A Look Back - Dubstep Allstars: A Movement Takes Shape

"For emerging scenes that have a newness about them, [that are] kind of unique and fresh, vital in that way that dubstep was, and in that way that grime was, in that way that 2-step garage was, specialism is really, really important, because it's that specialism that allows the music to unravel and develop. So with a genre like dubstep, there [were] DJs like Youngsta and Hatcha, who both produced occasional records, but were essentially specialist DJs. And they put a lot of initially quite disparate music into context as being one thing. And it was that which really honed the sound and made it what it was. It helped people identify with it, I think. It made the music less impenetrable."

- Ben UFO, Red Bull Music Academy Lecture, 2014

Let's go back 15 years.  If you were living in London, you might have been able to pick up the signal from the then-pirate radio station, Rinse FM, at home or in your car. And you might have caught DJ Hatcha's show. You listen closely. The music is dark and bassy. Energetic, earthy and esoteric. It's stripped back for the most part - the percussion and the rumbling bass - with minimal instrumentation put on top, usually a sample taken from whatever exotic/"ethnic"/oriental music. And you can faintly hear some 2-step Garage influences in the beat patterns, but the music has already begun to stray away from it.

And on top you hear the playful and almost nonsensical chatter of MCs Crazy D (mostly) and Beezy.

"Come on Hatcha! Take them to the jungle! Come on do it! Don't just say it, DO IT!"

"Deeper and darker we go! Big up all the one-blingers!"

"Going in with full stamina! Wa Wa oooeeee! Ongie Bongie!"

For everyone that was locked in to the show way back in 2003 - from the "deep heads" recording the set on cassette, to the likes of the Digital Mystikz, smoking a spliff in their car - listening to Hatcha's selection of underground bass music, that he and Crazy D would call "Tribal" or "Ongie bongie", what they probably didn't know was that they were listening to the early renditions of what would soon be called Dubstep.

As Ben UFO (founder of Hessle Audio, one of the most celebrated underground UK labels) says in the above quote, Hatcha was a specialist, honing into a particular sound. In the early 2000s, a whole bunch of producers and DJs, with backgrounds in UK Garage, started making darker, rawer beats at 140 bpm, often with stylistic influences taken from the darker ends of Jungle and Drum n Bass. In 2003, 15 years ago, Dubstep and Grime hadn't yet crystallized into defined genres.  There were different styles going about within the "140 sound" diaspora; from the breakstep garage sound, to dark garage à la DJ Narrows, to sublow, eski beat and dubstep. The Dubstep (dubby 2-step garage) term, from what I understand, was initially used to describe Horsepower Productions' output and all of the  music influenced by it, or which resembled it.

Coming from a UK Garage standpoint, Hatcha started to notice these new variants coming out: "I started to pick up on this new sound; it was Garage, but deeper and darker, more intelligent style." His sets gradually shifted entirely towards this new sound. With a record bag full of exclusive and sought-after dubplates, he became one of the most noticeable and influential DJs of this new quasi-scene, having underground producers make beats specifically for him. Two of  them were Skream and Benga, teenagers at the time. Hatcha quickly started to focus on a specific vibe, and as people sent him music, he'd give back instructions to "make it darker, more tribal."

When people speak of Dubstep's origins, one place always comes up: Croydon, South London. And early-Dubstep is often referred to as the "Croydon sound". That all started with Hatcha. He was an employee at the Big Apple Records shop, which was located in Croydon, and which was the hangout spot for a lot of Dubstep pioneers: Skream, Benga, Artwork, Tunnidge, Cyrus, Distance, Benny Ill (from Horsepower Productions), Hijak, etc. Soon after, the DMZ gang joined this group, who were the ones pushing out this bass-heavy, dark, stripped-back, sometimes tribal sound - the Croydon Sound. Early Dubstep.

Compare this track, the sound that Hatcha prefered:

To this:

FWD>> (pronounced "forward"), was the name of the club night showcasing this new style (among others) and was affiliated with Geeneus' pirate radio station, Rinse FM. The club night was run by Sarah Lockhart and Neil Joliffe, of Ammunitions Ltd, who both also ran Tempa, the most prominent and influential Dubstep label from 2000 to about 2008. Initially a space where Horsepower Productions could release their music, the label's roster grew as producers like Hatcha, Kode9, DJ Abstract, Skream, and DMZ had some of their early work released on there as well. As a way to promote this new music, Tempa saw fit to release an official mix CD as a showcase. Of course, the DJ they would call to make to first volume was DJ Hatcha himself. Dubstep Allstars vol 1, is the first official release with the genre's name. Although the CD came out in 2004, the music appears to be mostly from 2002 to early-2003, as it seems to predate the DMZ era. You can hear it in the music, which still has the 2-step swing into it. Although the mix is missing the lively chatter of Crazy D and Beezy, and even the energy that his radio show had, it still remains a great showcase of the music that initiated this Croydon Sound, with its biggest early players: Kode9, Skream, Benga, Horsepower Productions.

The next year saw the release of the second volume of Dubstep Allstars, with Youngsta taking over the decks this time. And this is where the form of Dubstep with which most people are accustomed to started to take shape.

Youngsta, Sarah Lockhart's younger brother, was also a South London resident and he'd supposedly been involved in pirate radio since the age of 13; getting his own slot on Rinse FM around 2002. By 2005, due to his unique vision and selection, to his unparalleled technical talents as a DJ, and to his partnership with one of the most unique MCs, Task, Youngsta and his show had grown a sizable following. Now, he is recognized as being probably the most important and influential DJ in Dubstep, as the underground sound still follows the foundation layed out in this second mix CD of the series.

While others in this scene were still largely toying with the vibes and rhythms of the darker side of Garage and DnB, Youngsta was more interested in seeing how "stripped-back" and "spaced out" (his own terms) the music could become. Whereas Hatcha's vision for this music was a rhythmically energetic one, Youngsta's vision brought him to venture further down the minimalist and darker path, and focusing less on the whole "tribal"/ethnic aesthetic. The signature groove and swing of Garage music is almost entirely gone here, except for the use of shuffley hi-hats. And he was the one pushing the halfstep sound that everyone associates with the genre, as that familiar beat pattern can be heard in the opening track, Skream's Babylon.




Making an appearance is the DMZ crew, who make up almost half of the mix. In fact, as Ben UFO also points out in his interview with Red Bull Music, Youngsta was such a specialist, had such a specific taste, that his sets were composed entirely of music from a handful of producers: Mala (of the Digital Mystikz), Loefah, D1, Skream, and sometimes Benga and Coki. That was it, six producers; and only four of them are presented in this mix CD.

Dark and atmospheric, the music in this mix is more meditative than actually danceable, but that was the idea. Youngsta didn't do sets to skank to, but to light up a blunt to, and bob your head to the beat, eyes down, as you feel the enormous sub pressure rattle your rib cage.



British underground club music in the early 2000s was probably like what it is now, with different styles floating about, subgenres of subgenres, with a similar vibe threading along each sound, but without any one of them crystallizing to form a new genre. In the early 2000s, underground Garage spored many different styles. While DJs like Slimzee and Geeneus took from that pool to shape what we now know as "Grime", Hatcha and Youngsta had also taken from that very same pool, to shape what we now recognized as being "Dubstep". And while some of their archived radio sets have been uploaded on Soundcloud and Mixcloud, Tempa's first two entries of their Dubstep Allstars series remain great points of references to listen to where the genre comes from, and who built it.

Showcase Mix: Old School House Music (made in the 21st Century)

Consider this statement: "Jungle has House influences".

You say: "Ok..."

The interlocutor continues: "Jungle also has Techno influences."

You pause for a slight moment, and agree.

And you're left wondering: What is House? What, exactly, is Techno? And how can people distinguish one from the other so assuredly?

Let me try and give a description. Techno is machine music. Usually instrumental, it has a steady, repetitive rhythm; it's not too slow, but not too fast. It can sound grey and atonal, or even, at times, bright and melodic. Created in the 80s in Detroit, it takes massive influences from West Coast P-Funk and 70s German electronic music, taking the German motorik pulse and putting it in a dance/club environment.







And House? Well, House is also dance/club music with a steady, repetitive rhythm (not too fast, not too slow) created with the help of drum-machines. But House is soul music. Originating in Chicago, sometime in the late 70s, its sound stems from the long tradition of R'n'B. While Chicago House is usually instrumental, and can be stripped back like Techno, it has an evident Funk and Disco groove to it. The Garage House variant from New York, also from the late 70s, is more song-based, with its Disco, Soul and R'n'B (and even Jazz) influences made much more apparent.

Of course, Techno and House, despite its purists, have always co-existed and, in turn, influenced each other. Some tracks could be categorized as both, making things frustrating for people who need to have things neatly classified. But I can confidently say that Robert Hood's classic Detroit: One Circle is unquestionably Techno, and that Marshall Jefferson's and Soundstream's posted tracks are indeed House, through and through.

At this point, House music is already about 4 decades old, and there seems to be no sign of it slowing down. For four decades, with all of the stylistic changes it has gone through, it is essentially the same thing. Same vibe. Same formula. Even now there are still masses of House producers sampling Jazz, Funk, R'n'B and Disco records (some even specializing in making Edits of old Disco joints): A testament to how the genre has stuck to its roots, to its musical heritage, and, to a certain extent, to its original sound. House music has, in my opinion, become a classical genre. "Classical" in the sense that it has its own unchanged, traditional conventions that are able to host new and foreign elements without having them alter the essence of its sound. While I'm the type of listener that likes to look for the new (and that is in perpetual search for the new), it is impossible no to commend its long-lasting appeal, and how much great music this genre continues to give.

The Mix

So, for this showcase mix, I thought I'd make one with House tracks that are more "song-based", for every listener that has also wondered what House music is.  Well, this is it. This is No Nonsense House Music. 4-4-2 House Music. "Just Punt the Ball Away!" House Music. Pepperoni and Pizza House Music. No fusion elements. No generic ambiguity. No musical hybridity with new, current genres, or Techno, or anything else. Just a steady rhythm with funky basslines, jazzy chords on synthesizers, upbeat piano, Disco-styled strings, soulful R'n'B singers, and divas.

The music here falls more in line with the New York Garage version of House. And to offer something different from the classics that we hear over and over again, I thought I'd select tracks made after 2000 that have an old school feel. If the track is relatively recent, and if Larry Levan would've probably liked it, then it's going in. I hope you enjoy.

♪ 'Cause House is a Feeling! ♪

Tracklist 

00:00

Quentin Harris - My Joy

4:21

Full Intention - I'll Be Waiting (Gray & Pearn Remix)

7:48

Hardsoul feat. Amma - Don't Let Love Weigh You Down (Original Classic Mix) 

12:00

Janet Jackson feat. Nelly - Call On Me (Disclosure Bootleg)

14:04

Stephanie Cooke - Rain (Let It All Come Down) (Dennis Ferrer's Rainforest Mix) 

18:52

Frankie Knuckles - Let's Stay Home (A Director's Cut Classic Club Mix) 

22:27

Joi Cardwell & DJ Gomi - We Can Do Better (Fred Everything Lazy Vocal Mix) 

26:02

Julian Gomes - Love Song 28 (Original Mix) 

Peverelist's Bass Music: Jungle Re-Contextualized

It's interesting to think about musical influences, whether it's how a certain genre, artist, scene, or track has influenced another certain genre, scene or artist, and so on. To think about musical influences is to think about how musical elements and styles tend to get passed on, from one era to another; about how they survive (or die, if ignored), and how they're used to create something new.

One of my favourite electronic music producers is undoubtedly Peverelist. In wanting to promote fresh bass music from his city of Bristol, he started the Punch Drunk label in 2006. Even before its Brostep variant took over the EDM festival circuit in 2010, Dubstep was all the rage in the underground. The subbass-powered, dread-filled, skankstep sound from London sounded like nothing before. And as with Jungle and Drum N Bass, the sound promptly made its way to the port city. Notable producers in the genre that have appeared on Peverelist's label are: Pinch, Gemmy, RSD (from the legendary Bristolian act, Smith & Mighty), Kahn, Shorstuff (aka Mickey Pearce), etc. 

Ever since the start of Rave and Hardcore, Bristol has, from what I've read here and there, always been in the shadow of the capital. But maybe that is less so today. In 2011, Peverelist starts a second label, Livity Sound. Possibly because of his waning interest in Dubstep (which had become formulaic by then), the label served as a venue to push out forward-thinking, yet still club-oriented, bass music from a crew of Bristolian producers. Livity Sound, in a way, was a continuation of the Techno-infused Dubstep style that was going on in the late 2000s (which the Punch Drunk label also showcased). But the tempo had changed, going from 140 to about 125-130, stepping away (or pushed out) from the Dubstep scene. As with the labels Swamp 81, Night Slugs and Hessle Audio, Livity Sound's output is an important pillar of the current "UK Hardcore" sound going on right now (which I wrote about here). While it has settled into a certain comfort zone in the last two years, the label's  prior willingness to takes chances and surprise  has made it one of the most influential and important labels of this decade in underground electronic/club/rave music.

Peverelist, the label boss, the don, is at the center of it. Although he started in the Dubstep scene, and his current music can be lightly qualified as "Techno" or "UK Bass" depending on who you ask, to my ears, he's always made the same music. Sound system music. Bass music that follows the UK Hardcore tradition. Throughout his discography, one idea that come backs, ever since his first releases, is his tendency to fuse the attacking, ricocheting subbass of Jungle and Drum N Bass with the established machine-soul sound of (Detroit) Techno. The Dubstep genre, I believe, was initially the perfect space to try this, at a time when it still seemed like there was uncharted territories to explore in the genre, over 10 years ago.

Peverelist has a sound of his own, and is instantly recognizable. Outside of his preferred hi-hats, warm kicks and melancholic synths, the element that gives his music his own signature style in the realm of Techno is the dizzying grooves he takes from Jungle and Drum N Bass (especially the former). This made sense to me when he's said in interviews that his roots, as a DJ and raver, lie in those genres. Back in 2012, he uploaded an old Jungle mix he made sometime in the late 90s (listen here). Let's take a look at two tracks taken from that mix: Shut Up & Dance's remix of The Godfather's Somebody, released in 1995 on Red Light; and Never Felt, by an anonymous artist, released in 1995 on Hard 'N' Heavy. A chance to get acquainted with Peverelist's own musical influences.

One of the main characteristics of Jungle is the drum breaks manipulation at fast tempos. Not unlike Hip Hop, the breaks are sliced up and re-assembled however the producer wants to. However, in Jungle, the breaks are put together in a unpredictable fashion. There is a dominant beat pattern in each track, but the producers have fun and deviate from it by offering different variables after every couple of bars or so, without interrupting the groove (for the skankers at the rave). Different percussive elements are highlighted at different times: skittering attacks from snares or hi-hats, or cymbals (or even applied filter effects) that cut out as suddenly and quickly as they jumped in. This creates that dizzying, offbeat swing that is intrinsic to the genre. A world apart from both House and Techno's motorik beats.

Also pay attention to the bass underneath all that. In a lot of cases, I don't think we can talk about bass lines. "Bass line", to me, implies a player, a musician, that has everything seemingly under control. The bass in Jungle is anything but that; it's an untamed beast. Notice how, in both tracks, at every 2 bars or so, the subbass jumps in, bouncing around rapidly and successively, almost as if it wanted to burst out of the speakers, before sliding down and subduing itself momentarily, until it jumps in again. With the percussion on top, it creates a feeling of chaos and, with it, a spike in energy.

In regards to the bouncy, offbeat bass, and how Peverelist uses that stylistic element within a Techno track, let's take a look at two of my favourites from last year: his remix of Roberto's Chord Recall (Solar Phenoma) and his own Wireframes (Livity Sound). [*Note: Listen with headphones or speakers with adequate bass response]. Notice the bass in his re-imagining of "Chord Recall". That ricocheting, offbeat subbass, almost straight out of a Jungle track, jumps in at the start of every bar. Stylistically, the reverberated chords echoing throughout are fairly typical of Techno. But, until the strings come in at midpoint, the immense bass takes center stage, giving the track weight, forward momentum and a dizzying swing.  In "Wireframes", the same idea is applied, but we can hear some percussive work come into play. The offbeat subbass attacks paired with the kicks create the same effect as in the "Chord Recall" remix. Peverelist layers in swinging hi-hats, snares and claps that dance around the bass. None of the elements ever seem to stay put.







Finally, let's take a look at one of his "Dubstep" tracks, from his Punch Drunk label: Fighting Without Fighting, released in 2010. This is the track that actually brought me to think about how Peverelist utilizes his Jungle influences to create new music. In this track, the chaotic impulses of Jungle are present, in both the percussion and the bass. The bass is relentless; again, it bounces around continuously, with almost no break to its assault on your speakers. While the drum breaks aren't there, listen to the snares and hi-hats. They're spastic, uncontrollable, unpredictable. The hi-hats sometimes come and go as they please. There's no fixed motif with the beat pattern. Peverelist adds his touch, with the melancholic melodies and restrained Techno chords which give the track some type of shape that the listener can grasp onto. Sure, it doesn't have the rudebwoy swagger of Jungle, but this track definitely shares its sense of controlled chaos; and I think that there is definite lineage to be traced here.

Is "Fighting Without Fighting" actually Dubstep? Or is it Jungle? Or is it both? More importantly, does it matter what it is? When I heard the track, I didn't know what to make of it. Only when I realized that Peverelist might be trying, as previously mentioned, to seamlessly combine Jungle/Drum N Bass and Techno  did I start to make sense of it. As I stated in the opening paragraph, I found it interesting to see how someone's musical baggage affects their compositions, how they might use it, re-contextualize it, to create something fresh, something yet unheard. Jungle and Drum N Bass aren't viewed as "forward-thinking music" anymore, but their sound lives on in music that is considered as such. At least, people like Peverelist are seeing to it.

Don Robbie's Crucial Past: Sniffing Our Way Into UK Reggae.

As with many people who follow the Premier League, Arsenal's disappointing last four seasons have led me to discover AFTV (previously Arsenal Fan TV). Set up by Robbie Lyle in 2012, "for the fans by the fans", AFTV's intention was to give a venue where the disgruntled fans could speak their minds, ranting about the manager Arsène Wenger and his antiquated tactics, and the inconsistent showing from the players. The prestigious team's downward slope culminated last year with their 6th placed finish (they usually finish in the coveted top 4) and trophy-less season; their worst result in the 22 years that Wenger coached Arsenal, seeing him end his gig at the London club.

In all the highs and lows of the team, after every single game, week in and week out, whether they're playing in their home-base of North London or someplace in the Ukraine you never knew existed, Robbie shows up with his camera and his microphone at hand to interview the fans and let them express their elated joy or their continued despair.

And for better or for worse, some charismatic interviewees became regulars on the channel; ordinary, working-class people ranting about their team and manager, sometimes in an unintended comical fashion as with Troopz (the channel's nickname is BludFamTV because of his rants). These rants have attracted people from all over, transcending the Arsenal fanbase, to savour the schadenfreude or to simply be entertained.

And Robbie is always there to document it. Not only those "characters", but also to get the opinion of other "more sensible, reasonable" fans. His work has earned him over 800k subscribers, making his channel by far the biggest football/soccer fan channel on Youtube. His channel has caught the attention of professional pundits such as Gary Neville (who's also appeared on the channel) and he's been invited to talk on TV and on other Youtube channels.

And if the Youtube comment sections are to be believed, Robbie owns everything now. Every stadium, every building, every parc, every monument (from whichever country) that are used as backdrops for his videos are apparently his. Really, it's just a playful way to express how much success he's had. That's why he's the Don. Don Robbie.

However, about a year ago, someone unearthed some old concert footage featuring a familiar face. Well, it appears that before Don Robbie, in his days of yore, he was the reggae artist, the badman, the rudebwoy, the sound murderer, Crucial Robbie.

And to my, and certainly others', great delight, I found out that he had released an LP of Digi Reggae, Crucial View, released way back in 1990. While it's lacking his rediscovered hit, Don't Sniff the Coke (*sniff, sniff*), the album is a pretty solid work from the Casio keyboard-era of Dancehall.

♪

So, if you're up for it, I feel that we could take this opportunity to dig a little into UK Reggae further. We've heard the Don in action on the mic, so let's have a look at other artists. I won't pretend to be an expert, but I thought I'd share some tunes I've enjoyed and discovered while listening to some of The Heatwave's and the Toast Collective radio shows. Don Robbie clearly says not to sniff the coke, so we won't. But I think we should take strong sniffs into UK Reggae. Robbie sniffs six times in his chorus. So we'll also take six sniffs. One song per sniff. Six sniffs. Six Songs.

*sniff*

Our first hit will be a dose of the UK Apachi's No Poll Tax. Yes, this is the Apachi, who would become the Ragga Jungle hero. Released in 1990 on Sweet Freedom Records.

*sniff*

Our second hit is courtesy of another Jungle legend. Prior to his raving days, General Levy also dabbled in Dancehall. His 1988 track, New Cockatoo, already displays his unique vocal delivery that would make him popular.

*sniff*
The third hit gives a taste of Top Cat's Push Up Yu Lighter. The 1992 track seems to be a flip of the mega-hit "Under Mi Sleng Teng" riddim.





*SNIFFFFF*
Our fourth hit is a strong one, fast-forwarding us all the way to the late 2000s. Producer DJ NG teams up with MC Versatile and future UK star and rave queen Katy B, in one of her first records. Tell Me, blending UK Garage with Carribean rhythms, is not only one of Katy B's best performances, but it was also very influential in shaping the UK Funky genre.





*sniff*
Our penultimate hit takes us to Lea-Anna. The forgotten UK singer brought us one of the biggest dancehall hits of 2012 in her Murder.





*sniffffff*

Finally, our last hit will be Stefflon Don's Afroswing track, Envy Us. Taking rhythm inspiration from the Afrobeats genre, the song is a great showcase as to why she's become one of the biggest UK "Dancehall" perfomers as of late.

The Past is Now. The Future was then.

It's the evening, and I'm listening to George Clanton's newly released Slide. It's an enjoyable synthpop album. Great melodies, cool sounds, yadda, yaddda, yadda. However, what is striking to me about this album, is how its retro sound isn't striking. The synth work and the sampled drum breaks entirely assume a 90s vibe, but never does it sound novel.  I think it's safe to say that retro sounds are no longer particular or audacious stylistic choices in music. It's as if we've accepted the sounds from  the past into our current lives. They are just a palette among many. In Google Play, in Spotify, in Youtube, I have at my fingertips an immense collection of music from every era. When it comes to modern music (i.e. from the 60s onwards), everything falls into a sort of musical mosaic while listening on a digital platform.

How could it not? So many modern acts borrow directly from the past. Sure, there are some modern tendencies, notably when it comes to vocal melodies and vocal delivery in pop music, that distinguish them from older styles. But when it comes to song arrangements and instrumentation, past works serve as inspiration, to the point where it's not just inspiration but imitation at times.

I think of electronic music right now. I wrote the article highlighting what I considered as "the new Hardcore" in UK rave music. I also consider it as being "new" and "fresh". But let's just think about everything else. Look at House music. In 2006, Loefah said in a dubstep documentary that "House and Techno have been doing the same thing for 10-15 years". It's 2018 now, and House is still the same. Same tempos, same chord progressions. Mostly, look at Lo-fi  House, probably the biggest underground electronic genre in the last few years outside of Big Room/Festival Techno (is that still considered "underground"?). The genre is shamelessly retro, not only in its sound but in the names that some producers have given themselves (DJ Seinfeld? Ross from Friends?). It's biggest hit is probably DJ Boring's Winona. 

Lo-fi House's main characteristic is its fixation on the past, a whole scene dedicated to sonically reliving the past. But the retro fixation is also present in other genres. Jungle and Drum N Bass are going through a resurgence in interest right now. And while there are certainly labels that are trying to push fresh stuff, there is no ignoring the continued veneration of the 90s sound, especially when it comes to Jungle. Tim Rearper, Coco Bryce, Pheneus II, Dead Man's Chest are but some that have given a new life to the Jungle sound of '93, when Jungle still had a heavy House influence. This year also saw the release of a compilation titled Hardcore Will Never Die, for which various modern producers made Hardcore/Breakbeat Techno tracks as a showcase.

In Techno, the old Detroit sound lives on as a major influence for a lot of producers. Even in Dancehall, I've recently realized that some of my preferred riddims are callbacks to the 80s and/or 90s. And, as I've stated in my Mala entry, underground Dubstep continues to gravitate around a fetishization of the "true sound", the 2006 sound, the DMZ and Tectonic sound. As such, the music is still the same thing as it was back then.

Actually, to say that "it's still the same thing" is a bit unfair. I can only guess as to why a younger generation of producers is so fascinated with the past when, usually, in Electronic music, it is the notion of the future that is an important source of inspiration. There was a time when Electronic music's "evolution" was dictated by technological advancements and a growing accessibility of recording and studio equipment. But we seem to have plateaued (for now) in that regard.



In terms of underground Electronic music, the 80s and 90s were wild years. But I, like everyone aged under about 35, only know so through reading about it and listening to the available music. The music from those years still serves as a sort of guide (or template) for what is current (well, maybe not for the whole "deconstructed/post club" thing). Even more "modern" sounding stuff like Bass House can find some of its stylistic origins in Tear Out Drum N Bass, French House and Trance from the 90s. And so, when we read about how those years have been mythologized by older ravers, and when we listen to the music and hear how it's so distant and different, yet so familiar, of course people are bound to be fixated on it.

A certain longing arises for those mythological years, regardless if someone "was there" or not. We hear how incredibly vital Hardcore Techno and Jungle were, but those scenes only lasted a couple of years each. At the time, most people were intent on "moving things forwards", with "finding the new": "That amazing track that came out 6-7 months ago, that's old history now." So producers take those old aesthetics, and bring them back; make them new again. Because maybe we want to experience them now, live them in our own way. Because maybe there still might be possibilities for new explorations using those old aesthetics.  Could someone in '95 have made a track like Subjoi's The Way I Feel or Mall Grab's Feel U, or Denham Audio Cinnamon Vanilla, or Dead Man's Chest Avalon Dub?

The answers is: who knows. Maybe. Maybe not. There was a time when innovation was the name of the game in Electronic/Club/Rave. It seems as if innovation might be a tad overrated.

So just let's just listen and enjoy the music, and ignore everything I've written.

Reggae Gold? No. Ragga Song Spesh

This year marks the 25th anniversary of VP Records' flagship Reggae Gold series. While compilations of recent music seem like an antiquated idea, I think it actually suits genres like Dancehall and Reggae, where so much music is released every year, and where so much of it can, in honesty, be discarded. Sure, the same can be some for probably most genres, but the Dancehall scene has the tendency to churn out a ridiculous amount of music, more so than in any other genre I've encountered. And for a genre that has always been singles-focused (more so in the last 20 years), a compilation can serve as an entry point into what people are listening, and as an introduction to new names in the scene that one might have missed. VP Records are not only an influential label, but they're also regarded as fine selectors.

Now, maybe's it's because I'm beginning to be out of touch with the current tastes in the Reggae world, but I felt like this year's Reggae Gold entry to be underwhelming. Though, it's not without its high points. Hoodcelebrityy's hit, Walking Trophy, is as catchy and charming as it is earnest. And so is Dovey Magnum's Bawl Out (although in a more hyper-sexual manner). Estelle's Better is as good as any modern R'n'B number from the likes of Rihanna, Drake, or any of your favourite US-based artists. And lastly, Sheensea's Nothing Dem Nuh Have Ova Me is a perfect example of why she's one of my favourite current singers in Dancehall



I feel like the rest of the release is filled with mediocre Roots Reggae and Pop Reggae fluff. A problem with modern Dancehall is in how much a lot of it has crossover'd with Mainstream/US Pop music. I don't remember on which forum or Youtube comment section I saw this, but I recall seeing Dancehall being described as "turning into pop music with patois accents". I won't dare to dictate what Jamaican music should like, nor will I pretend to be an expert, but I do somewhat agree with that sentiment, in that it expresses a loss of modern Dancehall's "uniqueness", or "Jamaican character", at least when it comes to its instrumentation.

For the most part, this 25th anniversary entry does not disprove that. I understand that Jamaican music has always had an extremely close relationship with American Rnb (and Hip Hop) music throughout the decades, but some Dancehall artists' (especially producers) mainstream aspirations bring them to imitate their American counterparts too closely, instead of innovating and coming up with new sounds of their own.

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Don't get it twisted, Dancehall still has a lot to offer. To say the contrary would be too narrow-minded. And, to be honest, most of Dancehall still sounds, to my ears, characteristically "Jamaican", taking cues from all kinds of modern music, but still following in the footsteps of King Jammy, Rude Boy Kelly, and the like. And so, "why not make a Dancehall playlist/compilation that I'd want to listen?", I asked myself. And I did.

Terror Fabulous perfoming on one of my favourite riddims, from the 90s

Ragga Ragga Ragga, the other big compilation series, saw its last entry in 2014, which was disappointing, since it was my favourite series of the two. It focused more on the "sound system"/ club side of Dancehall, and did away with the cheesy modern Roots stuff that Reggae Gold will sometimes include. So that's exactly what I will do. A playlist of back to back sound system business, that I'll name, Pat's Ragga Song Spesh 2018.

1. Stylo G - Yu Zimme
2. K More - Washing Machine
3. Ishawna - Mi Belly [Under Wata Riddim]
4. Mavado - Enemies
5. Shenseea - Position [Bashment Time Riddim]
6. Charly Black - Tan Tuddy [Bashment Time Riddim]
7. Mr. Lexx - More Than You [Boom Riddim]
8. Ce'Cile - Indie Gyal [Boom Riddim]
9. The Heatwave feat. Sylo G - Closer to Me
10. Pamputtae - Champion Jockey [Champion Jockey Riddim]
11. Danielle Di - Round A Back
12. Stefflon Don - Senseless
13. NSG feat. Geko - Yo Darlin'
14. Konshens - Bassline
15. Shenseea - Subrosa
16. Shokryme - Selfish [Tropical Bounce Riddim]

The playlist includes tracks from 2017 and 2018. The cutoff point for last year's music is June, when Reggae Gold 2017 came out, which is when Ragga 2017 would also have come out had it not been discontinued. Pat's Ragga Song Spesh 2018 is my favourite Dancehall from that point to now.

One thing you might notice is the proliferation of UK-based artists: Stylo G, K More, Stefflon Don, The Heatwave, NSG. More could have been included, which is not surprising. I feel, through listening to internet radio, as if the UK (London, especially) has been a point of convergence for modern "Afro" music - Jamaica's Dancehall, West Africa's Afrobeats, London's own Afroswing and, to a certain extent, South Africa's Gqom - for some time now. Artists like Stylo G and The Heatwave are veterans at this point, the latter taking a crack at production again these last couple of years, creating one of the best Dem Bow tracks in his and Stylo G's Closer to Me. NSG offers a taste of London in his Afroswing track, Yo Darlin'. The rest ranges from 90s throwback stuff, to club jams, to slower tracks.

So get your RSS (Ragga Song Spesh) feed right here, through the embedded Youtube playlist, Spotify, or Google Play. And turn up the volume knob, please.

Showcase Mix: Boddika's Drum-Machine Music

Do you remember 2011? 2012? Do you remember when Nights Slugs sounded like the future? When Future Garage was still a thing? When the Butterz crew initiated the "Grime Revival"? When Marcell Detmann and Ben Klock were making techno cool again? When the aggro, "bro" side of Dubstep spearheaded the global takeover of festival EDM culture?

A last one: Do you remember when Swamp 81 was one of the coolest, trendiest labels and crews in underground club/electronic music?

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Swamp 81 was founded in the late 2000s by DMZ member and Dubstep pioneer, Loefah. Discouraged by the direction the genre had taken, he started his new label in order to push a sound that aligned itself more with his tastes. The first few releases - notably from Kryptic Minds - are characterized by a return to Dubstep's "roots" (the noisy, aggressive sound was overtaking the scene by then) : the dark and minimal, halftime style.

But the label took a sudden turn in 2010 with its 5th release: Addison Groove's (aka Headhunter) 12" record with Footcrab (and Dumbshit on the B-side). It became an immediate hit in the underground. The Juke-inspired, lo-fi, bassy, drum-machine track sounded like nothing else in Dubstep.

The British had just discovered (or re-discovered) America's "Ghetto Bass" music from the 90s: Starting with Juke and Footwork, then with Ghettotech and Ghetto House; all from Detroit and Chicago. Also worth mentioning, Trap's 808-infused beats was beginning its ascension right about then.

Quickly, Loefah's interests shifted towards this "drum-machine" styled bass music, exploring the past while trying to push fresh, new sounds. Hyped by the two most influential music journals in underground electronic music, Fact Magazine and Resident Advisor, the label also became an influential force. In the early 2010s, Loefah was joined by like-minded producers such as the Hessle Audio co-founder Ramadanman (now known as Pearson Sound), Addison Groove, Mickey Pearce, UK Garage legend Zed Bias, Paleman, Joy Orbison...

And, of course, Boddika.

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Boddika's musical origins are in Drum N Bass, as one-half of Instra:mental. The duo was active in the 2000s, initially pushing a sound reminiscent of Metalheadz, and collaborating with Drum N Bass pioneers and heroes, Source Direct and Jonny L. It was good music, but it wasn't anything that distinguished itself from what had been done, and what was being done, in the genre. However, by the end of the decade, they started to explore a more moody, emotional and sometimes cinematic side to their style. Throughout 2009, Jon Convex (aka Kid Drama), the other half of Instra:mental, did a series of podcasts with D-Bridge, taking this style further and further. It came to be known as the "Autonomic" sound, which was the name of the podcast*.

* A good write-up of this is done here

The duo also ventured out of Drum N Bass, and into Electro, Techno and House territory,  dropping all the way down to the 130-140 bpm range. Their last big hurrah before their split was a career-defining LP, Resolution 653, released in 2011, in which they leaned towards an experimental Electro and Techno sound. By then, they had fully assumed a "drum-machine" sound,  taking it to its extremes. Although the duo split, Boddika made this sound his own. In Swamp 81, he found a place were he could foster it. He also released music on other labels such as his own Nonplus+, Sunklo, and [NakedLunch].

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The Mix

Tracklist:
00:00 - Instra:mental - Forbidden (Apple Pips)
02:57 - Instra:mental - Futurist (NakedLunch)
05:32 - Joy Orbison, Boddika & Pearson Sound - Faint (Sunklo)
06:46 - Boddika - Crack (Swamp 81)
08:44 - Boddika - Syn Chron (NakedLunch)
11:12 - Boddika - 2727 (Swamp 81)
14:00 - Boddika - Basement (Swamp 81)
15:47 - Boddika - You Tell Me (Nonplus)
19:26 - Boddika - Beats Me (Nonplus)
21:00 - Boddika - Rubba (Swamp 81)
23:37 - Joy Orbison & Boddika - In Here (Sunklo)
26:20 - Joy Orbison & Boddika - More Maim (Sunklo)



This showcase starts with two Instra:mental tracks, Forbidden and Futurist, in order to have a contrast with the rest of the mix. The first track, while being in the 130 bpm range, is incredibly reminiscent of Boddika's Drum N Bass roots. The second is a good example of the "Autonomic" vibe they were doing. Notice how, in Forbidden, the production has a warm tone to it; it's very clean-sounding and polished. In Futurist, their goal is to create a sort of moody reverie, with a "lush" production style. Then, Faint, a collaboration with two Swamp 81 label-mates, goes straight into what I call "Drum-Machine Music", as practiced by Boddika and the rest of Don Loefah' crew.

Generally, in electronic music , the machines (or the plug-ins) used to create the music  are tools that serve a whole. Each sound emitted by these machines are building blocks for a composition. Especially now, and recently, everything has to be "polished", rounded. The aesthetic is the mood this "whole", the composition, creates. 

But with Boddika, the machine is the aesthetic. The machine manifests itself, calls attention to itself. Its texture and artificiality are made evident. Notice the raw, unpolished drum sounds throughout the mix, and the sharp hi-hats. Almost all of the drum sounds are dry ("dry" as in "no reverb at all"). In Rubba, even the snares are ridiculously snappy. If UK Garage was all about off-beat "swing", then Boddika has the "swing" dial turned all the way down. It's as if his beat patterns are limited to what an old drum-machine's interface is able to do. The music sounds very "modern", but, like listening to an old Electro track, it's incredibly obvious that a machine is making this sound.

This "drum-machine" approach affects everything. Notice the synths, how they're shaped into twisted, sometimes atonal, forms, going in and out through clumsily applied filters and dials, having a life of their own, almost ignoring the notion of "harmony". Just like the hi-hats, they're razor-sharp and direct. You Tell Me takes this aesthetic to its extreme, with the ear-bleeding LFOs being torn apart and its off-key melodies. And notice the drum-machine jam that is Beats Me, in which the backing speech sample (a "sensual voice" like in an old Chicago House track) is manipulated and deformed as to become incomprehensible. Again, it's the machine, the artificial nature of the music, that is highlighted. It directs and informs the composition.

All of this is done deliberately. As we have seen, Boddika is able to create a "polished" sound if he wants to. But his goal, in the early 2010s, was to create raw and "immediate" beats, influenced by American "Ghetto Bass" music and the UK Hardcore's fixation on the groove (percussion and bass dynamic).

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The mix ends with the one-two punch assault of In Here and More Maim. Both were released in 2014 on the same 12" record on Sunklo (his and Joy Orbison's label where they released their collaborations). And both represent, at least for me, the end of Boddika's drum-machine era. Since then, he has transitioned into to a more by-the-numbers techno sound, focusing on releasing other people's music on his own Nonplus+ label.

This aesthetic in dance music isn't exclusive to him. Of course, he takes it to another level, but it's an approach others have also done, whether in Dancehall, in House, or Dubstep. The Swamp 81 crew were simply some of the practitioners.