For longtime fans and newcomers alike, this won’t be just another electronic music event. It’s a DJ set, a full live performance, Moonbeam’s birthday — and it’s the band’s first time playing in Denver since 2011.
More than anything, it’s a return to the visceral, communal experience that has defined Dubtribe since its beginnings in early-'90s San Francisco, long before the words “underground” or “DIY” became hashtags.
Finding a Sound, Finding Each Other
Dubtribe Sound System was never about fitting in — not in the club scene, not in the industry, and not in any genre box.Sunshine’s musical path began in the late-’70s punk scene and wound its way through reggae, free jazz, and ambient electronica before founding Dubtribe, which wasn’t a calculated genre shift. It was more an evolution of curiosity, discomfort, and a relentless desire to find meaning through sound and community.
In his words, the transition happened “not because I wanted to play house music,” but because he wanted to create something that captured the euphoria and soul of the Balearic cantina parties he stumbled into on the beaches of Majorca and Barcelona in the summer of 1989. “Packed little cantinas filled with people dancing and singing along. ... Grandmothers up on tables in black, people of all shapes and sizes having the best time,” he recalls. “I wanted that in my life and realized I was going to have to make it.”
After returning to San Francisco, he began experimenting with live sets that tried to replicate those shows — not just the sound, but the spirit. Eventually, Sunshine, Moonbeam, a sound engineer and a percussionist came together after one pivotal rehearsal. "That was all that was left of us, and so that was the beginning of what would become Dubtribe,” he explains.
From Rent Parties to National Tours
With clubs enforcing dress codes and few welcoming experimental electronic acts, Dubtribe started throwing its own parties. A South of Market apartment in San Francisco became the site of monthly all-night gatherings that blurred the lines between DJ sets and live performance.“We put everything in the back room, taped the door shut with duct tape, and just... did it,” Sunshine says.
Moonbeam recalls those early years as a time of creative necessity. “You simply can’t look to others to make things happen for you,” she says. “If you have a dream or a vision that you can see, then you can make it come true. That’s what we did then and what we still do today.”
It’s easy to romanticize the term “DIY,” but Dubtribe’s version was never a trend. It was survival. The group's sound didn’t fit the mold, so they reshaped the venue, too.
Soon, word spread. The musicians took their ethos on the road, crisscrossing the country in vans and playing in warehouses, on beaches, in basements and, eventually, clubs. “Places where that’s happening all the time, without promotion or elaborate presentation, have always been where we felt the most at home,” says Sunshine.
The Spirit of the Set
What sets Dubtribe apart to this day is a collective commitment to live performance. It doesn't play recordings of its beloved tracks. Instead, the group feels them, reinterprets them and invites the audience to become part of the experience.“No matter how many times you may have performed a song before,” Moonbeam says, “it’s different every time.”
That spontaneity is rooted in the duo's respect for the moment, the venue, the vibe, the people in the room. “Any gathering of people, however large or small, is a community,” Sunshine says.
Their sets involve drum machines and sequencers, but they’re never rigid. “We open ourselves to the music, the venue, the audience, the whole event,” Moonbeam adds. “We hope that all who come to see us will meet us where we are.”
Dubtribe’s best-known track, “Do It Now,” has become an underground anthem, but the group never set out to make a hit.
“We’ve been so lucky to be able to add a few words to the conversation,” Sunshine says.
Moonbeam is also happy with the song’s longevity: “I am so grateful that this track means so much to people and adds to our body of work.”
For Moonbeam and Sunshine, it was never about creating a product. It was about being present, expressing truth and letting the music speak. As Sunshine puts it: “This music comes from the universe. It is a gift. I am a vessel, a conduit. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.”
Staying Outside the Machine
Dubtribe has always stood at arm’s length from the commercialism of the music industry. It's not because the group comprises purists — Sunshine acknowledges the success of peers like Björk, Orbital and Aphex Twin with admiration — but because it didn’t feel right for them.“We resisted commercialism because it made us feel farther away from everyone...not closer,” Moonbeam says. “We didn’t want to compromise anything.”
The decision meant fewer resources and less mainstream visibility, but the payoff has been integrity, connection, and freedom.
“Persona is something that’s inevitable,” Sunshine reflects. “And it’s a beast to break free of. I haven’t learned yet how to have a sincere and authentic experience at a massive scale and not have to withdraw afterward... My ego is not my friend.”
What’s Next (and Why Denver Matters)
Moonbeam is excited to return to Denver — a city that’s long embraced Dubtribe’s open-hearted ethos.“We love Denver and it has been too long since we have played there,” she says. “We’ve been bringing the music we love — both in our DJ sets and as Dubtribe — everywhere people will have us. People have been really into it.”
The June 19 show at Temple will blend Dubtribe's past and present: a celebration of Moonbeam’s birthday, a full-circle moment for the duo, and another chance to co-create something unforgettable with the audience.
Looking ahead, they’re hopeful about new music and collaborations, but not in a rushed way.
“We hope very much to collaborate on new music in the future,” Moonbeam shares. “It’s hard to say what our legacy will be, but I hope that all we have done and contributed to house music and the scene reaches farther than I could ever have dreamed.”
Dubtribe Sound System, with Josh Wink and Kacey S, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 19, Temple Denver, 1136 Broadway. Tickets are $57.15.
