The Dubstep Oeuvre

boomnoise · Post by **boomnoise** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:04 am

Right now in late 2007 the dubstep sound has been propagated world wide and this very forum is getting a stupid amount of hits from all over the world and, one assumes, from people of varying different musical backgrounds.

Whereas certain elements of the sound have solidified around key sonic signifiers such as 'the wobble', and to many new listeners this has become what dubstep is, there are other artists making music which is 'dubstep-not-quite-dubstep'. this music i'm finding very interesting.

this is not about the whole what is or what isn't dubstep thing. i hate the idea of backing up any notion of what dubstep is and what it isn't. it used to be the case that no one could say that about this sound.

but i am interested in sounds on the outskirts. other music which is incorporating dubstep into it and new music that is being made which is informed by dubstep but doesn't fit within the newfound template of what dubstep 'is'.

in particular i'm thinking about king midas sound, burial, boxcutter a made up sound, milanese, various production, other artists dabbling such as modeselektor and even producers off this forum experimenting wildly with the sound such as threnody, metalbox etc.

With this in mind i would like us to talk about the dubstep oeuvre. New music which has pricked up your ears as having a dubstep element, how the sound is clearly reaching out to and influencing artists outside of dubstep and where the future lies for exactly how dubstep is reaching out beyond the confines of this once minute scene.

siah alan · Post by **siah alan** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:17 am

You mentioned Modeselektor, I thought the track they did with Apparat and Paul St. Hilaire was probably the best thing they've done with a dubstep influence.

They've posited a dubstep/electro/house crossover.

I've been liking other electro artists take on the dubstep sound too.

People like Rustie, making what could be dubstep influenced beats at 115 BPM.

The other thing I kind of wished could have happened was a dubstep/broken beat crossover.

Obviously ThinKing has been pushing for this kind of thing since way back.

Benga keeps making stuff that has a broken influence.

Every once in awhile someone else will try their hand at it.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... D=13594787

Thats a broken beat producer called Kid Gusto whose been experimenting with it.

And obviously there is also Dogdaze/2562/A Made Up Sound.

Darkstar's recent stuff has kind of reminded me of broken beat a little.

Neleswa brings a jazz background into the music, and it ends up sounding like broken beat meets Burial.

Really great stuff IMO.

rojparody · Post by **rojparody** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:39 am

Shut Up And Dance's new 12" is breakbeat, but with a very dubstep feel to the beats and especially the bass.

shonky · Post by **shonky** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:07 am

Surely it's a bit difficult to say whether something is influenced by dubstep or it's just a more bass heavy version of a previous sound - plenty of minimal techno already had some serious weight underneath it, similar with some broken beat.

Unless someone has now started changing their sound because of dubstep, it's more tunes that can be assimilated and played in a set isn't it?

Well up for more broken beat, 2 steppy action because to my ears a lot of what's getting released dubstep-wise isn't rhythmically interesting - found this which I'd say is probably more grime influenced broken beat by Rednose Distrikt but I quite liked it.

http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF276343-01-01-01.mp3

I also find it a bit wierd when people are talking about the "new" style of incorporating minimal techno influences - two words - Horsepower Productions. Not saying that everyone should have to know the history of the music to appreciate it's current styles, but I do think it detracts from the real innovators who were doing that 6 years earlier.

I think that there may be an opportunity for some jungle crossover business too, been hearing snippets of breaks to give dubstep tunes a bit of momentum and there seems to be a move by some dnb producers towards slower beats in the 145-155 range like the original junglist tunes but with contemporary production values. Been buying quite a few old bits of jungle and it's really not that far removed tempo wise to modern dubstep and the style was more open in those days (like dubstep was).

djshiva · Post by **djshiva** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:39 am

obviously i have not been quiet about how hot 2562/a made up sound is...

one big standout for me is breakage's new one clarendon/the shroud. the dubstep influence is all over it, yet it is more at dnb tempo.

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=56195

kidlogic · Post by **kidlogic** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:15 am

Personally, Ive really been getting into the Trouble and Bass, East Coast "party music" style which seems to be heavily influenced by both dubstep and electro. Artists like Drop the Lime, Starkey, Dev79, El Carnicero, Mathhead... been getting into more of the dubstep influenced 4X4 stuff lately too like L-vis 1990 and Luke Anger as well. Im liking tunes with alot of swing too, this faster, darker take on 2-step is fun too.

Theres just so much good bass-heavy music coming out right now and the technology is there now so that you can go between drasticaly changing tempos fluidly with some planning and practice. Ive been having alot of fun playing records lately, so much to choose from. Ive stopped thinking in terms of genre and more in terms of feel and vibe, its very liberating.

pk- · Post by **pk-** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:21 am

Surely it's a bit difficult to say whether something is influenced by dubstep or it's just a more bass heavy version of a previous sound

i agree. i'm really liking the sort of stereotyp/al haca brand of what i think is called 'digital dancehall', really stripped down beats and enormous bass. can't really say if it's dubstep influenced, though. sounds great all the same

eg http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF196891-01-01-01.mp3

grievous_angel · Post by **grievous_angel** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:34 am

My ragga techno stuff is probably on the same vibe as digital dancehall... it's influenced by (was really part of) old style 2002/2003 dubstep, 3:2 beats, lots of swing, but 130bpm.

I too am really feeling the current crop of 2step-influenced gear - 2562, TRG, Martyn - that's what I'm loving most.

But what I really want is very deep, very soft, very heavy dubz with female vocals - r'n'b-step. DOne one or two things in this style. It should fuck off the d'n'b refugees too.

Further out, there's influence on the black dog - check out their "floods" 12. Apparently basement jaxx have had a dabble - didn't rate it much though. I'm still waiting for some overt house / dubstep crossover action (that isn't mala!).

Plus there's chunky bizzle on the grime side doing very dubstep-influenced grimw...

ikeaboy · Post by **ikeaboy** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:38 am

Like Shonky said, plenty of producers have used heavy heavy basslines (except now you might stick the bass higher in the mix than the kick). The influence I see dubstep having on producers would be showing hardcore heads its ok to slow shit down a bit, let it breath, break away from the mdma/adrenalin rushing vibe into a thc/booze skanking vibe if you like. Also its crossing the urban vibe with the techno vibe in a more solid way thats being picked up by lots of folks. It's also bringing a richer sampled real world pallette of sounds into what may of been strict electronic producers toolkits, which really opens shit out.

throneofblood · Post by **throneofblood** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:44 am

the Jus Wan track on MAH's show the other night is one of the most interesting blends of sounds I've heard in a long time.

djslate · Post by **djslate** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:08 am

Grievous Angel wrote:I too am really feeling the current crop of 2step-influenced gear - 2562, TRG, Martyn - that's what I'm loving most.

Definitely with you on this one. Although there are some nice vocal (albeit sometimes cheesey) 2-step tunes in the garage scene the absence of some quality darker bits is being rectified by said artists above. The swing of the old tracks (El-B et al.) is finally being reproduced and at times, with a techno inflection. Although I'm a tad ambivalent toward the more techo influenced creations.

Would love to see some 2-step and dubstep with Todd Edwards style chopped vocals, would really be a mixing of old and new worlds... Closest I've heard is this track by The Crazy Baldheads 'First Born', probably my favourite 2-step tune of all time, well underplayed and so original...

RE Dubstep, I'm really feeling the smooth-step tracks which are pitched a bit slower than your average tune and with some lovely vocals on top - think Susheela Raman and the Kromestar Floetry mix.

chutnut · Post by **chutnut** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:28 am

sapphic_beats wrote: one big standout for me is breakage's new one clarendon/the shroud. the dubstep influence is all over it, yet it is more at dnb tempo.

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=56195

breakage has been making stuff like that for a while, same with amit

tronman · Post by **tronman** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:34 am

David E Sugar - Oi New York This is London (Hot Chip vs Ragga Twins Remix)
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=42407

i like this one, pretty good

batfink · Post by **batfink** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:35 am

chutnut wrote:
sapphic_beats wrote: one big standout for me is breakage's new one clarendon/the shroud. the dubstep influence is all over it, yet it is more at dnb tempo.

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=56195
breakage has been making stuff like that for a while, same with amit

well barring the odd classic Digital tune ( Foolbwoy for example... and if i remember rightly, deadline) Amit was the first dnb producer to stick exclusively to that depressive halfstep vibe.

spender · Post by **spender** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:36 am

sapphic_beats wrote:obviously i have not been quiet about how hot 2562/a made up sound is...

one big standout for me is breakage's new one clarendon/the shroud. the dubstep influence is all over it, yet it is more at dnb tempo.

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=56195

Took the words out of my mouth.

That, the Mark Pritchard / Steve Spacek number from a few weeks back and the Made Up Sound 12 have stood out a mile. All tunes that should work perfectly in a dance but maybe won't make it into most sets because of their tempo.

Clarendon and The Shroud have that early, stripped-to-the-bone sound that hooked me into dubstep a couple of years back, and that's sorely missing from aso much of todays output. Funnily enough, while Callaghan, Breakage's new number is an undeniably heavy tune, to my ears, Clarendon and The Shroud work more successfully as a dubstep, despite their bpm.

Which brings me onto the point I'm attempting to make, that dubstep at varying tempos is where it could get interesting. Pinch is already playing with this. The scene's embraced pretty much every musical style with open arms: techno, rock, industrial, minimal, the list goes on. And unlike so many other genres, you'll hear all of them in a single night at DMZ. So why not mess with the tempos every now and then? If producers and DJ's can occasionally free themselves from the BPM counter, then things can get really interesting.

corpsey · Post by **corpsey** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:42 am

DNB is probably going to be influenced by dubstep, seeing as DJs like Shy FX, Friction, Roni Size, Zinc etc. have all dropped dubstep tunes in their sets, producers like Breakage and Martyn have moved into dubstep production, dubstep is the second room at a lot of DNB nights, Skream and Kode 9 are booked to play main rooms at DNB events etc. Also, really subby tunes seem to be getting more popular within DNB at the moment- Commix, Lynx, Lomax tunes - although whether or not that's to do with dubstep is arguable I suppose.

Hopefully it will get influenced by the atmospheric qualities of dubstep, the space and less frentic tempo, rather than just the mad wobble aggro tunes, which are pretty much the dubstep equivalent of the sort of tunes being made by Clipz, Gen Dub etc. already. I'd love to see DNB slow down a bit.

daggus · Post by **daggus** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:48 am

Grievous Angel wrote: I too am really feeling the current crop of 2step-influenced gear - 2562, TRG, Martyn - that's what I'm loving most.

word after pickin up some of these releases an seein benny ill ive gotten lot more into 2steppy vibe.

sully_shanks · Post by **sully_shanks** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:50 am

i noticed the latest prodigy album had halfstep on it...
shame it was a bit crap

shonky if u start mixing jungle techno in with yr steppy stuff yr gonna make me a happy man..

Djslate wrote:
Grievous Angel wrote:
Would love to see some 2-step and dubstep with Todd Edwards style chopped vocals, would really be a mixing of old and new worlds..

burial album nails this

jaime · Post by **jaime** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:55 am

i would say that the new flying lotus stuff i heard this week (thanks to boomnoise) - most of the tunes he flagged up as being new productions had an overwhelming dubstep influence, and this makes sense considering I read he has been listening to a lot of skream recently

shonky · Post by **shonky** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:07 am

sully_shanks wrote:shonky if u start mixing jungle techno in with yr steppy stuff yr gonna make me a happy man..

Been working on some junglist vibe stuff (but at 132bpm), with some offbeat 2 step underneath it - actually works really well cause the breaks still swing at that tempo. There was a bit of a jungle vibe on some of the earlier garage (unsurprisingly given it's history) and I do remember Benny Ill using a very subtle amen snippet on Generations way back (under the Dub War monicker)

The Dubstep Oeuvre

The Dubstep Oeuvre

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