Ali Shirazinia is a name that is written in EDM folklore; initially as a part of the supergroup Deep Dish with partner in crime Sharam Tayebi, but now as a bona fide solo superstar.

From the beginning, Deep Dish always did their own thing — as Shirazinia describes, they were about bridging the gap between house and techno.

“We loved what was going on in Chicago and New York in the early days and in many ways it has come full circle. Within the evolution of music, it was always about reintroducing things to an entirely new generation. It's what we did then and it's what I'm doing now.

“But now, technology is allowing us to transform what we were doing before. Everybody pretty much has access to new technology. But on the flipside, the market is super saturated with a lot of mediocre stuff — not even bad stuff — just ok stuff, so it's hard to maintain a level head about how you judge a track. Trying to stay in touch with all of it has definitely gotten harder over the years.”

Needless to say, as a solo artist, the man has been keeping rather busy. “I've been playing a lot of gigs — a ton actually — and it kind of screeched to a halt on January 5 when I had my last gig in Playa Del Carmen. And rather than go on holiday like a lot of us typically do, I just decided that I had so many ideas I'd been saving for the moment where the gigging would stop, so I could sit down and just flesh out some ideas and try to make some tracks without any distractions. So I've been in the studio literally every single day and I've come up with some really great music.”

Ali has moved into a smoother, if not darker, form of music that is unmistakably techno. “I'm really driven by the music that I'm hearing in the clubs,” he says. “Playing alongside a group of DJs — guys you've heard or haven't heard before — and really just taking it all in and processing it somehow and then having it inspire and influence me in the studio.”

Dubfire play Future Music Festival, at Doomben Racecourse, Saturday March 3. futuremusicfestival.com.au