This year is shaping up to be one final victory lap for experimental bass icon Tipper, who yesterday announced his plans to stop performing “sometime in 2025.”
Sharing the news in a brief email blast, the legendary British sound designer wrote, “After spending the better part of my adult life touring and playing shows, I feel like it’s time to stop. I’m very grateful for all the support over the years. It will be a wrap sometime in 2025. Peace Out.“
With the announcement, Tipper will now begin closing the curtain on a storied career. Tipper–first name Dave–started his musical ascent in the late 1990s, DJing in underground London clubs. An early inclination toward uptempo nu-skool breaks would feature in his 1999 debut album, The Critical Path, but a few years later, his pioneering work in the trip-hop genre would come to the forefront.
On the hunt to pave his own way in a music industry that was hesitant to adopt his left-field sounds, later groundbreaking Tipper albums like 2003’s Surrounded and 2005’s Tip Hop quickly made the artist a bass music cult hero.
A firm favorite in the festival landscape, Tipper has headlined countless events over the last two decades, including hallmarks of U.S festival culture like Summer Camp, Bonnaroo, Okeechobee, Red Rocks and his own Tipper & Friends event.
So far, Tipper is scheduled to perform at Texas Eclipse Festival, The Rendezvous and Lightning in a Bottle in 2024. More gigs are expected to be revealed in the coming months as music fans clamor for a chance to dive into his unique soundscapes one last time.
All of Tipper’s final tour dates will be posted to his Bandsintown page as they are announced. Though the end of his live performance career may be imminent, the producer has promised to update his official website with “all things Tippermusic,” hinting that we could still see new Tipper tunes released in the years to come.
Featured image credit: Tim McG Photography.
