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At a recent event, what we all love about the dubstep scene was obliterated by a bunch of MCs with absolutely no comprehension of what makes dubstep nights so different to many other genres of urban music. The few apologetic complaints here don't really sum up the feeling we had on the night.

It's difficult to articulate problems to promoters are putting on nights you want to go to and you don't want to put them off. It is time, though, to bring this stuff up:

Imagine a bunch of of refugees from the drum'n'bass scene bawling non-stop over every track to the point that the music - what we were all there for - became merely a carpet for them to spew over. There were a lot of people shouting for them to shut up but it didn't make any difference.

A bit of history: Back in the mid 90s, as the jungle scene migrated to drum n bass, we experienced an overload of mcs adopting a style more akin to horseracing commentary than toasting. I still cringe when I remember classic lines like "kenny ken, kenny ken, kenny kenny kenny ken!" - think of that grim startrekking track and you'll get an idea of the rhythm and delivery not to mention the quality of the rhymes. Compare that to demolition man's fire or Da Bass 2 Dark.

We're all used to nights when mcs spend the majority of the set breaking up the tunes in order to get bigged up by the audience - it's par for the course in mc oriented scenes and we expect it.

Dustep, on the other hand, has always been all about the music and we've become accustomed to its focus on the dj's selection and not on the mc.

At nights with more experienced mcs like Sgt Pokes and others, you can tell they really know how the nights work. They pick their moments and interject in order to drive the vibe forward.

I never really had to bother about it before as mcs have mostly been tuned in with what's going on musically.

As Pokes said recently, he never really felt the need to 'smack it up' like he did in the dnb scene.

It's all about knowing when to "...let the music take control."

A word to Promoters:
If you're booking mcs that are going to bawl their brains out onstage, let us know.
If it's as much a surprise to you as it is to us, let them know (or get the engineer to turn off the mic).

A word to MCs who think it's what we want:
Take it somewhere else.

I whole heartedly agree - I think the MC's at Super Dubpressure were over enthusiastic - which I don't think went well with Mala's set.

I am just glad I was standing by the monitor.

Also what annoys me is MC's want to wheel up tunes nobody really wants - especially the DJ.

Also I think there is a fine line between Sgt Pokes and Flowdan and then other MC's for example. Probably due to the buckets of experience they have but anyway...

The only time they were quiet was Mala's amazing intro but sadly it was only because they didn't have a clue what to do.

malas intro - summat else innit...
anyway RE: mcs , as a last resort i have been known to turn the mic down on the mixer . mcs should have respect for the dj playing and be able to take being asked not to host a set . or draw for a couple of vocal tunes b2b .
shame tho , as a good mc can really add alot .

Are-K142 wrote:malas intro - summat else innit...

Proper meditation. Saw a lot of people with their eyes closed getting attuned to the vibe, breaking away from the previous set. Did what it was supposed to do!

yes it was wonderful on iration the other week

wafel wrote:At a recent event, what we all love about the dubstep scene was obliterated by a bunch of MCs with absolutely no comprehension of what makes dubstep nights so different to many other genres of urban music.

Its fair enough to say that you didnt really like the mcs on that occasion and I personally did think that they could have kept it down on malas set, but i think its unfair to make out that you have some deeper understanding of the music especially as the Mcs in question were some of the people who pioneered the scene and Im willing to bet were making dubstep for years before you had even heard of it.

solution: pull the mic plug. if you are not involved in the production, find someone sympathetic who is. also, make friends with the soundguy.

problem solved.

Are-K142 wrote:malas intro - summat else innit...

Is it still the Count Ossie tune he's using?

As for the Mc's, I have yet to see any I have rated except maybe Spaceape. I wouldn't class Pokes as an mc, he is a host, and the best in the scene by far.

datura wrote:

Are-K142 wrote:malas intro - summat else innit...

Is it still the Count Ossie tune he's using?

As for the Mc's, I have yet to see any I have rated except maybe Spaceape. I wouldn't class Pokes as an mc, he is a host, and the best in the scene by far.

It was simply named "?"...I thought it was a remix of "Where is the love?" by the black eyed peas at first..

A Master of Ceremonies *was* a host the last time I checked. And as for the thread title - what an uninformed load of bollocks. You don't like MC's. Fair enough. But inexperienced? What a joke. They came through Garage and have been purveyors of the dubstep thing since it popped from the arse of a pigeon in Victoria bus station and dropped into the handbag of an old lady from Coulsdon a few years back. Best hypemasters in the game as far as I'm concerned.

Would you hate MC's in reggae sound clashes too? I'm making an assumption, but do you come from a techno background previously? If not then I'm still going to state that this is where those two very different worlds collide - as a massive generalization the techno background people can't stand MC's, and most of the garage / Jungle background people love them or accept them as part of the make up of a rave. The same argument has been regurgitated in drum n bass on a nauseatingly regular basis. Yes there are MC's that are inexperienced I agree - some do ruin nights with their bidabidbid nonsense rhyme (they should read more Spike Milligan), but I disagree with you completely about these particular MC's. I didn't catch Mala's set but on the others I thought they hyped the place up properly.

Were these random mcs or mcs that were booked? I think we need to stick with mcs who just host for dubstep nights or the scene could be destroyed.

I like a lot of tunes mcs work on but even the good ones tbh I could take or leave on a night...I just want to hear the music..not someone chattin'

thing is they don't know when to shut up a lot of the time & it becomes their ego running away from them.....

I don't need a man telling me I need to get into the next tune...i can hear it on my own.....

@ Kion...it's just a view innit....I'm not from a 'techno' background...I just like music & have been into d&b/hardcore since I can remember....

they often have limiters that cut the music volume when the mc talks..that really gets on my tits

Yeah I went to a night in Buenos Aires a few weeks ago and there was a good selection of tunes being played at the end but ruined by some really bad MCs. Couldn't concentrate on the music for the verbal racket. Overstated. Even if some of them were quality MCs it just didn't fit and the room emptied quickly.

in my opinion, it's all about the MCs who keep it minimal n let the music breath. For instance Sgt. Pokes or Farze up here, int north

i went to misst last night and the iration mc's were sick to be fair all pure vibes!

low life wrote:i went to misst last night and the iration mc's were sick to be fair all pure vibes!

you could here them for a start, mcs over bass heavy music is just daft you carnt here what there saying and it just sounds distorted i just think its pointless

@ Kion - Which 'particular' MCs are you talking about? Vicious and Dangerous?

Slaughter Mob are alright, but Vicious and Dangerous were getting boos from the crowd and I heard more than a 'small' number of people complaining.

MCs need to learn when to shut up. I used to MC when I was 15 in a youth club, and even I knew when to stop chatting shit and when to let the DJ do his thing, and he knew when I was doing my thing that he needed to get busy on the faders.

I'm a garage/Jungle/hip-hop head and I wasn't feeling them lot on Friday. My mate who grew up on DnB hated it, and so did pretty much everyone I came with. I've never heard so many people complaining at Superdubpressure.

I ain't gonna stop going, am I? I'm just doing my job and letting you know that from my position in the crowd, it wasn't working. One set is enough.

Big up Pokes, Crazy D, Flow Dan, Skepta and the MCs who know about toasting and stepping away from the frontline every now and again.