Get to Know Rising Dubstep Artist ANVBIS

Bay Area-based DJ and producer ANVBIS is gearing up to take the scene by storm and swung by to chat about his journey so far.

ANVBIS might be one of the newer artists in the bass music realm, but he’s already begun to turn heads with his sets that are packed with plenty of heat. Turn back the clock, and you’ll find a raver who fell in love with electronic music during the height of the EDM boom and began DJing just for fun, but once he moved to his home in the Bay Area, everything changed.

Since then, ANVBIS has taken the stage at local hotspots in San Francisco, like DNA Lounge and 1015 Folsom, while also gracing the decks in Oakland, Sacramento, and even the bass capitol itself, Denver. He’s also churned out a number of releases on SoundCloud, including “Tribal Dance,” “Future Bounce,” and a flip of Marauda’s “Umbra,” but it’s clear this was only the start.

This year has seen ANVBIS take the next step in his career by dropping a massive collaboration with another rising act in the scene, ZERØTONIN, called “Triumph of the Fallen.” Having spent over a year working on the track, its final version marked a new era for this rising Bay Area star, not only showcasing the heavy bass and drums that have helped define his sound, but his ability to collaborate with other artists as well.

Now, with the rest of the year ahead of him and a b2b set with ZERØTONIN on the horizon up in San Francisco, ANVBIS swung by to dive into his history, his experience in the scene so far, and what’s to come in the future. Listen to his guest mix and read on for the full conversation.

Stream EDMID Guest Mix 375 || ANVBIS on SoundCloud:

Hi ANVBIS, thanks so much for sitting down with us today. Before we get into your recent work, let’s turn back the clock a bit. Tell us about your earliest experiences with electronic music and the scene and how that shaped you into who you are today.

Thank you so much for having me! I first started listening to electronic music around the 2012 era, and have always loved it since. It wasn’t until 2018 that I found out about raves and went to my first one in Chico. I went to see the Snails’ 2.0 tour and instantly fell in love with the bass, the people, and the overall environment as a whole. This was the start of my production and djing journey!

Was there a specific moment when you realized you wanted to pursue a career as a DJ/producer? What led to that decision?

It was a series of events that led to this for me. I started selling real estate while making music and DJing for fun, which was a healthy balance. I ended up moving to the Bay Area out of nowhere and went deep into the scene out there. I noticed how much room for growth there was and dug deep into this.

Moving to the present, you recently teamed up with ZERØTONIN for a massive track, “Triumph of the Fallen.” Can you walk us through the production process behind this tune? How did it come to life?

“Triumph of the Fallen” was a process that took over a year to complete. It started out with me sending him a very rough drop idea, and he built an amazing intro for it. Once the project was sent back to me, I had even more ideas to develop the drop and rearrange things. We slowly kept making adjustments and sent back and forth when we had time because we weren’t in a huge rush; we just had a lot of fun with it!

You’re also gearing up to play a b2b set with him later this month at DNA Lounge. What’s your approach to sets like these as a whole compared to solo performances? Do you prep differently for it?

Personally, I like to have a full set planned out as if it was a solo set. I like to know what songs will transition well into others, what doubles will work, etc. What ends up happening is we each do a few drops and then pass it over to the next person. I don’t prep differently for these kinds of sets, but the beauty is that I have no idea what it will turn out to be live! It’s an experience that is new for not only us but the fans as well.

Since you’re based out of Northern California – what’s your favorite part about the scene there? On the flip side, what’s your least favorite part?

So I’m from Corning, CA, and there is absolutely nothing in this town. [Laughs] But Chico is only 30 minutes away, and they’ll have great shows every once in a while. The nice thing is I can still get bookings in the Bay Area and Sacramento, considering they’re only a couple of hours away. My favorite part is that I get to keep my peace out here without the chaos of the city. My least favorite part is I can’t see the John Gang as often as I used to

It’s not always an easy road for rising artists who are trying to make their break in the scene. Can you share some of the struggles you’ve faced so far in your career?

When trying to grow in this scene, there are so many challenges that you’ll face. Learning how to DJ, how to produce, how to get bookings, how to build a brand, how to network properly, etc. Doing all of this while maintaining a healthy lifestyle with work, friends, and family is extremely difficult. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and connect with your community!

Building off that, what has been the biggest piece of advice you’ve received so far that you feel has helped you out significantly?

DO NOT STOP. KEEP GOING. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve in the rest of 2023 and beyond?

By the end of this year, I want to have enough of my own tracks to put out a showcase. My main focus is to really hone in on my branding and create something that can help people heal in some way. Outside of music, I would like to have my real estate career back up and running within the next few months.