Unfortunately Blogsome (the company that hosts this site) can be hopelessly incompetent at times. It’s because of them that Darkside Sophistication is so slow to load up compared to other blogs, but you should see how fucking slow it is when you want to actually upload something onto it, it’s even worse!

It’s came to my attention that the site has an issue when it comes to viewers posting comments. Basically blogsome wants me to approve each comment before it posts them up, but it’s not always obvious that poeple have done one, which explains the delay in getting them on the site. And due to the complicated nature of the Admin page I did accidentally delete one from Bruno Belluomini of the http://www.tranquera.org/ Brazillian Dubstep site a few weeks ago. Sorry!

Here’s a more recent comment by Lizard Drinker on the Tasha’s piece below: ‘Being a broken beat junkie myself, I have to say that (for me personally) some of the dubstep I have heard has for the main part, appeals to my ears. I think you’re spot on when you say it’s a ‘dirtier’ sound. And there’s nothing wrong with that it all!’

Lizard Drinker and some other ‘Broken Beat junkies’ have spoke some more about the article on this thread: http://p198.ezboard.com/Broken-Beat-amp-Dubstep-Article-by-Tasha-TP-on-DarksideSo/fomniverse21281frm1.showMessage?topicID=7102.topic (the 4hero forum, Broken’s main one). 

So meanwhile, yeah, comentary is a slow process but if you’re getting pissed off with it you can always contact the site the more direct way via the ‘contact’ link on the top right of the page. But as I seem to be getting more of them I’ll be manually checking them more frequently from now on. 

Tasha is heavily involved in the Broken Beat scene through her work for the Broadcite.com internet magazine and her own fanzine, TP: A Soul Sample. Relatively new to Dubstep, in this article she looks at the interraction between the two genres. Tasha can be found on Broadcite,  www.myspace.com/tashatp and close to the speakers in Co-Op!

Dubstep & broken beat: two peas in a pod or two million miles apart? 

Dubstep - A hybrid of Garage. Spawned from the UK Garage sound and deemed a ‘South London sound’ due to the location of many of the scene’s key players and it’s main record store. Played at the night, Forward in London. The name ‘Dubstep’ is said to have hailed from the media (no surprise there). Dominating features are the sub bass, the frequency and the unexpected drum patterns. File next to: Grime, UK Garage/UKG, Dub Reggae…

Broken Beat – the term given to the type of music produced and played by producers such as IG Culture, Domu, Bugz in The Attic. Deemed a ‘West London sound’ due to the location of many of these artists’ studios as well as key distribution company, Goya Music. Played at the club night, Co-Op in London. Dominating features are unexpected drum patterns and a wonky-sounding ‘broken’ beat, sound clashes…. Organic synths and vocals also feature in many tracks. File next to: Jazz/Acid Jazz, Soulful House, Soul, Techno.
 
Please note: these genre descriptions are not only subjective, they are also very generalised, so please keep reading even if you’re already cussing! The rest of what I’ve gotta say may be even more subjective - though hopefully pretty thought-provoking too. 

When I was asked to write about the similarities between Dubstep and Broken Beat (and their scenes) my initial thought was: well, Broken Beat has more soul and Dubstep is dirtier. And after weeks of pondering and exploring both sounds I think I still come to that conclusion. But things ain’t that black and white…

It’s hard really to separate each of the genres’ ‘sounds’ and each of their ‘scenes’; this would involve trying to decipher exactly what constitutes a ‘scene’ – probably highly debatable and would include such factors as: clubs playing the same kind of music, people with similar interests attending similar nights, the same DJs playing at certain nights etc. Defining a ‘sound’ is slightly easier, however the dominating features (see above) may still be debatable and may not even feature at all in any of the more prominent Dubstep/Broken tunes au jour.

I’ll delve deeper into the history of each of the scenes in a moment to see if there are any similarities in the sounds and the roots of the scenes, but first of all I want to highlight some of the more obvious similarities between the two sounds which are both raw and from the underground. The experimentalism of both of these genres is definitely something that relates them. Separated at birth? I don’t think so… BUT there is certainly a wealth of similarities worth exploring and analysing…let’s start scratching the surface…

Some of the more obvious similarities:

Co-Op started at the Velvet Rooms, Central London but now runs at Plastic People in Shoreditch, East London. Coincidentally (or not) Dubstep’s most prominent club night, Forward also started life at the Velvet Rooms (back when many parts of the UK were awash with the sound of UK Garage) and now runs at Plastic People…

Both sounds allegedly spurred from one part of London (Broken Beat from West London – key producers had studios here and the West is home to Goya Music Distribution); Dubstep is credited to South London due to the fact that key producers J Da Flex and El B (from Ghost) as well as Benga & Skream were all from Greater Croydon as was the Dubstep-pioneering (but now defunct) Big Apple Record shop. 

For both Dubstep and Broken Beat there seems to be one company acting as a ‘hub’, for things such as distribution, promotions and even running the scene’s most prominent regular night: these are Goya, the hub of all things Broken Beat (with close connections to the Co-Op club night) and Ammunition, the hub of all things Dubstep (Sarah (Soulja) Ammunition is responsible for the Forward night, the Tempa record label, Dubplate.net and a tonne more Dubstep-related biznizz)… Incidentally, the promotions arm of Ammunition was once graced by Zed Bias AKA Dave Jones from the Phuturistix school of production…See further down for more about the influential Phuturistix crew…

Some tunes/artists that have traversed both scenes:

Certain tunes from Digital Mystikz have a particular dutty bruk (broken) element and would definitely appeal to many Broken Beat heads. In fact the more Broken Beat associated Benji B, Patrick Forge and Domu have played some of this South London collective’s stuff. 

Landslide’s Conundrum (on Sick Trumpet) has been played at the Co-Op as well as the ‘Grimey mix’ being a fave of some Dubstep heads. In the early days of Forward he was a resident.  

(I’m sure there are plenty more examples that would substantiate the issue here…)

And then we have the bruk/Dubstep-fusing DJ’s/producers…

J Da Flex is right up there with the pioneers of the Dubstep sound. Hailing from Croydon, South London, he was part of the Ghost crew and played a big role in propelling the sound, eventually taking it to the BBC’s 1Xtra station… Now, however, J Da Flex is resident down at Broken Beat Mecca, Co-Op…

Phuturistix – As mentioned above, Zed Bias from this crew graced the decks at Forward back in the day (in fact, he was one of the residents along with partner DJ Injekta & J Da Flex!). Phuturistix were fairly prolific in 2-step production and also provided smattering of Dubstep tunage but now Zed Bias is head honcho over at Phuture Lounge – Manchester’s finest broken beat label…

Some more factors that appear to link the sounds/scenes:

Both scenes appear to have close connections to the Drum & Bass scene – although, interestingly, while many Broken Beat producers/DJs have a colourful history from the D&B scene, this is not really the case for Dubstep, however, D&B fans seem to form a large percentage of Dubstep fans and there’s occasionally a Dubstep room at D&B raves. I’m guessing a dark, dirty bassline is a common theme here as well as the raw, young, dingy club nights which allow for drinking, smoking, dancing, jumping (and all the other elements that constitute a good night out!) along with a dirty bassline giving the sound system a good workout.

I’m still not sure why such a partnership with D&B has come about…It could be that this slower tempo sound complements the faster-paced D&B so makes a good ‘back room’ sound – where clubbers would be more inclined to roll a spliff than drop an E.

A more obvious associate though is Grime, which seems to be more MC-focused than Dubstep – Both Grime and Dubstep have spurred from UK Garage. Rinse FM is the radio station mainly responsible for bringing together the more MC-based grime together with Dubstep. DJ Tubby is just one example of the station’s many selectors that have played down at FWD a couple of times. His Tiger Style track, along with Geeneus’ Dumpvalve releases, is a good example of the Grime/Dubstep close connection. Also worth a mention here is former Rinse DJ and current FWD resident, DJ Plastician/Plasticman. This guy is outspoken in his love of grime, but is also known for his instrumental productions that are well received in both the Dubstep camp and the grime camp.

Broken beat and Dubstep both hail from London. Fact. Why has London given birth to these two niche music genres; what is it about this particular city that has shaped these crazy sounds? The rawness, creativity, and multiculturalism of the city has clearly played a role here.

A few more factors to consider; what relevance (if any) do these factors have on the scenes?
 
· The age of the crowd. I can’t really see how the Dubstep sound is more accessible than the broken beat sound – in fact, I would have expected the more soul-infused Broken Beat ish to be more accessible… I think maybe the embracing of Dubstep by the D&B scene has been partly responsible for the popularity of this style of music with today’s yout’. I recently read something which came across as suspiciously anti-jazz on the Dubstep forum recently, perhaps this has some significance here? Broken beat does have more sophisticated connotations and can be seen as a more modern-day Jazz – certainly many of the sound’s key influences are Jazz. The ‘less jazzier’ Dubstep sound may appeal more to those people not interested in underlying influences/themes which they feel ‘water-down’ the rawness of the sound. This whole ‘anti-jazz’ stance could be down to people witnessing the ‘detrimental’ effect of the more jazzy sounds grafted onto the jungle scene back in the day which resulted in a not-so-edgy Drum & Bass sound.

· The epicentres of the scene. So Dubstep is perceived as a South London ting, Broken Beat is a West London ting and Grime seems to be an East London ting… Saying that, Dubstep-pioneering radio station, Rinse FM is based in East London and Plastic People (home to both FWD and the Co-Op) is East side too… I’m not sure what the relevance of location is really but at a guess I’d suggest that just one link in the area is enough to spur an affiliation/bonding to that particular ‘burb? Or perhaps, just perhaps… the media is responsible for this sound-suburb association.

· Each scene’s attitude to MCs. Go to Co-Op and you’re sure to hear at least one person on the mic – not necessarily in the ‘rapping’ style of MCing, but more of a ‘host’ to motivate and work the crowd whenever needed. And the same goes for Dubstep- limited MCing with a focus on the music… This style is a stark contrast to the grime scene, for example, where the MC’s almost rule the roost. I’m not sure what the reasoning is here; maybe this is just how tings run…

Anyway let’s get back to the music and talk roots…

Where the roots of Broken Beat lie is Jazz and Soul music along with aspects of Techno, House and Drum & Bass. You could go back to Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers and listen for many a ‘broken beat’ sound; this definitely forms the roots of today’s ‘broken beat’ music. Then, some years later, we had Masters At Works’ Nervous Track - complex drum pattern, soul and rhythm. But early players in ‘broken beat’ as we know it today include IG Culture’s New Sector Movement, the BITA (Bugz) crew, 4Hero and Alex Attias. And then we have clubs: obviously, the key player here is the Co-Op which started life at the Velvet Rooms and now runs twice a month at Plastic People in Shoreditch.

Dubstep has evolved from 2-step/UK Garage – I think this is undeniable. But the way this sound/scene has grown is notable. Listening to tracks such as Roy Davis Junior’s ‘Gabriel’, compared to Groove Chronicles ‘Stone Cold’ and ‘1999’, I can spot the real ‘2-step’ sound coming through - where the bassline becomes almost overpowering – that’s not a complaint by the way, in fact this sounds more appealing to me than some of the ‘more accessible’ stuff.

Right, now, let’s talk drums… The drum patterns associated with this early UK garage sound - compared to the more intricate sound of Dubstep as we know it today  - seem to be more straightforward resulting in more of an emphasis on the melody, vocals or other elements. This all seems to have been happening around the time that artists like Phuturistix infiltrated the scene and flipped the script… A compilation, ‘The Roots of Dubstep’ compiled by Soulja & producer Blackdown, looks at the roots and influences of Dubstep as we know it today; tracing the roots back through Reggae, Techno and, of course, UK garage. It features productions from the likes of the influential Steve Gurley, EL-B, Horsepower Productions, Phuturistix and Digital Mystikz.

There isn’t really an equivalent compilation for Broken Beat - ie. ‘The Roots of Broken Beat’ and I think this could be down to several reasons:
· No one wanting to be responsible for filing artists under the ‘broken beat’ label
· Too many different genres have inspired Broken Beat as we know it today
· No apparent demand for such a compilation…

The fact it’s so easy to confuse Dubstep with Grime or UK garage – this isn’t surprising, Garage seems to have led to the creation of these two ‘sub-genres’… (I invite people to tweak my thoughts here as differentiating UK Garage, 2-step, Grime and Dubstep is not something I find easy to do!)
 
Mary Anne Hobbs’ show on BBC Radio 1 certainly contributed to the rise in prominence of Dubstep. From 2005/2006, interest in the scene had been building and in 2006, Mary Anne Hobbs gathered together a selection of the scene’s big dogs for a one-off show entitled Dubstep Warz. The show was triumphant in allowing the sound to be heard by a wider audience – its success even spurred on the release of some of the tracks aired on a compilation, Warrior Dubz…

Today’s broken beat sound is influenced by Jazz, Soul, Techno, Hip-Hop as well as many other influences. The rise of Broken Beat as we know it today has been greatly down to the role of Goya Music Distribution who has been fundamental in pushing the sound - initially with labels such as People and Bugz In the Attic’s label BitaSweet. And what role did Dollis Hill (home to 4Hero’s labels) play? The amount of artists that have been involved with their Reinforced Records label and are now deemed as the ‘pioneers’ of today’s Broken Beat movement is too great to be denied.

And this future sound of jazz has travelled the globe… artists and labels such as the Rednose Distrikt camp in the Netherlands, Moonstarr and his Public Transit Recordings label in Canada and numerous US artists including Titonton DuVante, Recloose and King Britt are great examples of Broken Beat reaching a global audience. Japan has been a market keen to praise this sound too.

What does the future hold for these two genres?

It will be interesting to see how the two sounds develop over the next 2 years/5 years/10 years. I mean, how far will these sounds spread? What parts of the globe will each sound touch? How will each sound evolve? At this stage, some more questions about the two scenes arise: Dubstep seems to be more limited to the UK - although there are small outposts in parts of the States including New York and San Francisco and a few European cities - whereas it’s certainly got a larger-scale following than Broken Beat – although it does appear that Broken Beat is doing better than Dubstep in terms of worldwide runnins…

Dubstep seems to be ‘larger’ than Broken Beat in many ways – or at least, has attracted more attention… There have already been documentaries on the BBC (online) and MTV as well as a weekly show on Kiss FM, and a DVD. Broken Beat seems to have been kept more underground. Not that this is a bad thing, of course… I can’t see either of these sounds going mainstream (and staying in the mainstream) – whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is a whole ‘nuther discussion…
                                                                        Article by Tasha TP

Not sure how long Merrick’s post languished in the comments section (it can be hard to retrieve messages at times), but now I’ve discovered it I’ve decided to let it loose on the site proper. Merrick lives in Austin, Texas, and DJ’s at his weekly Get Broke night in the city every Thursday. He can be reached at http://www.merrickbrown.net/ & http://www.myspace.com/merrickb

In response to your comment about Mala’s ‘Bury da Bwoy’ (Interesting Records of 2006, 19th of Feb post):

"But I have to say that I find it a bit depressing that what with the
relatively small size of the Dubstep scene this track will remain
unheard by many outsiders, when in truth it’s probably one of the most experimental tracks to come out of Dance music in years."

I am glad to see this record on your list, and would like to offer an
outsider’s perspective that may cheer you up a bit. I am a DJ/producer (of 12+ years) in Austin, Texas. Austin has one of the more established Dubstep scenes in the US at the moment, but is a city with a very different urban culture and musical heritage than London.

Not only have I seen ‘Bury da Bwoy" work its magic on Dubstep crowds here, but it has become an essential tune in my sets and at my club night (Get Broke!). I’m not a ‘Dubstep DJ’ however, and in fact am about as far from being a purist as you can get, and while i do think Dubstep is among the most exciting forms of music coming out today, I also enjoy playing other stuff, from Funk, Soul & Disco to Techno, Electro, Booty, Broken Beat, etc. I am honestly a bit baffled at the dubplate culture sometimes and wonder how anyone can devote themselve entirely to one style…!? But my point is…

Tracks such as ‘Bury the Bwoy’, ‘Left Leg Out’ (another Mala tune) and a handful of others are the kinds of tunes that can reach beyond the purist set, giving us multi-genre DJ’s a way to sneak in and out of
Dubstep, while standing on their own as examples of *quality music*
that–with the right environment and a hefty dose of BASS–can make just about anyone take note. I may be an exception, but I have seen a few other techno charts with a sprinkling of tunes from Mala and others.

I don’t know how the purists will feel about all this, but I hope the
artists continue making innovative music that gets the credit it
deserves!                                                  Article by Merrick Brown

It’s been a bit of a slow week for news so I’ll try and fob you off with a classic set that Hatcha & Crazy D did in the Summer of 2004. It’s been grabbed from an old tape so don’t expect the sound quality to be great. At times you have to imagine the bass rather than actually hear it. But the internet isn’t exactly choc a block with mixes from this era so it’s worth having a listen to at least.

It’s the special 2 hour show that the Rinse duo did for the Xtra Garage Weekend on 1Xtra. A show of this type was pretty unprecedented on national radio back then. It was broadcast on a Sunday morning at 7:00, so it was a case of setting the alarm clock every 45 minutes to turn the cassette over. Sadly the last tape got chewed up so I don’t have the final half hour of the show.

Whenever I hear this mix I mentally picture the two of them in a massive, dark and empty club. It was the first time I heard Crazy D after reading  about him in magazines, and it was the first live set I’d heard from Hatcha after the Dubstep Allstars CD. It features a fair amount of forgotten dubplates.

The Xtra Garage weekend had some good shows on it, it’s a shame they don’t feel Garage is strong enough to do another one, almost three years later. These are temporary links but I’ll upload the files again on request in the future when they’re down.

Hatcha & Crazy D on the Xtra Garage Weekend, 18th of July 04
Download Part 1 here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/i728s4

Mala- Conference (Soul Jazz)
Mala- Give Jah Glory (Tempa)
Loefah- Twis Up (DMZ)
Loefah- Indian Dub (Big Apple Records)
Mala- Pathways (remix) (orig on Big Apple Records)
Coki- The Edit
Benga- Skank 2004 (2003 mix on Big Apple Records)
Skream- Traitor (Ital Beats)
Break
Benga- Pulse
Skream- Bad Seed
Loefah- Bombay Squad (Grime 2 compo, Rephlex)
Coki- Jah Fire
Coki- Country Man (Grime 2 compo, Rephlex)

Download Part 2 here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/3h0h4m 

Benga- Star Wars (The Hatcha VIP) (Tempa)
Benga- Untitled
Benga- Mammoth (Plasticman remix)
Benga- Blood (remix)
Estate Productions- Marchin’
Skream- Get Em
Loefah- Horror Show (DMZ)
Coki- Lowdown
Benga- The Virus (Southside Dubstars 6)
Plasticman- Deep VIP
Skream- Hallowlerd (Southside Dubstars 7)
Benga- Dreams (Southside Dubstars 6)
Possibly Skream
Benga- The Visitor (Newstep CD, Benga Beats)
Unknown- Unknown
Unknown- Unknown
Benga- The Future (Newstep CD, Benga Beats)  

Seeming as Artwork’s old tune ‘The Soul’ was reviewed here 2 or 3 weeks ago, I thought it was fitting to put up the mix Menta did back 2 back with Hatcha on Kiss last Tuesday. You can download it here:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/qqcsit
The tracklisting features a fair amount of guesswork so don’t be surprised to see a few Unknown’s. Having said that, if a name’s given I’m 90% sure it’s correct.

Hatcha & Crazy D B2B Menta, 28th February

Skream- Supa Dupa Fly
Oris Jay ft MC Rankin- Biggin’ Up The Massive (Urban Underground UK)
Menta- Jacknife (Sounds of Da Future)
Artwork- Red (Big Apple)
Benga- Live Drumz (Big Apple)
Menta- Sounds of da Future (Sounds of da Future)
Benga- Electric
Menta- Havoc (Road)
Benga- Crunked Up (Tempa)
Artwork- Rank (Big Apple)
Digital Mystikz- Dun Stinky
Skream- Ambush
Brasstooth- Celebrate Life (E-B or Madd Flex remix) (Well Built)
Mala- Left Leg Out (DMZ)
Skream- Losing Control (Tempa)
Skream- Untitled
Mala- Neverland (DMZ)
Mala- Lean Fwd
Skream- Tech
Skream- Tron (remix)
Benga Vs Coki- Night
Menta- Rubba (Sounds of da Future 2)
——————————————————
And as I was digging through the music files I’ve taped off the radio I dusted off this set that Benga & Skream did for Mary Anne Hobbs in January. You might remember that Benga’s Invasion EP was reviewed in the first issue of Darkside Sophistication, which was meant to commemorate the anniversary of Dubstep Warz. In truth I was a week late, as this Radio1 special marked the real anniversary. You can download it here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/jncsb5 
The trackisting is as follows:

Benga & Skream on Mary Anne Hobbs, Radio 1 Friday the 5th of Jan

Interview 
Benga- Hotstepping (Benga Beats)
Skream- Kut Off (Tempa)

The Mix
Skream- Nemesis 
Skream- Lose Control (Tempa)
Mark Ashken- Roots Dyed Dark (Skream Mix) (White)
Benga- Crunked Up (Tempa)
Benga Vs Coki- World War 7 (vocal) (Benga Beats)
Skream- Chestboxing (Tempa)
Benga- Skunk Tip (Skream mix) (orig on Tempa)
Benga- The Germ
Benga- Electric
Skream- Lemon
Mala- Lean Fwd
Benga- Music Box (Warrior Dubz LP, Planet Mu)
Loefah- Natural Charge
Skream- Make Me (Tempa)
Skream- Assumptions (Remix) (Ringo)
Benga- Flame (Big Apple)
Magnetikman- Everything Cool
Hijak- Babylon Timewarp (Deep Medi)
Coki- Seek Knowledge
Skream- Acid
Mala- Bury Da Bwoy (DMZ)
Hijak- Tears 

Barefiles.com is back online at some point this month so you’ll be able to get the full 2 hour show there, I just thought I’d include the Dubstep bits only. And remember, if any of these download links don’t work give us a shout as I can upload them on the net again at the drop of a (slowly falling) hat.
 

Substratum EP Part 1 (Immerse Records 003 IME 003 Pt1)

Bristol’s Immerse label are best known in the Dubstep scene for their excellent debut release last Summer, Benga & Walsh’s ‘Spooksville’/ ‘Dreamscape 24’. However they also put out the nicely intricate D&B track ‘Otis Drumfunk’ by Andy Skopes that appeared on the Living Inside The Speaker DVD (see the 1st February post). This new two-part EP sees a return to the Dubstep side of things.

I didn’t know the second part was already available until a few days ago so I can’t comment on it, but it’s the work of Forsaken (prominent in the Bristol Dubstep docu) and a producer called Diem who’s new to my ears. This first edition has Grim Dubs badboy Atki2 & English ex-pats in Barcelona 23hz & Numaestro on production duties.

23hz & Nuemaestro- ‘Galleon Dub’

This duo, responsible for the internet radio show & club nights Corsario Riddim, have a surprisingly busy DJing schedule in Spain. Though it’s fresh to me, this cut has been floating around on Dubplate since 2005, popular with Joe Nice among others. Starting off with some cautious use of a wailing Bollywood starlet sample, Galleon leads you in gently with an intro made up mainly of reverse snares.

In the long build up things are pretty tranquil & cinematic. However the drums are very punchy, the reversed snares being the sole concession to any overt use of percussion special effects. The kicks in particular are rather meaty. Don’t be expecting anything too echoey here.

While the vocal sample is very distinct, there’s little hint at the start that this track is going to mash venues up. You could be forgiven for thinking the initially weak bass pulse is all you’re going to get, but when this tune drops for real it has some serious impact. Though far from being a wobbler, the intense but simplistic b-line reverberates with evil intent.

Adding to this set up in later parts is an oldskool esque sub bass that alternates well with the main hook. With the whole thing riding along an action packed drum pattern, this record gets strictly to the point in a nice way.

Atki2- ‘Douceur’

Strange though it may seem, Bristolian Atki2’s effort for this twelve has more of a Mediterranean air about it than that of Corsario Riddim’s, what with the acoustic guitar samples he uses sparingly. Though some of the instrumentation in the intro phase isn’t entirely to my taste (including some Sino type strings), there’s no denying the appeal of the main bassline.      

And unlike ‘Galleon Dub’, ‘Douceur’ does rely on warping LFO’s to achieve an elastic bass sound. But then that’s no bad thing in my book. The drum pattern has some nice little bits of ‘improvisation’ in it as well, which add to the general excitement of things. 

Having said that there’s little sign of some of the more off the wall elements that Atki2 played around with on his output for Werk Discs. But like Boxcutter’s releases, it comes as no surprise that this tune has been produced by someone whose musical career hasn’t been sheltered by the at times restrictive confines of Dubstep. 

‘Douceur’ may not be the most exciting track of the year, but it avoids many of the pitfalls of current Dubstep beats by injecting bits and pieces of imagination at several turns. And hats off to Immerse Records for refusing to go down the obvious route with all three of their releases.

Immerse Records: http://www.immerserecords.com & http://www.myspace.com/immerserecordsuk
Corsario Riddim: http://www.myspace.com/corsarioriddim  At the bottom of their page you can listen to some internet radio shows they’ve done in recent months
23hz also makes Drum & Bass: http://www.myspace.com/23hz
Atki2: http://www.myspace.com/atki2  Also check out his blog at http://atki2.blogspot.com
Werk Discs: http://www.werk-it.com
Check Rooted Records for copies of the Living Inside the Speaker DVD: http://www.rootedrecords.co.uk/catalog
Forsaken: http://www.myspace.com/forsakendubstep    
————————————————————-

Kromestar- Fantastic 3 Recordings EP (Fantastic 30010)

Fantastic 3 was an obscure sister label of Southside Recordings that had it’s last release in 2001. Now it’s been resurrected, perhaps for tracks that can’t fit on the Southside Dubstars stable, although that’s purely speculation on my part. By inviting Kromestar on board they’ve managed to bring the imprint back with panache.

A-side track ‘Ghostship’ is one of Iron’s best yet. With a name like that you’d expect some degree of spookiness, but it’s mainly limited to a section of high-pitched choral singing that appears now and then. Starting off with a simplistic version of the main bassline, the intro gradually fades into the weightiness you’ve learnt to expect from a Dubstep cut. You could achieve the same effect yourself by playing a tune with the bass cut out, and then slowly dropping it back in using the EQ’s.

This would all sound crude & overdramatic if it wasn’t for the force of the mammoth bassline when it hits home. Not one to prophesise false dawns, Kromestar delivers on form with one of the classiest wobblers I’ve heard in a while. With little else going on in the track, he focuses all of his attention on making the b-line variations as techy (and satisfying) as possible. It’s certainly a drop that’s capable of stealing ‘Surgery’s’ crown of glory.

On side 2 Kromestar goes for an entirely different flex. ‘Konflict’ is one of those musical Reggae tinged records that are fast becoming a style within themselves. Think about Konquest’s (AKA Quest) ‘Hard Food’, or Kromestar’s own (with Walsh) ‘Panik Room’ that came out on Hot Flush a few months back. But this one differs from the latter in that it’s in quite a low key, with the bass being much more central to the track.

One of the main hooks of the tune is a trumpet melody. While the bass is very strong, ‘Konflict’ isn’t in a dark vein, being more of a relaxed affair. It’s something nice & inoffensive you can invite home to meet your parents for a cup of tea. Until the noise abatement order comes through the post that is. However, it’s good to see that Kromestar is capable of producing more elaborate ‘fluffy’ tracks as well as dark club bangers.

‘Quicktime’ is a bit of an oddity compared to much of Dubstep. A four to the floor bouncy number with Grimey overtones, it retains the former track’s old skool Reggae vibe with a repeated stab. Of course Kromestar cut his teeth on 4x4 Garage a few years ago, so this offering shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. He even tooled a basic galloping kick drum type track, ‘Scribbler’ for the 100 Grime Instrumentals CD Pack.

Not that ‘Quicktime’ copies that trend, following a more traditional pattern. The use of snares and other hard drum sounds in unexpected places distinguishes this from the kind of singles that populate the 4/4 Garage landscape. But having said that this shouldn’t be lumped in the same boat as complex tunes like Mala’s ‘Anti War Dub’.

Unlike that track, Kromestar’s interpretation of the sound doesn’t manage to shake off the sense of being unnecessarily fast, but in truth to achieve otherwise is a hard trick to pull off at Dubstep tempo. The rubbery bass tone also adds to this sense of urgency. I would suspect that ‘Quicktime’ has the ability to cause a stir in both the 4 to the Floor & Grime scenes, though whether it gets enough exposure in those quarters to light the touch paper is another matter.

Kromestar: http://www.myspace.com/iron_soul_aka_kromestar
Conquest: http://www.myspace.com/conquestrecordings  
Walsh: http://www.myspace.com/walshydub
100 Grime Instrumentals 6 CD pack is available from Croydon’s Mixing Records: http://www.mixingrecords.com as is part 2. Kromestar/ Iron Soul features prominently on both, & Cotti & Cluekid have a few tracks on the 2nd.