Dieselboy is the stage name of Damian Higgins, an American drum-and-bass DJ and producer born in Tarpon Springs, Florida. His early musical experience included playing drums in a school marching band and DJing at high-school dances. His DJ career began in northwest Pennsylvania, and he later studied at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1994, his mixtape The Future Sound of Hardcore brought bookings beyond his home area. Two years later, British drum-and-bass label Suburban Base invited him to mix Drum & Bass Selection USA, making him the first American DJ asked by the label to mix a compilation. His single Invid reached Billboard’s dance chart in 2000, becoming the first drum-and-bass single to chart there.
Dieselboy founded Human Imprint in 2002, initially as a subsidiary of System Recordings before it became independent. That year he also co-founded SubHuman, an imprint for dubstep and electro, and released the album projectHUMAN. His releases have appeared on Moonshine and Palm Pictures. Other notable mix albums include A Soldier’s Story and The 6ixth Session. The 2006 album The HUMAN Resource came out on Human Imprint, while Wake the Dead was released as a mix in 2012. He has also worked in dubstep and electro.
Dieselboy was part of Planet of the Drums with AK1200, DJ Dara and MC Messinian. A 2017 interview covered his four-deck DJ technique, his touring project with Downlink, Blood, Sweat and Bass, and his commitment to drum and bass. Based in Brooklyn, he discussed his favorite 2018 drum-and-bass release and things he enjoys doing in San Diego in a 2019 interview.
Dieselboy’s 2015 single Carcosa, made with Downlink and Mark the Beast, appeared on SubHuman and Uplink Audio. In 2017, Dieselboy and Mark the Beast released the single Angel Dust; that year he also worked with Bare and Mark the Beast on the SubHuman single Demolition feat. Armanni Reign. Their 2018 single Stagediver came out.
