Calibre (artist)

Calibre
Calibre playing at Marquee in Sydney in 2006, accompanied by 'Danni MC'
Background information
Birth name	Dominick Martin
Also known as	Loose Dragon
Origin	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres	Drum and bass, Liquid funk
Occupation(s)	Musician
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Quadrophonic, Signature

Calibre, birth name Dominick Martin, is a drum and bass and liquid funk, music producer and DJ hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He started producing at a young age. He is a classically trained musician, playing a variety of musical instruments. Martin started producing Drum and Bass in 1995 and his first signed release was credited under the now defunct Quadrophonic label.

He soon came to the attention of drum and bass DJ Fabio, who signed Calibre to his Creative Source label. While studying Fine Arts at the University of Ulster in Belfast, he became interested in the music of John Cage whose work was influential in titling Martin’s first album release Musique Concrète in 2001. Since his initial releases in 2001, Martin has been known for his consistent signature style and sound.

Short Circuits Magazine refers to him as "one of the quietest people in drum and bass". He shares tracks with only a small circle of friends. Martin has no website or even any blog presence to distribute his tracks online.

Over 20 years of music production, he has self-published over 60 singles and 10 albums. Also, according to UKF as of 2014, none of his original productions have ever been officially remixed.

In 2003, Martin decided to launch a self-published record label, Signature Records, which became his vehicle for publishing his music. Martin states, "There won't be any other artists on the label for the foreseeable future". For a few years the label's website ran of the back of Soul:R, the record label he ran alongside Marcus Intalex. With the Soul:R website receiving very few updates since 2006, Calibre has published most of his work and news through his own MySpace page which he however deleted in early July 2011.

November 2005 marked Martin's second full-length album release, through the Signature label, entitled Second Sun. Second Sun was released after much anticipation following his 2001 release. He stated, "I look upon my move to Logic as a process in the studio to be a second part of the story. But having said that, the 22nd is my birth date, it's my second album, I'm the second son in the family, this is the second phase production wise but for me its nothing to do with numerology, its more to do with reinvention, a new life." The album Second Sun is regarded by those working in and those listening to drum and bass as a landmark release for the genre. On 17 September 2008, BBC 1Xtra drum and bass DJ Bailey gave special praise to the title track of the album, noting it as the tune of the festival for Sun and Bass 2008, a dedicated drum and bass festival which is held in Sardinia.