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