spongebob - most important dubstep track of last five or so years?

[rubberdingyrapids]

reading that list of current filthstep/splatterstep etc etc tunes here - http://earthexit.blogspot.com/2012/05/10-wobble-records.html
made me think that spongebob is prob the most influential dubstep record of the past 5 or so years, arguably maybe even ever, considering how big dubstep got since that record came out. i know its really annoying to read about how certain records CHANGED EVERYTHING (esp when youre reading about say, the strokes) but spongebob id say sort of did, with regard to dubstep at least, anyway. def a pulse x moment too in that old scene defenders and fans totally hated it like how old garage fans hated pulse x, and thought it brought the whole scene down, and also cos it more or less invented a whole new sub genre that sort of swallowed the old one in a way. and def a record that whether you liked it or not, provoked a really strong reaction in everyone that heard it.

all that said, i dont really like spongebob all that much.

 

[benjybars]

yeah i think that's true enough really.

Cockney Thug has also got a lot to answer for..

 

[rubberdingyrapids]

im sure spongebob was out first, by quite a few months, or being played first at least, though yeah, cockney thug has a lot to answer for too (i also dont really like that track much either - weird how rosko has become a big name producer, i always thought caspa was better).

but spongebob is basically one of those genre ground zero moments. where pre-SB dubstep was about producers trying to sound older than their years and make more 'mature' stuff, everything after went in totally the opposite direction.

 

[Slothrop]

Although it's notable that a lot of people who despise wobble in general are really defensive of Spongebob and argue for it being, in some hard-to-pin-down way, not only better than loads of really similar sounding tunes but in some sense in a totally different category from them.

 

[nomos]

i always preferred this

 

[Corpsey]

I was never a huge fan of it but I enjoyed it when it was more of a one-of-a-kind tune.

Although I always liked the 'depth' of dubstep when I got into it, aggy energetic wobble tunes were always an important part (''Lightning'' by Skream for example... 'Kalawanji' by Kromestar and 'Tortured'/'Shattered'/'Haunted' by Coki of course) too. There just seemed to be more scope for 'bangers' that didn't feature the standard banger signifiers... if that makes sense.

I remember the reaction Spongebob got at DMZ was really huge, its pretty obvious why so many producers aped that style. Skream did it well with 'Oskillatah' for example.

I think 'Rubber Chicken' by Caspa was an 'important' tune in this respect too - the second drop, where the wobble effect became more important than any other aspect of the tune, where the stretching/warping effect on the bass is driven to extremes - another tune that had a big reaction.

I can see Reynold's point about the wobble being a bit like Dubstep's amen break or whatever - a clear signifier that had/has a huge effect on the dancefloor.

 

[Corpsey]

Although it's notable that a lot of people who despise wobble in general are really defensive of Spongebob and argue for it being, in some hard-to-pin-down way, not only better than loads of really similar sounding tunes but in some sense in a totally different category from them.

Obviously its cos its by Coki and Coki gets a bit of a pass no matter what he does, but I do think there's something unique about those Coki tunes that most other wobblers don't really capture. Actually I think most are closer to Caspa/'Oskillatah' - more mechanical and clean, not as frenzied and feral.

 

[Phaedo]

coki will always have something no other wobble producer is able to replicate. its amazing when you see him dj and hes just standing still, doesnt give a shit about the mayhem he's causing.

 

[petergunn]

im sure spongebob was out first, by quite a few months, or being played first at least, though yeah, cockney thug has a lot to answer for too (i also dont really like that track much either - weird how rosko has become a big name producer, i always thought caspa was better).

but spongebob is basically one of those genre ground zero moments. where pre-SB dubstep was about producers trying to sound older than their years and make more 'mature' stuff, everything after went in totally the opposite direction.

i've been saying this for years to my friends... that Spongebob and early Caspa/Rusko is ground zero of brostep...

i wasn't feeling it too much when it came out, as i was getting burnt on dubstep... now i wish i had bought it...

 

[Benny Bunter]

coki will always have something no other wobble producer is able to replicate. its amazing when you see him dj and hes just standing still, doesnt give a shit about the mayhem he's causing.

he is by far the worst DJ I have ever seen though

 

[Sectionfive]

Surely Dub Police was probably far more influential at that end. It was Rusko people were aping no?
Spongebob was massive but Coki was off on something other thing to the wobble Taninian goes into.

How influential was Coki on the Caspa & Rusko fabric CD is the question maybe

Hyph Mngo was probably the one in the other direction

 

[Ory]

Hyph Mngo was probably the one in the other direction

surely martyn led the way on that end (swung faux-garage beats, shimmery synths)? he never really had 1 massive, defining anthem though. maybe his remix of "broken heart"?

 

[outraygeous]

I loved spongebob when it came out. I used to go to fwd a lot and most of the time I just sat on the concrete block on the edge of the dancefloor chillin

Dubstep at that time never had that 'grime-hype'

My friends and I labelled Midnight Request Line as the running through the woods tune.

Brostep is like Bassline for me, I can take it here and there but Id be dammed if it was my only genre of choice.

 

[hopper]

I think everyone is on the money with singling out Spongebob and Cockney Thug. I think cockney thug was a really divisive moment, it caused such a big reaction - 3 rewinds everytime, with a really loutish sample as well bringing in a different kind of crowd. That tune kinda feels like the biggest dubstep tune that divided the core.

I think spongebob differs from haunted, shattered and tortured as well in terms of energy. The synth is much more serated and the energy is much more manic, it didn't really have that trademark coki shuffle as much as say its brother goblin (spongewall) maintained, and that was the major departure I guess as far as I'm concerned. Coki used to be one of my favourite producers, but most of the beats he's done in the last four years have kinda bored me, difficult to say if they're of lesser quality or if I'm just desensitized to that style, feels there is something missing though. Earth a Run Red, Redeye etc. were just massive though

 

[Sectionfive]

surely martyn led the way on that end (swung faux-garage beats, shimmery synths)? he never really had 1 massive, defining anthem though. maybe his remix of "broken heart"?

you could almost say the first 2562 Tectonic was ahead of Martyn's jump from dnb but in terms of influence like spongebob and rusko it was Hyph Mngo that ushered in the big swing to house, BenUFO dropping it a fwd etc

I still think Spongebob is different to all the wobble that followed though. It did alot for midrange (and moshing ) but there is a much clearer line between Skream, Rusko, Skillex and trolley rapist or whatever. Coki is like Peverelist, off on some other thing that only belongs to them

 

[rubberdingyrapids]

the other thing about spongebob is that coki did tunes like shattered and tortured which i loved but spongebob seemed to send him down some weird new direction, where almost every tune was a new variation of spongebob, like some sort of obsessive refinement, or taking it one step further each time, like with goblin, which i find barely listenable but that makes him like some sort of brostep auteur.

 

[benjybars]

haha. brostep auteur.

yeah it's true tho.. since Spongebob he's basically just made another 250 versions of the same tune..

although his last Tempa release was pretty good.

 

[Leo]

always liked the way this lurches around (as well as the gunshots and twangy spaghetti western guitar samples)

 

[wise]

What happened to Rusko though? Don't hear anything about him these days

 

[petergunn]

you could almost say the first 2562 Tectonic was ahead of Martyn's jump from dnb but in terms of influence like spongebob and rusko it was Hyph Mngo that ushered in the big swing to house, BenUFO dropping it a fwd etc

i remember martyn being first... remember being in a house/disco shop in maybe 07/08 and the only dubstep thing they had was a martyn 12" and they were into it... and yeah, a year or so later, all those people LOVED joy orbison...