thoughts of a dub-step amateur
first things first- the new iration stacks are monumental- the suspended floor of the slope down to the main room was vibrating so much from the bass pressure, it was really difficult to walk on, and the mids and tops weren't distorting in the slightest- a far cleaner sound than in the past.
the volume was also insane- i have no doubt that people who weren't wearing earplugs and spent any length of time in front of the speakers could have done themselves permanent damage.
we arrived at about 12.00, with youngsta on the decks, which set the scene for the next two hours- a mix of heavy 4x4 stuff and very tech-step sounding bits (later on, hatcha played a tune that could easily have been a pitched down tune by prisoners of technology)- particularly in the basslines. this was not especially awe-inspiring, though it seems that the scene tastemakers have decided that this is the new way forward for dubstep.
after a quick look in the backroom, we caught the end of youngsta's set- a mix of request line and some mad drum heavy bit, which was diverting for a minute or two.
next up, benga vs hatcha- benga's first tune was heavy and he played with a bit more variation than either youngsta or hatcha- oh, i'm starting to enjoy myself here. but again, dubplate business took priority. at one point there was a series of tunes- starting with half step and moving into the newer dubplates, that seemed to reflect the move from jungle to tech-step (excitement to torpor) in 20 minutes. although the crowd seemed very happy with it, headbanging away, whilst i started to pay more attention to the moments when mark iration was titting about with the sirens and sound effects.
then time for dmz- starting w/ an 80s digital production, then sizzla's 'one of those days' followed by a bit of rhythm and sound 'see mi ya' business (boy, did THAT sound good on the system!), they wound up the tension before dropping a good mix of old and new stuff, moving from the pounding to more stark half-step wobblers and back again.
as they came to an end, we chipped, missing skream and feeling that whilst enjoyable, if this is the next stage in dubstep's development, it may be less interesting than what has come before.
p.s. good to see mr boomnoise again
)- so is anyone here going?
