Dom Whiting is seems to be everywhere. Whether you’re a cyclist or not, you are probably familiar with the drum and base spinning, bike-riding DJ. He rides a modified electric Christiania, equipped with a built-in deck-stand and a long, curving camera arm that captures Whiting as he moves through Berlin or Barcelona or Bristol, with crowds of cyclists following behind, some stopping to dance mid-ride, others holding dogs – or babies – next to a mic-wielding Whiting.
“It just attracts people for walks of life, whether they’re on a bike or exercise machine or whatever, people want to be involved in it,” Whiting told Cycling Weekly.
“I feel like this is a good opportunity for me to encourage that that safety aspect to the to the broader public, and also making it a bit more apparent through the night ride,” Whiting says.
“We went from one person to 50 people, to 100 people, to 500 people in such a short period of time. I think it was all also elevated and exaggerated to an extent, because we couldn’t have music [during lockdown], and we had just lost a lot of our community feel,” he explained.
Five years into D&B on the Bike, and multitasking is second nature to Whiting, who near-effortlessly juggles the use of a mic, a DJ deck and a bicycle, all at the same time. Families, first-time bike-riders, dogs and even babies have been seen among the throngs riding with Whiting – and it’s no surprise, his commitment to the communities he rides with fringes everything he says.
I ask him about the night ride this Friday and he tells me about the need for people to keep safe while cycling. I ask him about the most interesting people he’s met, and he says it is watching repeat riders grow.
“There’s lots of standout moments at every ride, especially the cat that was quite cool,” Whiting says of the deaf cat who was placed near his decks during a ride in London.
“But Barcelona definitely is my favourite ride. There’s a kid that came to the first ride I did – Oliver. I don’t know how old he was – he must have been, like, seven? Every time I’ve gone back there, he’s always been there. And you can literally see him get older, you can see his growth just from the first ride and then the third ride, and his dad always comes. So, yeah, that’s definitely a standout ride for me.”
I ask Whiting about the power of the bike, and about how it feels to “reclaim the streets”. For Whiting, his mass, community ride outs aren’t purposefully political, “ we should be able to just go out and just play some tunes, and just go out because we can,” he says. “I’m not doing [drum and base on the bike] to make a point of it. I’m doing it because it just brings everybody together. People who don’t ride bikes come out anyway because they want to experience it.”
“I’ve always wanted my rides to bring people together through the love of music and bikes,” he added.
The world is changing fast, and even in the short five years Whiting has been leading these group rides through cities throughout the world, he’s seen more and more people taking up biking.
“I think cycling as a whole is getting bigger everywhere,” he says, “especially in London. But every time I go back to a city, I notice the [cycling] infrastructure change. Of course, it’s not because of me, but I feel like what I’m doing is raising awareness for cycling and sustainable movement.”
“This year, I’ve really sort of honed in and appreciated what Drum and Base on the Bike is, and the fact that it just attracts people from all walks of life, whether they’re on a bike or exercise machine or whatever, people want to be involved in it.”
“I never envisioned doing this when I was a kid, or when I was at school, or whatever. I was just a typical council kid, just trying to make a buck. But at the end of the day, when I get on the bike, it just feels natural.”
You can join Whiting on the ride out with Unit 1 this Friday 28 at 6pm at Pub on the Park in London Fields. The event promises to “bring together hundreds of riders to experience a night ride unlike any other, one that merges nightlife, music, and urban mobility in celebration of visibility and togetherness.” Strap a light onto your bike and join the party – sign up here.