After some conversations with friends about dubstep recently, I thought I’d put up some tunes from last year to serve as a catchup/beginners guide to the genre and its surrounds. I’m by no means an expert but over the next two pages you’ll find my favourites from Burial, Zomby, Joker, Peverelist, Benga, Skream, Samiyam, Darkstar, 2000F, Joy Orbison, King Midas Sound, Kode 9, Guido and more.
Please put your own must-listens in the comments.
Burial (with Four Tet)
Enigmatic dubstepper Burial and electronic experimentaller Four Tet combined on a 12″ last year which had two tracks at 18 minutes in length total. ‘Moth’ was the standout track of the two (the other being ‘Wolf Cub’). Perfectly combining Four Tet’s ability to chop up percussion samples in inventive ways with Burial’s ability to produce some growling yet almost supernatural sub-bass.
Burial also had a couple of new tunes on the highly recommended/must-have 5: Five Years of Hyberdub compilation which also featured the tunes below from Samiyam, Darkstar (on many’s to look forward to in 2010 list) and Kode 9.
Burial – South London Boroughs
Kode 9
The godfather of the Hyperdub label, a music professor in his own right and the author of Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear (Technologies of Lived Abstraction), Kode 9 also released 2 EPs last year Bad/2 Bad and Black Sun/ 2 Far Gone. The former was done with LD and this is my favourite track from it.
2000F
The most ridiculous track of the last year? Why that would be 2000F’s G-funk dub almost-pisstake anthem ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’.
2000F – You don’t Know what love is
Samiyam
Samiyam is a producer from LA who has also teamed up with Flying Lotus as FlyamSam.
Skream
For three years now, Ollie Jones has been at the forefront of dubstep as Skream. In 2009, his remix of La Roux’s ‘In For The Kill’ became a bit of an anthem, crossing boundaries and radio playlists in the UK. He also turned his superior remix hand to Bat for Lashes and Chromeo as well as releasing Skreamism vol. 5.
La Roux – In For The Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey remix)
Benga
Skream also teamed up with his best mate Benga as Magnetic Man. An album from that partnership is expected in 2010. As for Benga, he released the Buzzin/One Million 12″ last year. He even had one of the tunes from his 2008 album picked up for use by rapper Eve on ‘Me n My’.
Skream and Benga – Trapped in a Dark Bubble
This new tune is absolutely massive – it’s some John Williams dubstep shit.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
Missing a lot….but missing essential stuffs….365 days is a lot to just speak about big names (sorry about being sincere, and sorry about ma englitch)
– Headhunter
– 2562
– Martyn
– Gaslamp Killer (u talked about Sam’….so……Missing GLK for sure)
– Untold
– Pangaea
– Eskmo
…….
am not gonna spoil that comment page
peace
GEIOM! Island Noise is a masterpiece.
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq83ORGzwI4 ]
DISTANCE. Skream rmx of Nightvision is still possibly the best of the best, IMO.
And in Ireland, Kaboogie have been killing it for the past while. Some fine dubstep over here – Major Grave, 16Hertz etc.
Major Grave aint !kaboogie?
check :
http://www.myspace.com/standarddublin
Obviously I left lots out.
It is a beginners guide after all :0
Ah yeah, of course. A great guide, I hasten to add! Touches on all flavours of dubstep, which is essential.
I would humbly like to add my personal favorites:
Rusko, Caspa and Cotti
I’ve had a dubstep obsession the last month or so but I find it hard to pay attention to any one artist for long, I keep skipping between tracks, not acts.
I find that Benga, Coki, Skream, Kode 9, Burial, etc all have great tunes but…not enough of them
If you just search for dubstep on youtube one of the first replies is this tune, which I can’t get enough of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy2TOdvr8QY
I’m also quite partial to this filth > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeR4j-KMEec
Nice and simple, Good job.
Nice, I like looking back over how the music has progressed. Great article on the last decade of Dubstep and it’s progression here http://bit.ly/7cU6fU
great list,
i’d totally the second the big ups for King Midas Sound and Mount Kimbie- total quality control in everything they’ve released so far. Martyn’s ‘Great Lengths’ and the first 2562 albums are well worth a listen too, even if they’re a little overlong. if there’s any Burial geeks out there- and I speak as one- there’s an interesting article on his music at http://tinyurl.com/ycgfuxg
That link goes to something completely unrelated
shit sorry niall! how the hell did that happen? damn you tinyurl… here’s the full address
http://rougesfoam.blogspot.com/2009/12/premature-burial-burial-pallbearer-vs.html
Quite like the first link, though. I’m getting me a dress.
@astonishingdodape Major grave is not part of the kaboogie thing
Hey, Lucy / Barbara / Joannah, your blog spamming is getting a little tiresome!
Stenchman – Stinkmix 3 – Salirophilia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIkQLmBk7rg
1. stenchintro
2. stenchman – gutfucker (vip)
3. lil wayne – a milli (stenchman rmx)
4. cardopusher – gibold
5. skream – aggyface
6. stenchman – licking the envelope
7. benny page – step out (vip)
8. eskmo – harmony
9. outkast – bombs over bagdad (stenchman rmx)
10. marchmellow – real simple
11. justice timberlake – wheres my starship
12. stenchman – cow story
13. emalkay – when i look at you
14. bar 9 – malicious tactics (vip)
15. suspect + switchdubs – rotary
16. flux pavillion – bad dj
17. the streets – blinded by the lights (nero remix)
18. skream – metalick
19. prodigy – breathe (numbernin6 rmx)
20. stenchman – vagitarian meal
21. unitz – the drop (vip)
22. burial – archangel (bootyleg)
23. mrk1 – talk to frank
24. stenchman – coceck
25. mia – galang (dz rmx)
26. stenchman – so beatnik
27. benny page + zero g – ruffneck
28. stenchman – sick bay
29. reso – beasts in the bassment
30. riz mc – radar (sukh knight rmx)
31. nas – made you look (stenchy rmx)
32. j@kes – justice
33. stenchman – distress signal (vip)
34. mark omen ft lupen crook – eyes wide shut
35. stenchman – everything
Just want to throw out a few more:
16bit, Borgore, Excision