Watch: Tobes brings the club home with immersive live sets for every mood

Hanoi-based, Wales-born artist Toby Dobson aka Tobes is launching a new live music project that marks an exciting evolution in his creative journey.

Known for his dynamic house and UK-inspired DJ sets, Tobes has spent the last five years performing at clubs and festivals such as (Re)Treat, Likdo, and Wonderfruit.

Now, he’s shifting away from club-centred music to create an immersive audiovisual experience intended for relaxed home listening, launching on YouTube today.

The project comprises four distinctive live-recorded sets, each with its own thematic colour: Dusk, Sapphire, Tangerine, and Magenta. These sets blend genres including r’n’b, hip-hop, electronica, UK rhythms, jazz, and electro, all woven together with haunting vocals and synth-heavy layers.

Tobes' live performances are carefully arranged using a Push 2 controller and custom effects mapped to a Novation Launch Control, allowing him to shape the music in real time.

“With this project, I didn’t need to be conscious about keeping people dancing... I was envisioning people listening while laying on the sofa or cooking dinner,” Tobes shares with Mixmag Asia, highlighting the departure from his club-focused roots for this particular project.

By designing each set with a different vibe, he aims to match various moods listeners might have in a home setting.

Each performance is enriched by ambient lighting that transforms the room, creating a vibrant yet mellow backdrop that enhances the music's atmosphere.

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Tobes explains that this visual component, inspired by channels like Tiny Desk and My Analog Journey, aims to immerse viewers: “The visual element allows me to better focus on the music… it’s easier to get lost in it, without dividing my attention somewhere else.”

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This project represents a shift in Tobes’ artistic path, as he experiments with a new format that merges live performance with visual storytelling. It also marks a maturation as an artist, pushing him toward a deeper authenticity in his craft.

“I now have more confidence to stay connected to what I really like instead of trying to please a crowd,” he says, inviting listeners to experience his work in a new light—quite literally.

Watch Dusk below, and enjoy the other videos on Tobes' YouTube channel here.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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