it all clicked?

I have known them both for a long time. Trixx in particular, and I go back more than 15 years, both having played for each other in PR and NYC respectively. I played Let It Roll in Puerto Rico last year and was thrilled to reconnect with my Puerto Rican DnB fam. They have been making really fun, funky music and we knew we needed to collaborate.

They sent along a track in process and I immediately connected with it. I think it took me a few months and tries in the studio to get it where I wanted, but the lyrics, vibe, and flow all developed naturally and somewhat fast.

Your biography mentions playing guitar and keys as well as singing. Where did that musical side begin, and how do you decide whether a drum and bass track needs something played live?

I have been writing, singing, and playing music since I was a young child. I remember writing Disney-style songs when I was around seven. Music has always been a huge, huge part of who I am. It moves me in ways almost nothing else can.

I tend to reach for guitars and keys in almost all my tracks, often balancing between heavy and deep. Sometimes it works better than other times, and I’m still working on finding the right balance between acoustic and electric instruments. As my production improves, I find more creative and fitting ways to incorporate those elements in all varieties of DnB. It feels really natural to reach for a guitar or two and add some vocals over my music.

You’ve opened for artists as different as Hedex and LTJ Bukem. How do you work out what a warm-up set needs, and can you remember a night when the crowd took you somewhere you hadn’t planned?

I’m a huge proponent of DJs being able to play a wide range of music, play to the crowd, and set up whatever act they are booked for. I’m a bit of an overthinker when it comes to the tracks I play and I think pretty hard about what style the headliner is going to bring before I put together some tracks for the night. I like to keep my set around the same range as the headliner.

I’m also a planner, and spend time on mixes and transitions. However, I’m very comfortable switching it up if I think the audience is expecting something else. I can’t remember a particular night, but there have been many nights that I see perhaps the deep liquid stuff or the jump-up adjacent is not working and I have to shift to another style.

Randall used to say, pick someone on the dancefloor who is not feeling it, and play to them, make them dance. If you succeed, you will get the rest of the dancefloor. I did that recently and it worked.

You’ve held residencies at Direct Drive and Secret Art of Science. Is there a particular night from those years that still shapes how you play to a New York crowd?

I’ve always been into playing diverse sets. I try to include most subgenres of the music; up and down progression sets. I remember very early on, over 20 years ago, I played a Jungle Brothers remix into Klute’s Take A Stand, and the crowd was like whoa.

Back then the sets were not quite as diverse as today. People seemed to stay in their lane a little more, but I was not into that, and I distinctly remember people commenting on that creative mix of two sorta separate styles at the time. I do the same thing today when I drop a deep, funky liquid track, then a measure or two later layer on a hard, rolling, simple, crunchy track like something from Enei. It’s fun, unexpected, and dancefloor.

With Driven AM, you’ve worked on the artist management, label, and promotion sides of the scene. From that position, what is the biggest obstacle facing a New York producer trying to build an audience now, and what can you do to help them get past it?

One of the things I love most about my place in the music industry is mentoring and helping younger acts. I am only in this scene because I was welcomed in many years ago with open arms, and I try and bring that energy to new blood.

The label is a great way to help push younger talent. I don’t care how ‘big’ someone is, or how many tunes they have out already. If you make good music, I want to release it!

It is very hard to break out as a DnB act in North America with our limited scene (compared to much of Europe), but the cream rises and people are building their name here for sure. It’s important for producers to network and get their tunes to producers/labels/DJs. I’ve seen too many great tunes die on someone’s computer because they are not into sharing and networking.

We’ve heard you’re curating a New York artists album for Dirtbox’s 100 project. What can you share about it, and how are you choosing music that represents the city? Is there someone involved whose work you’re especially keen for UK listeners to discover?

I’m so excited for this release!!! NYC means so much to me, and to be able to curate an album on Dirtbox is very special to me. NYC is a funky, diverse city, and the EP reflects that! All styles of DnB. I’m particularly excited for my friends TRIPLE STACK (Ben Soundscape, Hamone, Tekill) who have been making amazing music and getting it played by some DnB superstars.

Finally, you’re stranded on a desert island with a working record player and just one record. What are you taking, and why that one?

At the risk of letting down my DnB fam, lol, it would probably be Tom Waits’ Closing Time, or Iron & Wine’s Our Endless Numbered Days. If I had to pick a DnB tune to be stuck on an island with, it would be Hybrid Minds’ Touch (featuring Catching Cairo).

Thanks to Dave for sharing the stories behind the tracks and his perspective on supporting New York’s producers. His Vibe City debut with T:Base and NRV is released on 18 September 2026 through Beatport and Spotify, with the worldwide release following on 2 October.