Music, for many, serves the powerful role of being a time capsule, instantly taking you back to your first drive after getting your licence, or your first Maccas run after a breakup.
As music passes through the years, it serves as a record of all occurring in that place and time, and travelling through time via music reflects so much of what it means to be human. Hot Dub Time Machine has been celebrating this reflective journey for years now, and turning it into the best party ever.Mr Hot Dub, Tom Lowndes, aptly uses DJ software based on vinyl for the expedition. "I'm using Serato," he shares his process.
"I went directly from DJing with actual records in the 2000s to DJing with Serato, where you use the records to control the computers. I also DJ with video, so every song has a video, which you can't do with records.
"I DJ much better with records than anything else. I love them. Sometimes when you see a DJ, who the hell knows what they're actually doing up there, but people see me put my hand on the record and the music stops, or they see me scratching the record and it moves the visuals.
"There's an organic connection between what I'm doing and what you're hearing. That's something that's missing in live electronic performances sometimes, that connection between seeing something and hearing it. Vinyl gives you that."
Lowndes thrives on the challenges and immersion Serato offers. "When I did Splendour In The Grass, a drunk guy charged the decks and the needle got knocked off the record and the whole party stopped.
"I wanna make mistakes and have the sweat from what I'm doing be obvious. You don't want things to be too perfect and it never is with records, they're always drifting. I've been sober for almost five years now. You just get high from the joy of doing the shows."
With hundreds of thousands of ticket sales across the world under his belt, Lowndes knows a good mash-up. He recounts his strangest concoction, and finding balance as a performer.
"In the very first Hot Dub Time Machine I did, I mixed 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' with 'Red Right Hand' by Nick Cave, and it was very clever and it worked really well, but after that gig, one of my mates said you cannot do that. 'This is 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. We don't want to hear a mash-up at that moment, we want to hear you play the song', and so I've taken that to heart.
"You gotta balance doing stuff that's interesting on a technical level with keeping a dance floor going. No one wants to see me do a scratch solo for 50 minutes, that's not funky, but if you can do something that shows that you're actually DJing and elevates the thing, then hell yeah.
"One of my favourite mixes is 'Yeah!', Usher into Gwen Stefani. It works because the lyrics of the song go together, and it makes both songs better. If it's a good mash-up, you can make both songs better."
A huge part of Hot Dub Time Machine for many years was Lowndes' wife Plim, who served as the journey's cabin crew and guidance. As life took over, Plim took on more at home, while maintaining her art businesses.
Lowndes reflects on how the couple encourage one another in their creative pursuits. "As our lives got more complex, she had to step back from actually participating in the shows. Our kids are at school now, so it's harder to bring the family to gigs, but she has her own businesses, she's an artist, and does really great with that.
"I'm very lucky to be with somebody who was so comfortable letting me take risks. I started Hot Dub when we had our first kid, and I was like, 'I'm gonna leave my job and become a DJ'. We've always tried to encourage each other, 'cause both of us can be quite up and down, have moments of inspiration and moments of doubt.
"When one of us is inspired, we just try to go, 'yes, you can do it, don't hold back'. So I was like, 'I'm gonna start a time travelling dance party', and she was like, 'yes, do it'. It's great. She never tells me to slow down, and I try to do the same for her."
Hot Dub Time Machine is part of a stellar line-up for the Sunday leg of Perth's Electric Island next week, the event also staging a second Perth event a day earlier. Electric Island will also land in Adelaide in early April, while sister festival Electric Warehouse will visit Sydney and Melbourne.
The Perth edition will flow over two days with Duke Dumont and Hayden James taking the helm on the iconic Cottesloe Beach for day one, as the fun continues with The Presets, Darude, Crooked Colours and, of course, Hot Dub Time Machine following on day two. The 2026 WA edition will be even bigger, featuring music across three days.
"I've played in every venue in Perth over the years, and so we were trying to find something different for the Perth Hot Dub fans, something on the beach," Lowndes says.
"It's bloody hard. Fortunately, Electric Island came along and were like, 'you can do it with us'. Then they started putting the line-up together there and I was like, 'oh man'. The Presets, Julian in particular is my idol. I respect both him and Kim, but I have a man crush on Jules. To be on the same line-up as them and the day after Hayden James, it's going to be a fun time."
The beach location causes Lowndes to reflect on outdoor versus indoor venues, and fond memories. "Obviously a sweaty, little venue is the most intense thing to see. I saw The Presets in 2005 at the Annandale Hotel, and there were 80 of us there with sweat dripping off the ceiling. Outdoors is a different thing because the scenery and being in the environment is so beautiful.
"It's a different kind of joy that feels nice. If you're on a beach you love, and obviously people who live in Western Australia love the beach, it's iconic. So hopefully everyone will be having a great time, which leads to a good show."
Lowndes leaves by sharing his all-time inspiration. "I've already said The Presets and Julian Hamilton in particular are huge idols of mine, but DJ Shadow is my biggest. I adore him. I saw him recently. He's so interesting. It's always DJ Shadow."
Electric Warehouse & Electric Island 2025 Tour Dates
Fri 4 Apr - Electric Warehouse @ Hordern Pavilion (Sydney)* selling fastSat 5 Apr - Electric Island @ Cottesloe Beach (Perth)* selling fast
Sun 6 Apr - Electric Island @ Cottesloe Beach (Perth)* selling fast
Fri 11 Apr - Electric Warehouse @ PICA (Melbourne)* selling fast
Sat 12 Apr - Electric Island @ Glenelg Beach (Adelaide)
Electric Warehouse & Electric Island 2025 Line-up
SYDNEYDuke Dumont
Hayden James
Trilucid
PERTH (Day One)
Duke Dumont
Hayden James
Eli & Fur
Trilucid
Yorp DJs
PERTH (Day Two)
Hot Dub Time Machine
The Presets (DJ set)
Darude (Storm Live 25)
Crooked Colours (DJ set)
Late Nite tuff Guy
XTINA
MELBOURNE
Duke Dumont
Hayden James
Eli & Fur
Trilucid
Market Memories
ADELAIDE
Duke Dumont
Hayden James
Nora En Pure
Eli & Fur
Trilucid
DJ Souli
Hot Dub Time Machine 2025 Tour Dates
Sat 29 Mar - Riviera Beach Club (Melbourne)Sun 6 Apr - Electric Island @ Cottesloe Beach (Perth)
Sat 26 Apr - The Goods Shed (Hobart)
Fri 2 May - The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Sat 17 May - BASSINTHEGRASS (Darwin)
Sat 24 May - Hordern Pavilion (Sydney)
