New Directions: 2step, Minimal and Beyond...

[boomnoise]

Dubstep...

Sorry mate, but if you don't like the sound you have two options:

a) stick with it and appreciate what artist do
b) make your own sound

But just because you don't like certain flavours/directions the music is going doesn't mean that others has to change their way of producing music.

Edit:
Actually, just listen carefully to Burial, Kode9, Boxcutter, Applebim, Shackleton, Tech Itch, Hijack.

I don't like the sound? I love the sound which is why you'll find me in raves from london to leeds, bristol to berlin. I just thought it was important to think about this stuff.

I throughly appreciate the music. And surprisingly i have listened carefully to the artists you've listed above.

I'm not telling anyone to change their sound. Just for people to think about where dubstep is and where it's going / can go.

And fyi i am working on beats, yes.

[metalboxproducts]

Dubstep...

Sorry mate, but if you don't like the sound you have two options:

a) stick with it and appreciate what artist do
b) make your own sound

But just because you don't like certain flavours/directions the music is going doesn't mean that others has to change their way of producing music.

Edit:
Actually, just listen carefully to Burial, Kode9, Boxcutter, Applebim, Shackleton, Tech Itch, Hijack.

I don't like the sound? I love the sound which is why you'll find me in raves from london to leeds, bristol to berlin. I just thought it was important to think about this stuff.

I throughly appreciate the music. And surprisingly i have listened carefully to the artists you've listed above.

I'm not telling anyone to change their sound. Just for people to think about where dubstep is and where it's going / can go.

And fyi i am working on beats, yes.

No arse licking intended here but, i would say that Boom is one of the most dedicated people on the scene. And probably one of the better informed.

[obiwan]

Why aye man


Moving on.... is Jammer a Geordie??

I've been buillin' innit and I wanted 2 make mainly halfstep or borderline reggae dubstep, but i find it easier to do a 2 step, or swung beat, and it sounds way better than my lfo bass type tunes, and now I am quite getting into the older, dark garage sound.Hold tight Benny Ill cos I think he selects the best 2 step sounds. I think next step is ragga/dancehall, already happened with Almighty Father and Check it, not to mention Soca big up the small island man and gyal dem
LFO will never die tho, people just need to make sure it doesn't sound anything like next man..
THE LFO IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE...

[subeena]

brklss wrote:
boomnoise wrote:
Dubstep...

Sorry mate, but if you don't like the sound you have two options:

a) stick with it and appreciate what artist do
b) make your own sound

But just because you don't like certain flavours/directions the music is going doesn't mean that others has to change their way of producing music.

Edit:
Actually, just listen carefully to Burial, Kode9, Boxcutter, Applebim, Shackleton, Tech Itch, Hijack.

well..it's not about telling people to change their sound, right?

as any kind of music you do find those kinds of "imitations" or tunes sounding randomly similar to each other which just make you think a little bit about it...

and it's not about producers themselves, but about a whole kind of music and its spontaneous evolution.

what has been done is one thing..it's good it's been done but it's also good that things keep on changing, right?

[dirtycash]

Demanding that producers make "2steppy minimal " is just as erouneous as claiming that 2006 was the year of the "half step wobbler".
If you look at what artists/tunes had an impact on a global scale, it's anything but just half step wobble. Burial, Kode 9 & Skream all came with albums that reached far & wide with diverse sounds that aren't easily lumped into one catergory of dubstep.
Ive heard Pinch's name crop up a bit as someone who is heading in an interesting direction, but he came with one of the largest 'wobblers' in recent times. How do you explain these contradictions. Everybody loved Caspa's 'Rubber Chicken' cause it was so undeniably stupid & fun, i dont think there is anything dark or stagnant about that.
Benga consistently incorporates large amounts of wobble, but he's one of the most brillant & inventive producers around.
Loefah tunes are some of the most minimal tunes imaginable.
Throw in many of the producers already mentioned plus any of the gold droppped on Hotflush or Slaughter Mob, Vex'd, Distance, Elemental, D1, Hijack, NType, Headhunter etc and the argument of a half step wobble dominance starts to look pretty stupid if you ask me!
The dance needs big stupid bass heavy tunes as much as it needs so called 2 steppy minimal. It's about all sounds, not one sound.
Finally i find it patently ridicoulous that the man that released the most
'wobble' of 2006 got voted third best producer & 2nd best tune by this forum and now everybody is saying that sound is shit!

[orson]

Boomnoise is scarily on point

oh yeh, and big up TRG!

word

[boomnoise]

Demanding that producers make "2steppy minimal " is just as erouneous as claiming that 2006 was the year of the "half step wobbler".

I'm not saying that 2006 was the year of half step and wobblers to the extent where i'm denying the existence of dubstep as varied and exciting. There are loads of half step and wobblers that i love to pieces.

Also i'm not demanding "2 steppy minimal". I see these as two different directions. And those which are emerging independent of what i necessarily want to see. I just happen to like these directions.

I'm sorry if my initial post came across demanding. I was just outlining my personal opinions on what's happening in dubstep at the moment.

If you look at what artists/tunes had an impact on a global scale, it's anything but just half step wobble. Burial, Kode 9 & Skream all came with albums that reached far & wide with diverse sounds that aren't easily lumped into one catergory of dubstep.

I did point out that there are tiers of dubstep producers. I'm not complaining about the work from these artists who innovate and create excellent music.

Ive heard Pinch's name crop up a bit as someone who is heading in an interesting direction, but he came with one of the largest 'wobblers' in recent times. How do you explain these contradictions.

it's not a contradiction because i'm not saying that half step and wobblers can't be huge tunes.

Everybody loved Caspa's 'Rubber Chicken' cause it was so undeniably stupid & fun, i dont think there is anything dark or stagnant about that. Benga consistently incorporates large amounts of wobble, but he's one of the most brillant & inventive producers around.

It's an anthem mate - i love it. And benga i love also.

Loefah tunes are some of the most minimal tunes imaginable.Throw in many of the producers already mentioned plus any of the gold droppped on Hotflush or Slaughter Mob, Vex'd, Distance, Elemental, D1, Hijack, NType, Headhunter etc and the argument of a half step wobble dominance starts to look pretty stupid if you ask me!

I'm not saying its dominating but there is a lot of music produced in this style which pales in comparison to the best stuff. Again, you're listing producers which i acknowledge to be at the top of the game. All doing very interesting things with their own distinct sound.

Dubstep is still immensely varied. It wouldn't appeal to me so much if it wasn't. I just wanted to get people talking about something which i know people have been thinking about for a while now. Surely its exciting to think about how things can/will progress.

The dance needs big stupid bass heavy tunes as much as it needs so called 2 steppy minimal. It's about all sounds, not one sound.

Couldn't agree more. Though again, i'm not advocating "2steppy minimal".

Finally i find it patently ridicoulous that the man that released the most 'wobble' of 2006 got voted third best producer & 2nd best tune by this forum and now everybody is saying that sound is shit!

Everyone is not saying that sound is shit nor that these producers dont make quality stuff. You seem to have misconstrued a lot of what i said to be honest.

[subeena]

[moving_ninja]

Big up for the brave thread boomnoise!!

I think one look at some of the half finished sessions in Reason, Logic, Cubase etc in the studios of the producers discussed in this thread would put alot of people's minds at ease though.

Most tunes see the light of day six months of even a year after they've been made.. so while istening to it at the time of release.. chances are the person that made is on something completely different..

One thing that the response from this thread shows though is that a change of similar effect as that created by tracks like Pulse X, The Judgement and Red is long overdue...

[pompende]

well, i think alot of this has to do with audience. this is an idea ive been kicking around since about this time last year. clearly the audience is one of the most influential elements in the sound of an electronic dance music scene as it is the audience who dances to the tunes and, in the strictist sense of this term, the audience is whom producers, and in turn djs, make music for.

most of us are acutely aware that the dubstep scene has changed substantially and quite rapidly, especially for international listeners. What, I argue, has made dubstep such a quality scene is the audience: initially this was a set of music made for and by very picky ukgarage dj-producers. The audience was, then, these cognizant djs for the most part; the music popular in this scene was that enjoyed over time by talented artists with similar interests.

Through media outlets such as radio1, internet magazines, blogs, and this forum, the dubstep audience has increased immensely. This means djs are no longer rating tracks solely on their own tastes, but also considering which tunes have the audience going nuts while, before, the audience may have been nonreactive, or nonexistant. The producers have responded accordingly.

since the scene is growing exponentially we observe a delayed response to emerging sounds. especially in a public forum such as this.

basically there is just so much goddamn hype that everyones vision is a bit clouded.
and apparently every third american with a record label decided they wanted to make some money off it.

christ i am taking the piss now or something, probably, coz it is about 345 am.

so, it is about time to shed this "Dubstep morning noon and night" mindset and remember that this is literally the Forum for us to enjoy and create Today's sound. with a lot of bass.

[dub boy]

. I think next step is ragga/dancehall, already happened with Almighty Father and Check it, not to mention Soca big up the small island man and gyal dem

I've been dropping Soca & Grime in my bashment sets for time now.... Soca & Grime snares sit together like a dream mate, and it's all proper lairy dancing tings. I've cained Almighty Father since it came out, still do. Bug records fit this vibe well too, well the less insane riddims anyway lol. Check Atki2's myspace also for a tune called Body Good... fits this vibe very well and he's got some more raggavibes on the way which are gonne be BIG

It's harder to incorporate dubstep into a bashment vibe, but some of the 'bangers' work well.

[bob crunkhouse]

THE LFO IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE...

hahahaha....gonna remember that one

[diablo]

Bigit boom for bringing it up!

I have to agree with what’s been said about Dubstep almost being tagged as an LFO sound. I love the LFO sound don’t get me wrong but now a days it seems to be just about the bass. But there is only so many parameters you can assign to an LFO, its been done now!

Personally I've been here form day one and have done the minimal thing, done the LFO's and now its time to move upwards. I'm from the harder, darker end of the scale and I'd like to see tracks with just a bit more that some delayed FX's and a wobbly bass line! I want feeling, Reso for one is someone pushing a new level in production. I'm looking for more rather than less. Something other than a catch bass rift to get my head nodding.

As D-Man says its better to be a shepherd than a sheep!

Bring on the Reso!!!!!

Just heard Metal Slug !!

Fuck nodding your head, this is moshpit in the dance material!!!

Almost had to get up and start breaking shit in my living room!!

Loving this tune

[james_knight]

Great to see some sensible serious debate.

If I wasn't so tired and didn't completely agree with Boomnoise's initial point/clarifications I'd throw my own two cents in.

[fushimi]

I don't think the issue is so much with the big producers, it's the "second tier" of producers who are less innovative and original releasing tracks that some might argue don't deserve to be out there, cluttering up the shops.

I think kast year's trend of people setting up their own labels to release stuff has something to do with it. If it's genuinely great tunes that people are clamouring for, great. But if you just set up a label to release a tune cos it's not good enough for any established label, what's the point?

[eleventigers]

I've been thinking a lot about all these things and i am feeling some big exiting thing inside of me, i know that dubstep is moving forward and i am enjoying this moment. But there is a question still....

Why mostly all dance music is based on 4 beat time signature? It seems that is just easier or smth for everyone to accept, to dance. There were thoughts about swing, but it has the roots in jazz where 4/4 sig. is just a part of many rhythms... That's why i started to think about all those 3/4, 5/4, 7/4, 9/4, 11/4 or even polyrhythmical grooves. That thing keeps me pushing forward something.

What i am looking for is some new thinking of how to go around 4/4. It is so heavy tied to dance music but maybe there is some hope..... Right now i am working on 5/4 :>

[sodium nightlife]

most dance music is in 4/4 cos that's how msot drum computers are set up and also becuase to try to mix 4/4 with 3/4 or 5/4 is pretty hard i should imagine. however James Holden, the techno producer, does like to mix up the time signatures in his set.

[jim]

Most of all popular music is in 4/4.

[jarman]

The only for sure solution is for producers, dj's, and listeners alike to keep asking these questions. One day, the 2-step and minimal elements may well be played out in turn, and the drive for further progression is going to come from some of the very well informed individuals who have discussed this in here.
All I know is that I'll keep my ears tuned, and there's a great chance that I'll love what I hear.

Just last weekend a Vancouver local dropped some of his newly produced tracks at a dirty little underground party. The DJ was Taal Mala ( http://www.myspace.com/taalmala ), and what he was dropping was like no dubstep I'd heard.

What makes me so excited about dubstep is the leaps and bounds it's made in such a short time. No other field of music has done such in years. It's all been slight variations of the status quo, to my ear. I get bored easily, but half of my enjoyment is scanning back into my older files, and reliving over a week the strides dubstep has made. The other half is watching the global flood of interest in the music, and the increasing diversity of the sound.

Just keep asking questions people, please.

[superisk]

I don't think the issue is so much with the big producers, it's the "second tier" of producers who are less innovative and original releasing tracks that some might argue don't deserve to be out there, cluttering up the shops.

I think kast year's trend of people setting up their own labels to release stuff has something to do with it. If it's genuinely great tunes that people are clamouring for, great. But if you just set up a label to release a tune cos it's not good enough for any established label, what's the point?

On point

Also agree with Sec, its moving in the directions we all want it too and more. As its still so segrigated, different homes of dubstep are taking on their own sound.

London willl always be the king of dirty halfstep, 2step, wobble an all that got us into dubstep in the first place

Bristol is pushing the wonky techno/ minimal vibe and hench have created a whole dark/twisted sound of their own

And big things comming out of America, Europe etc

No one wants to listen to repetitive shit, recon thats why most of us feel dubstep the way we do, theres plenty of life left