Dubstep

S

spooks

Militant black tie
Corpsey said:
The idea that in 2005 dubstep was too simplistic, not 'sophisticated' enough because it wasn't immaculately produced or something - the simplicity, space and roughness of the music was what made it exciting and gave it its identity for me, and besides - what about ideas, as opposed to 'sound design'?

There's dubstep of all kinds being made which feels a little antiseptic and slick to me, as if its had all its grit and rawness pressed out of it. I suppose, given the emphasis on bass frequencies that's always been there with dubstep, that its inevitable that sound fetishism begins to dictate things across the spectrum. From filthy spongebob riffs to shimmering dub-techno chords.

Not to say that a slick mixdown necessarily inhibits a producer - look at Joker. But its the way he uses ideas/melodies, not the mixdown, that makes him one of the best at the moment.
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Well said...

viktorvaughn said:
cool..although just realised Wookie, Geeneus, Brackles, Various Productions and Alexander Nut for free 10 mins walk from house same night:D Might be lazy and go there instead.
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I'm jealous....

And Chef is definitely FIRE
 
Slothrop

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
viktorvaughn said:
cool..although just realised Wookie, Geeneus, Brackles, Various Productions and Alexander Nut for free 10 mins walk from house same night:D Might be lazy and go there instead.
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!

Where?

Chef is great - bits of angular punchdrunk wobble, bits of bumpy slinky garage, bits of everything really.
 
V

viktorvaughn

Well-known member
Slothrop said:
!

Where?

Chef is great - bits of angular punchdrunk wobble, bits of bumpy slinky garage, bits of everything really.
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Cool, I always rated Chef but haven't been following everything as closely as i used to and have lost track of who we have lost to the wobble (hatcha, skream and n type last I heard) and who we haven't:p

It's Facts night at Cargo. Looks pretty wicked.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=66757327825
 
V

viktorvaughn

Well-known member
benjybars said:
oh shit is the FACT night clashing with DMZ??

hmm...
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Yeah, 2 may next sat yeah? I'm going Cargo for laziness factor i think. Seem to remember drinks being quite expensive but with that great free line-up you don't really mind buying a few beers do you - lots of ravers would probs pay a tenner for it.
 
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viktorvaughn

Well-known member
FWD was good. I thought Appleblim was great last night. I feel his stock has been rising since i first saw him about three years ago. He was good then but his sets always seemed a bit slow and a bit 'warm-up'. I dunno if it's his elevation to primetime DJ (no longer warm up but actually responsible for making people dance) or his rising confidence (being asked to mix dubstep all-stars must have been a big fillip) but he is currently operating at the ideal meeting point between precise minimal sounds/dubby reverb and proper lifting ravey energy. He started slow and built it up, the last segment was a lot wilder. I think Appleblim has it in him to play massive ravey sets if he wanted to – I think he should! I reckon he really knows his stuff and always comes across as really safe in interviews too, so his success is well deserved.

Spyro was fun too but the top end of the sound off CDs in plastic people is still too harsh. And is he almost too robotic in his mixing? It’s quite brittle in that you know exactly what to expect – ninety (or sixty) seconds of a wicked grime banger mixed quickly into more of the same, with a few little touches of funky and a few vocal VIPs. There was no sense of it leading up to a peak or anything. But then i guess that’s more the grime way, and I do love it.

Kryptic Minds I don’t get the hype at all. Don’t really get why Loefah is pushing them. Seem pretty boring to me. Nice to have Pokes at FWD.
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
viktorvaughn said:
I think Appleblim has it in him to play massive ravey sets if he wanted to – I think he should! I reckon he really knows his stuff and always comes across as really safe in interviews too, so his success is well deserved.
.
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Nicest guy you'll ever meet and a top DJ, looking forward to seeing him at Eastern Electric on Saturday.
 
rockypoppy2

rockypoppy2

wtf?
viktorvaughn said:
FWD was good. I thought Appleblim was great last night. I feel his stock has been rising since i first saw him about three years ago. He was good then but his sets always seemed a bit slow and a bit 'warm-up'. I dunno if it's his elevation to primetime DJ (no longer warm up but actually responsible for making people dance) or his rising confidence (being asked to mix dubstep all-stars must have been a big fillip) but he is currently operating at the ideal meeting point between precise minimal sounds/dubby reverb and proper lifting ravey energy. He started slow and built it up, the last segment was a lot wilder. I think Appleblim has it in him to play massive ravey sets if he wanted to – I think he should! I reckon he really knows his stuff and always comes across as really safe in interviews too, so his success is well deserved.

Spyro was fun too but the top end of the sound off CDs in plastic people is still too harsh. And is he almost too robotic in his mixing? It’s quite brittle in that you know exactly what to expect – ninety (or sixty) seconds of a wicked grime banger mixed quickly into more of the same, with a few little touches of funky and a few vocal VIPs. There was no sense of it leading up to a peak or anything. But then i guess that’s more the grime way, and I do love it.

Kryptic Minds I don’t get the hype at all. Don’t really get why Loefah is pushing them. Seem pretty boring to me. Nice to have Pokes at FWD.
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that appleblim set really frustrate me, i could feel it getting better and better but it never peaked - he looked a bit too scatty, i didnt hear the confidence i would have liked to, i thought he played some excellent tunes, but just didnt get the rhythm or pacing of the set right

spyro was completely the opposite, super mega confident to the point of almost alienating the crowd, he really didnt seem to care much about the vibe, totally get you on the robotic mixing, but the energy in his set was just relentless. Is badness not allowed to mc at fwd now? he was beside spyro the whole night and never touched mic. Much as grime is my favorite music of all time ever, you have to admit that instrumentals without mc's dont stand up so tall - he needed an mc to play to.

kryptic minds = shit/ they were just playing loefah tunes/loefah remixes, with him in the background nodding along. boring boring

had to leave as loefah got started but he was sounding surprisingly good
 
S

Sick Boy

All about pride and egos
rockypoppy2 said:
kryptic minds = shit/ they were just playing loefah tunes/loefah remixes, with him in the background nodding along. boring boring
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This is a real shame, as I actually quite liked their MAH mix. That being said, when I saw Loefah play in Toronto without the Mystikz to go b2b off his set wasn't much different from this description. Basically just Loefah's greatest hits, and I wasn't too impressed then either.
 
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viktorvaughn

Well-known member
rockypoppy2 said:
that appleblim set really frustrate me, i could feel it getting better and better but it never peaked - he looked a bit too scatty, i didnt hear the confidence i would have liked to, i thought he played some excellent tunes, but just didnt get the rhythm or pacing of the set right

spyro was completely the opposite, super mega confident to the point of almost alienating the crowd, he really didnt seem to care much about the vibe, totally get you on the robotic mixing, but the energy in his set was just relentless. Is badness not allowed to mc at fwd now? he was beside spyro the whole night and never touched mic. Much as grime is my favorite music of all time ever, you have to admit that instrumentals without mc's dont stand up so tall - he needed an mc to play to.

kryptic minds = shit/ they were just playing loefah tunes/loefah remixes, with him in the background nodding along. boring boring

had to leave as loefah got started but he was sounding surprisingly good
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Yeah I know what you mean a bit, but I thought Appleblim did build up into a peak with the last few tracks which were quite ravey. Maybe it's a consequence of playing one hour slots - the take-you-on-a-journey type DJs don't have enough time, whereas the relentless-bangers type DJs (inc Spyro) just get straight into it and rinse out the hour slot. If Appleblim had another hour I think he could have been even better. I think his confidence and mixing will continue to grow and he'll get better and better. He seems much more of the music-nerd type of DJ (in a good way) than the supremely confident badboy who got some decks aged ten of his older brother and never looked back.

Spyro obviously has the skills but i agree, he looked a bit like a slightly disinterested robot mixing excloose tracks. Was a bit weird just having Badness just stood there doing gunfingers to big tunes instead of spitting on them. I think the brittleness of grime can dominate a bit without MCs like you say.

Loefah sounded fair to middling but i only stayed for 15 mins as was tired and had really enjoyed the two previous sets and was happt to go home.
 
V

viktorvaughn

Well-known member
Sick Boy said:
This is a real shame, as I actually quite liked their MAH mix. That being said, when I saw Loefah play in Toronto without the Mystikz to go b2b off his set wasn't much different from this description. Basically just Loefah's greatest hits, and I wasn't too impressed then either.
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Yeah I have seen them twice now and found them a bit boring, just like mini-me, less good loefahs. And with Loefah's sets nowadays being far from essential from what i can tell this isn't a particularly strong look.
 
4linehaiku

4linehaiku

Repetitive
viktorvaughn said:
Yeah I know what you mean a bit, but I thought Appleblim did build up into a peak with the last few tracks which were quite ravey. Maybe it's a consequence of playing one hour slots - the take-you-on-a-journey type DJs don't have enough time, whereas the relentless-bangers type DJs (inc Spyro) just get straight into it and rinse out the hour slot. If Appleblim had another hour I think he could have been even better...
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When he played in Glasgow a while back he had more like two hours and did pretty much exactly this. Started off with really deep dub techno and worked up to things like Artwork - Red / old Grime etc. A good time was had by all. Well I enjoyed it anyway.
 
M

mistadubalina

Banned
Alfons said:

Does Scuba read dissensus? :D
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Hardly a backlash. I've always thought it was dead end unlike early hotflush when it didnt know if it was breakstep or dubstep and didnt care.

and it must be hard for loefah to have made something(halfstep) so readily cloneable that you now cant distinguish the original from the copy.

as for bristolians heres my pick of the current litter

http://pollywannacracka.blogspot.com/2009/04/hey-fella.html

and while we're at it i predict big things for VVV

http://pollywannacracka.blogspot.com/2009/04/three-vs-please.html
 
S

Sick Boy

All about pride and egos
I agree with the grime without MC's thing. Sometimes it works really well; Spyro's shows are always really great. Like Spyro's shows however, grime sets are categorically improved by MCs. Grime is my favourite shit by a long shot, but I still find it difficult to continue wanting to DJ it in Toronto since I have no access to any MCs.

Grime riddims just don't really stand so well on their own unless you are doing some really preposterous mixing shit a la Spyro, Mak 10 etc.
 
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