Calibre

Belfast-born Dominick Martin began making drum and bass in 1995 after his older brother introduced him to jungle records. Martin was initially unconvinced by the music, then came to love it. Calibre is Martin’s name as a producer and DJ, and his early inspirations included LTJ Bukem, Fabio and Doc Scott. Fabio signed him to Creative Source, played his tracks on BBC Radio 1 and featured them at Swerve nights. Calibre’s debut album, Musique Concrete, arrived on Creative Source in 2001, establishing an early album release before Martin’s later work under his own name.

In 2002, Martin put out the EP Tell Me as Dominick Martin on Palette Recordings. He founded Signature Records in 2003, a label that has released much of his album work and focuses mainly on his own music. Calibre’s album Second Sun followed on Signature in 2005. He also worked with Marcus Intalex and ST Files as Mist:i:cal, a project that brought the three producers together with Soul:R, the label they operated. Their album The Eleventh Hour was released in 2007. Calibre and High Contrast collaborated on the 2004 release Mr. Majestic.

Calibre’s music draws on jazz, blues and folk, and spans drum and bass, dub and downtempo, as well as house and techno. Martin is also a singer, writer, painter and multi-instrumentalist. His releases have appeared on Creative Source, V Recordings, Soul:R and Hospital Records, as well as Signature Records. Calibre has made more than 24 albums, including experimental LPs built around songs. He has also worked with MC DRS, who often performs alongside him; their release Bad / Badder involved Mark Ernestus. Martin’s work with Marcus Intalex and ST Files included operating Soul:R, which closed in 2018, a year after Intalex died.

In 2019, Calibre released the album Planet Hearth, followed in 2021 by Feeling Normal. His remix singles include Small Circles (Calibre Remix) with Tyler Daley and Children of Zeus in 2024, and Lungs (Calibre Remix) with Ruti the same year. The 2025 single Surkit (Calibre Remix) paired his remix work with Reel By Real. In 2026, he released the album Tricklemore Sea on Signature, and the single Take The L Train (To 8 Ave.) [Calibre Remix] with Brooklyn Funk Essentials. Calibre also recorded a Resident Advisor podcast.