From construction sites to sound system warfare: Meet the man bringing real volume back to Perth.

If you were in the Perth scene a decade ago, you knew the drill. You started at Shape, you ended at a house party, and somewhere between the sunrise and the comedown, you talked about changing the world.

For most of us, that’s where the conversation ended. But for Damian Campbell (better known as DAJOCA), that sunrise session became a blueprint.

The founder of FILTH (the brand synonymous with Perth’s heaviest dubstep event) is the definition of “underground hustle.” He’s the guy waking up at 5 AM to work a full day as a tradie, only to come home and spend his nights booking international heavyweights and fighting council sound restrictions.

We sat down with the Filth boss to talk about the golden era of Ambar, the reality of the promoter gamble, and the breaking news about Perth’s sound laws that is about to change everything.

From 6AM Kickons to Rewriting the Rules: Inside the Mind of Filth

📓 The Origin: A Sunrise at Shape

Every empire starts somewhere. For Filth, it wasn’t in a boardroom; it was at a kickons.

“Our group had been out at Shape after a massive night, still going hard as the sun started coming up,” Damian recalls. “At some point, we pulled out a notebook… talking about how we could turn what was once just a house party we called FILTH into an actual event.”

The goal back then was simple: maybe, one day, book an international. Today, Filth has hosted stadium takeovers and locked in some of the biggest names in bass music. But the ethos remains the same: it’s about the crew, the notebook, and the music.

🏗️ The Double Life

There is a misconception that promoters are swimming in cash. The reality for Damian is a brutal, high-stakes grind.

“Everyone thinks promoters make crazy money, but the reality is I am putting up massive amounts of money upfront… The risk to reward is huge.”

Damian balances this risk with a surprisingly grounded reality: he’s still on the tools. Working 8-hour days as a tradie before switching into “Director Mode” at night gives him a perspective most industry types lack. It also keeps him hungry.

🧱 War Stories: The Ambar Sweatbox

You can’t talk about Perth bass culture without pouring one out for Ambar. For the new generation who missed it, Damian paints a picture of the night Subfiltronik touched down.

“I remember looking down the alley and the line stretched all the way to the next road—easily over 100 metres long.”

Inside? It was barely a venue; it was a pressure cooker. “Ambar turned into a small sweatbox within minutes… No dips, no breathers.. just nonstop chaos. One of those nights where the room feels like it might cave in, and everyone in it is perfectly okay with that.”

🔊 The Scoop: Bass is (Legally) Coming Back

Here is the alpha you’ve been waiting for.

For years, Perth’s outdoor events have been neutered by strict decibel limits. “You’d finally get a room moving and then have to pull it back because of external dB limits that weren’t designed for modern bass music,” Damian explains.

But that is changing.

With the new Special Entertainment Precinct framework rolling out in Northbridge, the game is officially un-rigged. “We’re talking up to around 90 dB(C) in core areas, compared to the old practical limits that sat closer to the mid-50s,” Damian reveals.

What does that mean for 2026? It means The Court is back in play. It means properly tuned systems. And most importantly, it means “no cutting the legs out from under a drop because of outdated rules.”

🔌 Pass the Aux

We ask every feature artist to answer a question left by the previous interviewee, and leave one for the next.

Incoming Question from WeLove Perth: “How do you deal when your passion becomes a business? How do you manage that feeling when numbers start becoming so important, but your passion goes beyond that?”

Damian: “It gets harder the older you get. The event industry is a grind and a great risk. When you have bills coming in, it’s very hard to live off events full time. I’m currently working 8-hour days as a tradie and then doing a few hours on my computer every night. It’s a massive workload and can be very stressful.”

Outgoing Question for the Next Organiser: “What got you into running your first event?”

🚨 Don’t Miss: The Final Send of 2025

If you want to see this philosophy in action, Filth is closing out the year with their biggest lineup in years THIS FRIDAY.

They are taking over The Rechabite for a two-stage assault featuring heavyweights PhaseOne, Beastboi., and Avance.

When: Friday, 19 Dec (9 PM – 2 AM)
Where: The Rechabite (Main Hall + Rooftop Takeover by 4KBRXWS)
Vibe: Good energy only. No troublemakers.

Grab your tickets via Megatix before they’re gone.