Interview With The BBC’s Mary Anne Hobbs
On a breezy day in September, before her DJ set at NYC’s renowned dubstep/dark bass staple party Dub War, we sat down with DJ/journalist Mary Anne Hobbs. She is, as you may know, the woman credited with introducing the world to dubstep in the first place, and who continues to warpspeed the sound forward with her outre show on the BBC and various compilations, the latest of which is the excellent Wild Angels. We discovered she is as excited about music as we are… and that women love bass music because it rattles our ovaries.
-
posted on Nov 19, 2009 in FADER TV, MUSIC CHANNEL, MUSIC INTERVIEWS SHOW tags bbc, dubstep, FADER TV, Mary Anne Hobbs
Video: Crookers f. Kelis, “No Security”
When our Milanese partystarters Crookers came through about a month ago, they did a drop for our show on East Village Radio that may have set a world record for longest and most random drop of the decade. It consisted of them talking about how much they love animals, and then making interpretive animal noises for about three minutes, imitating monkeys, bears and dogs among other creatures including what sounded like a small dinosaur. We thought it was funny (and having met Phra’s adorable dog Spino, true), but it was totally non sequitur—until we saw this video for their heavy next single from their forthcoming full-length, Tons of Friends, which further clarifies their love of animals then proceeds to blow away little deer in a hunting expedition by two dudes that look more like US storm troopers in the Middle East. Not sure if there’s some commentary there or not, but after their old-lady make-out video, we’re gonna assume yes.
LV’s Super Good Tsugi Mix MP3
Our French is kinda bootsie so we’re not gonna venture to comment on what this Tsugi post is saying other than Brit producer dude LV likes the new school of dubstep and something about Botox? Is that some kind of beat machine or are they talking about Nicole Kidman’s mad eyebrows in those Chanel ads? But we definitely speak “bass” and “LV” this interpolation of wobble, heady low-end, a welcome sprinkle of UK garage and spliced-in vocals from ganja’d rappers, classic jazz dudes and reggae jammers is overlaid with an excellent record crackle. It feels perfect for right now, a murky beat swamp foretelling what will come after the apocalypse: OUTER SPACE. Tracklist after the jump.
Download: LV’s Tsugi Podcast
Turboweekend, “Trouble Is (Joker Remix)” MP3
- story Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
- photo Guy Martin (F61).
Joker, can we just tell you how much we feel your skunky bass vibes? Natty Danes Turboweekend’s angsty single “Trouble Is” is like their One Republic “Apologize” as seen through the bass lens of Blank Dogs, which kinda on principle we’re not that mad at. In lesser hands a remix coulda gone the way of a Filene’s dressing room but Joker never, ever goes out like that. He’s clearly been busy since he’s been “IN DENMARK” as his myspace says, processing Turboweekend’s new-wavy bassline through a dubinator and translating the concept of “GUITAR LICK” into a slick riff in the futurezone. It’s an excursion into the dark crevices of your feelings, but don’t EVEN try and tell us you’re not at least a little emo. Meanwhile we’re counting the days till he hits the States (New York on the 21st!).
Download: Turboweekend, “Trouble Is (Joker RMX)” (Via Neonized)
-
posted on Nov 10, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags dubstep, electronic/dance, Joker, purple, rock, Turboweekend
Von D’s Bass Music Blog Mix MP3
Bass Music Blog is rad because it’s a collabo experience between a grip of hot bass/dubsteppy/purple producers across Europe, like Mumdance, Ginz, Baobinga, High Rankin, etc, on which they conduct Q&As with their compatriots and drop exclusives and whatnot. The most recent interview, with French producer Von D, not only investigates his general fromage intake (fascinating stuff), it comes with a mix of his own work that reflects his background in OG dub musics—a low-end chill out with serious futuristic irie vibes. (And there is also an as-yet unreleased Joker track on there, so holler at les dieux.)
Download: Von D, “Chacha’s Leggings Mix” (via Bass Music Blog)
-
posted on Nov 2, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags Baobinga, caribbean, dubstep, electronic/dance, Ginz, High Rankin, Joker, Mumdance, Von D
Lee Perry’s “Blackboard Jungle”: From Dub to Dubstep
Obviously the root sound of dubstep is um, dub, but this video documents legend Lee “Scratch” Perry’s transition into making actual dubstep and does a good job of showing how the genres/cultures inform each other without explicitly saying so… at least until the end when it promos Perry’s new track with FADER fave Jahdan Blakkamoore and Subatomic Soundsystem. Worth watching for great footage of Jahdan performing at Terminal 5 with Major Lazer, a brief interview with Rusko on the topic, and a very, very serious Jamaican gyal narrating. (via Dutty Artz)
-
posted on Oct 28, 2009 in ART+CULTURE VIDEO tags caribbean, dubstep, Dutty Artz, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Rusko, Subatomic Soundsystem
Skream and Benga Live From Rinse 15 Party MP3
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
It is far from a secret that certain FADER editors are desperately trying to transplant to the UK so that they may fully disappear into the dubstep scene. Whether or not said editors actually end up doing that no longer matters now that we have this hour long Skream and Benga live set from Rinse.fm’s 15th birthday party. This happened at the end of July, and we are still unfamiliar with a large portion of this mix, which either means we are really behind on dubstep or Skream and Benga are on another planet. Whatever the case may be there is a hypeman yelling at us to REACT, REACT a whole bunch, and that is awesome. In case this single hour of dubsteppery wasn’t enough, you can still get on a plane to the UK for this Friday’s FWD Rinse residency featuring, among a lot of others, a TWO hour Skream and Benga set. After the jump check out the massive flyer featuring everyone who has done something awesome in music with a lot of bass in the last year. Anyone want to fly us out?
Download: Skream and Benga’s Hour Long Set
Fabric Birthday Treats: Caspa & Baobinga’s Promo Mix MP3s
This weekend Londoners will not sleep for three days straight if they are lucky: legendary club Fabric is hosting its 10th birthday party and everyone who is awesome in the general vicinity of the UK will be DJing a citywide housequake whose reverberations are so big we may feel them on American shores. Does the phrase “10 pm to 6 am” mean anything to you people? Actually just looking at the lineup here kind of makes us want to cry with longing. In advance of Baobinga’s set (on Friday, room three, before Rusko), he made a hot autumn mix showcasing a lot of the nuevo bass musics gripping the London scene, by some of right now’s hottest producers (also, The-Dream). And dubstep captain Caspa, who plays there tomorrow with fellow bass warriors Skream and Benga (ahhh), and is still amazing despite the fact that he likes the worst American sitcom of the last decade, ponied up some subterranean tremors for his own mix promoing Fabric’s bday. Full Baobinga tracklist after the jump, download Caspa’s mix here. We are still crying, all stuck in New York like it ain’t no thing.
Download: Baobinga Promo Mix
-
posted on Oct 14, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags Baobinga, Benga, Bok Bok, Caspa, dubstep, electronic/dance, Fabric, L-Vis 1990, skream, The-Dream, uk funky
Emalkay, “When I Look at You” MP3
This bazonkulous Emalkay joint is all hyperbolic, heart-stopping samurai wobble. Upon playing this off iTunes in our office on some janky computer, the entire office dropped what they were doing, swooshed their heads over dramatically towards said computer like they’d choreographed it, and were like, WHAT IS THAT MASSIVE CHUNE? We were like yo, you guys are American (except for Chioma, a Brit who pronounces “schedule” like “shedjule”) so if this track has the power to make you pronounce it “chune,” we shall not deign to deny its heart-smashing power. That, and the bassxplosions that blew out the laptop speakers.
Download: Emalkay, “When I Look At You” (via Neonized)
Bat for Lashes, “Pearl’s Dream (Skream’s Pour Another Glass of Champers RMX)” MP3
- story Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
- photo Leonie Purchas (F60)
Can you get more cathartic than Bat for Lashes? Last time we saw her perform in New York we stood alone by the staircase at Bowery, chugged whiskey and cried. Yeah that’s Drama Time 5000, but her music is more effective at purification than three days at a Korean megabath. We emerged like a goddamn phoenix. Skream’s sensibility though is to make everything darker, and on his remix he swoops in with a swift hand and bubbling snares, putting a very very light underscore of synth melody and man-vox like he’s David Bowie in Labyrinthe. The result is less doomsday and more “magic of the natural world.”
Download: Bat For Lashes, “Pearl’s Dream (Skream’s Pour Another Glass of Champers RMX)” (via Annie Mac)
-
posted on Oct 5, 2009 in MP3 / STREAMS tags Bat for Lashes, dubstep, electronic/dance, Pearl, rock, skream
