I was chatting with my mate who was
telling me about a conversation he had with his dad about dubstep. He decided
to play him a song, and chose Eastern Jam by Chase & Status. His dad
(presumably an old stoner) says it sounds Indian, like the shit he jammed to
when he was a kid. Then the bass drop comes in, and he goes “Yeah, we didn’t
have elephants in our music though”. And there we go. It’s bullshit. It no
longer has any grounds whatsoever in creativity or artistry. The common idea is
that the more it sounds like my grandmother moaning about her infected tone
nail, the better. Double points if you can get a whale into the mix too.
Don’t get me wrong, I used to love it, but my introduction to it was different from most people. I got into it by reading Pitchfork (yeah, I know) and for a while only listened to the stuff they put up in their article, “GRIME//DUBSTEP” which, incidentally, was very good. I loved it, but at the same time did not know why it was considered a dance genre... the beats I were listening to were Brian Eno-esque minimal with triplet bass drum patterns and syncopated beats the whole way through. This wasn’t the four-to-the-floor patterns of house and techno, and hence this wasn’t really something you could dance to (trust me, I tried). Instead, this was something which could only be described as experimental, or if you will, IDM. It was paced evenly, intricate, in a dread poet style lyrically, with dissonant harmonies - and always on a white label vinyl release.
Lets take my first, and still my favourite, dubstep record as an example - Untrue by Burial (aka Steve Goodman, the founder of the infamous record label, Hyperdub). Untrue maintains a vibe and style throughout the record which makes for a deep, rich, and enveloping sound. The beats play catch-up with your senses, incredibly sharp and poignant rim shots with the snare on the third beat mess with the time signature, and manipulated vocals and strings add emotion to what is an extremely intimate record. It’s hard to turn off, and once you get past “Shell of Light,” it is nothing short of compelling. Goodman’s production is lo-fi, done in his own home, with an emphasis simply on depth-drawing all influence from dub (most significant probably is Spaceape ft. Spaceape), two-step, and UK Garage. This is the sound of London dubstep at its prime.
This is the sound of London dubstep deteriorating into utter shite. If you thought of Rusko at this point, high five! If the names Caspa, 16Bit, Emalkay, Chase & Status, and Doorly came to mind then you definitely have the right idea. My take on it is that its value is simply in shock. Mainstream dubstep music in itself is simply a paradox - people enjoy it because it’s not enjoyable. It’s an incongruity which they even accept, saying how disgusting, filthy, and raw the tracks sound - you might as well put a chainsaw on a beat (funnily enough, this has been done - check 16Bit’s Chainsaw Calligraphy.) Dubstep has been pushed away from an ornate experimental subgenre of two-step to an indie fad, memories of 2008 and “nu-rave” even spring to mind.
Don’t get me wrong, I used to love it, but my introduction to it was different from most people. I got into it by reading Pitchfork (yeah, I know) and for a while only listened to the stuff they put up in their article, “GRIME//DUBSTEP” which, incidentally, was very good. I loved it, but at the same time did not know why it was considered a dance genre... the beats I were listening to were Brian Eno-esque minimal with triplet bass drum patterns and syncopated beats the whole way through. This wasn’t the four-to-the-floor patterns of house and techno, and hence this wasn’t really something you could dance to (trust me, I tried). Instead, this was something which could only be described as experimental, or if you will, IDM. It was paced evenly, intricate, in a dread poet style lyrically, with dissonant harmonies - and always on a white label vinyl release.
Lets take my first, and still my favourite, dubstep record as an example - Untrue by Burial (aka Steve Goodman, the founder of the infamous record label, Hyperdub). Untrue maintains a vibe and style throughout the record which makes for a deep, rich, and enveloping sound. The beats play catch-up with your senses, incredibly sharp and poignant rim shots with the snare on the third beat mess with the time signature, and manipulated vocals and strings add emotion to what is an extremely intimate record. It’s hard to turn off, and once you get past “Shell of Light,” it is nothing short of compelling. Goodman’s production is lo-fi, done in his own home, with an emphasis simply on depth-drawing all influence from dub (most significant probably is Spaceape ft. Spaceape), two-step, and UK Garage. This is the sound of London dubstep at its prime.
This is the sound of London dubstep deteriorating into utter shite. If you thought of Rusko at this point, high five! If the names Caspa, 16Bit, Emalkay, Chase & Status, and Doorly came to mind then you definitely have the right idea. My take on it is that its value is simply in shock. Mainstream dubstep music in itself is simply a paradox - people enjoy it because it’s not enjoyable. It’s an incongruity which they even accept, saying how disgusting, filthy, and raw the tracks sound - you might as well put a chainsaw on a beat (funnily enough, this has been done - check 16Bit’s Chainsaw Calligraphy.) Dubstep has been pushed away from an ornate experimental subgenre of two-step to an indie fad, memories of 2008 and “nu-rave” even spring to mind.
I mean look at Rusko’s new album - even
the title “OMG!” is farcical, let alone the dreary music. His first single,
“Woo Boost” - lets pause to appreciate the name - is ridiculous. Distorted
mid-range wobbled bass with simplistic drum patterns and an arpeggiated high
pitched synth makes for shit. What’s even worse is the music video - if it were
anyone else, I would have honestly thought the video was a joke. Painted in
garish colours, Rusko is dancing in slow motion with a key-tare wearing a
Union-Jack as a cape and sporting three, yes three, coloured Ray-Bans.
Dubstep isn’t music anymore, it’s cool. And honestly, fuck that, or at least rename it. Hopefully though, it’s not all that bad. Maybe dubstep’s recent claim to fame will increase the popularity of artists like Darkstar, Samiyam, Black Chow, Martyn, Ikonika, Bug, LV, Kode9, Joker, Dandelion, 2000F, Quatra 330, Zomby, Mala, and maybe even Burial can get in on the action. Further to the point, there is no way this shit will last as it is. It is the most repetitive music I have ever heard, and it won’t take long for us to get bored of both it and the jokes surrounding it. I guess I can only hope that this time next year, when I go to a house party, I don’t get the impression that they might just have a zoo in the garden...
Dubstep isn’t music anymore, it’s cool. And honestly, fuck that, or at least rename it. Hopefully though, it’s not all that bad. Maybe dubstep’s recent claim to fame will increase the popularity of artists like Darkstar, Samiyam, Black Chow, Martyn, Ikonika, Bug, LV, Kode9, Joker, Dandelion, 2000F, Quatra 330, Zomby, Mala, and maybe even Burial can get in on the action. Further to the point, there is no way this shit will last as it is. It is the most repetitive music I have ever heard, and it won’t take long for us to get bored of both it and the jokes surrounding it. I guess I can only hope that this time next year, when I go to a house party, I don’t get the impression that they might just have a zoo in the garden...
Written by Sir Peter Keffer
Edited by Sir Joe Thornalley
Edited by Sir Joe Thornalley
Good Article, but isn't Steve Goodman Kode9?
ReplyDeleteYeah i know, I realised this right after I wrote it but had the impression that no one will be reading this so just left it. I'll do the old switcheroo sometime soon though. Cheers anyways.
ReplyDelete