Presented by Goldenvoice: New Gold Standard
An Interview with WORSHIP
April 17, 2026
We had the chance to chat with Sub Focus, Dimension, Culture Shock, and 1991 of WORSHIP ahead of their weekend two performance at Coachella about what Drum & Bass needs more of, their festival experience, advice for up-and-coming producers, and more.
Who the f**k is WORSHIP?
Sub Focus: Worship is a drum & bass supergroup comprising of me: Sub Focus, Dimension, Culture Shock and 1991 - we’d all been friends with long careers in dance music, we have the same manager, started doing some buddy tours together and realised we had this great chemistry when we perform together. We’re united in our mission of taking our genre to the next level, spreading the gospel of D&B.
Dimension: Sub Focus is Jesus, Culture Shock is a mad scientist, 1991 is a member of Hells Angels and I am a vampire. Together we are Worship.
What first pulled each of you into drum & bass? Were there specific tracks, artists, or moments that really shaped your sound early on? Are there any non-D&B influences that have also helped shape your sound over the years?
Culture Shock: I first came across jungle / drum and bass on pirate radio stations in London. It sounded like nothing else on the radio and completely blew my mind. Instantly I needed to know who was making this stuff and how it was made…it all came from that
Sub Focus: My sound is a combination of growing up with 90’s and 00’s D&B, acts like Bad Company, with house and techno influences from trips to Berlin and Ibiza in my formative years catching the likes of Richie Hawtin. You can also chuck Daft Punk, Prodigy and Chemical Brothers in the mix.
1991: Funnily enough Sub Focus was a big influence on me getting into the genre initially alongside other artists like Pendulum, High Contrast and Netsky to name a few. Before I developed a love for D&B I came from a more rock/indie background which sometimes seeps through in my music.
Dimension: I was born the same year as Fred (1991), so my influences are similar. I used to tell myself, ‘if I could ever get to the level of Sub Focus, my life would be complete’. I used to be fascinated by James’ sound design and the way he crafted his records. Now I am incredibly lucky to share the stage with them.
How did the four of you come together? Was there a clear moment where WORSHIP officially “clicked”?
Culture Shock: Shortly before Nick (Sub Focus) joined the management company Fred, Rob and I toured the US together. We loved touring North America together but our music wasn’t connecting to the audience here. We knocked heads to think about how we could make our tours more engaging for fans. Nick joined the group and shortly after we first toured together as a group under the name Worship with a new sense of purpose. From our first show together it was clear it was more exciting for us and the audience. Everything has grown quite naturally from that point onward.
1991: Worship has taken various forms over the past few years. Initially we started touring North America and throwing parties under the name Worship while playing individual sets, but now it has turned into a full blown artist project. We’re super excited to be debuting so much of the music that we’ve been working on at Coachella and it feels like we’re only just getting started.
Dimension: After years of disillusionment, we finally had enough, and so we all sat down around a table and literally drew up a plan together to conquer D&B in the USA. For me, the Worship project ‘clicked’ on our very first show in San Francisco. There was a certain magic about that night for me. We put so much time and effort into trying to make our parties exciting, drawing a younger crowd and giving a reason to tell your friends or get your phone out and share the night online. Ultimately, however, we really had nothing to lose as D&B wasn’t in a great place in the USA, so we were really just shooting for the stars. I remember walking into the club and sticking my head around the curtain of the venue and immediately thinking ‘this is going to work.’ The energy felt electric not only for us, but I could see it was connecting for the fans as well.
How does your mindset shift when you’re playing or producing as WORSHIP versus on your own?
Dimension: It’s an incredible feeling having such a wealth of talent and experience by your side. We have all had successful careers in our own right, but to put all of that brainpower together, in one room is electric. We are incredibly lucky to be playing large venues now, and our sets represent that, but we’re sitting on a batch of new music which sounds super fresh which I’m so excited to unleash. Personally for me, the Worship project is inspiring me to make harder, more underground music in my solo releases again.
Culture Shock: Expected, it feels very much more than the sum of its parts. I think we’re making stuff we wouldn’t otherwise have produced individually. It’s a lot of fun in the studio and those moments when all four of us are simultaneously in the zone are incredible.
1991: There’s a different type of magic that occurs when we’re all writing music together, whilst it can be really challenging having lots of opinions floating around, when we strike gold it really is a ton of fun and super rewarding to be part of.
When you’re building a WORSHIP set for something like Coachella, what kinds of conversations are you having? And when you disagree, how do you actually work through it?
1991: There is usually a lot of back and forth when we work on our sets, it’s such a fine balance that we want to strike. We want a mixture of new music + our biggest hits + some more unexpected stuff. We all play differently when we DJ solo so we naturally have to think outside the box a bit and end up making edits/mashups of our solo tracks.
Dimension: It’s tricky because we could easily play together for four hours but we have to condense that into one hour. When you consider our own back catalogues, other people's music we’re feeling, as well as original Worship music, it can be a fun puzzle to work out. We definitely cater our sets to wherever we’re playing. We’re using Coachella to test out and debut a lot of new Worship tunes!
7. Fill in the blank: Drum & bass needs more:
Dimension: DJs standing on decks ;)
1991: Homegrown American D&B artists getting booked on big stages, US radio support Festival Mainstages, and less small clubs closing
8. Do you have any pre-show rituals, either individually or as a group, before going on Stage?
Dimension: Ciggies, tequila and a couple of squats
Culture Shock: I tend to like being fairly quiet, don’t like expending too much social energy before jumping about on stage.
1991: I usually smash a big energy drink pre show. We also love a Worship huddle just before going on stage.
9. Who are some up-and-coming DnB artists you’ve been rinsing lately? Anyone you’re especially excited about or want to collaborate with?
Dimension: So many to say! Subsonic is great at making fun edits and flips that we play a lot in our Worship sets.
1991: There’s a really young producer who sent us some great music recently called Flash, I think he might even be 16 but already showing tons of talent - could be one to watch!
Sub Focus: D&B wise I’m loving new music from Bou, SOTA & up and comer Hoax at the moment. We like to bring in a lot of inspiration from other genres: Prospa and Kettama are really killing for me atm.
10. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming producers? It can be about anything: how to stay inspired, how to remain grounded, how to effectively collaborate, or even just how to get started?
Dimension: I always try to remind myself that if you are excited to play something in your set, other people will be too. If I’m making a harder more dancefloor orientated track, one strange thing I always consider is if other DJs are going to feel cool playing the record I’m working on. I’d also dig deep and learn the power of social media. It’s a sad but undeniable truth that it is so important.
Culture Shock: I think a good place to start is to hone production skills by imitating your favourite artists but once you’ve got to a level the most important thing is developing your unique sound and identity. It’s possibly more important than ever, especially as there are so many tools and resources out there that will help you sound mediocre, to stand out from the crowd is more vital than ever. I’d recommend not listening to any current d&b for a bit and try to draw in influences from elsewhere.
1991: I think it’s always good to try and bring a fresh perspective somehow, but at the same time don’t get too lost trying to reinvent the wheel. At the end of the day music doesn’t always have to be completely unique for it to be good music.
If your Coachella experience was a track by each WORSHIP member, which would it be and why?
Sub Focus: “Roll Too Deep” ‘Gotta whole lot of friends around me’
Dimension: UK - we are out here flying the flag of UK culture!
Culture Shock: There for you
1991: Love Is The Answer - I’m feeling lots of love from the Coachella crowd, the experience has been very wholesome.
12. After Coachella Weekend 2, what’s next for WORSHIP?
Dimension: We are putting on our own festival in London for our European debut as Worship, as well as Lollapolooza and a whole host of other shows. We are also planning to release our debut release as a group so watch this space.
Culture Shock: We’ve got some huge shows coming up this year and also very excited to put out our first release!
1991: This year is looking absolutely stacked for us, some amazing shows mixed with tons of music on the way.
