Toby Tobias is a London producer and DJ who works in house, electronic, space disco, minimal and disco styles. He begins making music in the late 1980s and early 1990s, after an early interest in records, remix culture and dance music. His formative influences include New Order, Stevie Wonder and early electro, and he starts using a simple Roland sampler for his first productions.

Early development

He learns production in the years around the first wave of rave music and says his first remix experience is hearing a Bros remix when he is 13. He buys his first electric guitar at 13 and spends time listening to records on a Sony Walkman. His mother also gives him Crucial Electro One for Christmas, which feeds into an early interest in breakdancing and club music.

His first recordings are based around techno and house, and one of them receives a play from Colin Faver on his Kiss show. While at art college, he begins DJing more seriously, plays records through a JBL sound system and starts organising his own parties, using his graphic design skills to make promotional material.

Production work and releases

An interest in deep sounds helps build his reputation as a DJ with a distinctive approach, and he begins playing further afield, including in Scotland and at Glastonbury. In 2000 he meets Craig MacCulloch, also known as Alexis Forge, and the two spend a year working with music software together. Those sessions lead to a large amount of new music, which is then sent to labels.

His recordings appear on Low Pressings, and one track is picked up by Steve Kotey for Bearfunk. He then releases music on Odori, Hi-phen, Rekids and Tiny Sticks. A Rekids release called A Close Shave receives strong reviews and brings further remix work.

Remixes, collaborations and side projects

Toby Tobias remixes artists and labels including Beat Freeze Records, Bent, Bloop Recordings in Portugal and Dialect Recordings. He also works on edits under the name Urban Myth, collaborates with Danny Clark for Latenightaudio productions, and takes part in a live studio project called Mythical Beast with Foolish Felix and Marcus Lee. The group includes a track titled Magical Creature.

He also works monthly at his own night with Danny Clark, linked to Latenightaudio, and is signed to Warm DJ agency. His later plans in the account include more overseas DJ dates, further releases on Rekids, Bearfunk, Members of the Trick/Sonar Kollektiv, Tiny Sticks and Urban Myth, and an album on Rekids.

Associated act

He is also associated with The Mythical Beasts.