Dub step

[megladon8]

This (relatively) new form of music has almost completely taken over my iTunes.

Some of the best albums I've come across...


Eleven Tigers - "Clouds are Mountains" (http://www.multiupload.com/1P41AR7JWI)

Zomby - "Where Were U in '92?" (http://www.mediafire.com/?kwimg2wvned)

Skream - "Skream" (http://www.mediafire.com/?fjjnlnlm0go)


And of course the album that was pretty much my introduction to this genre of music a little over two years ago...

Burial - "Untrue" (http://www.mediafire.com/?qtfef2hksxu)


Any other fans of this decidedly eerie sub-genre of electronica? Any album or artist recommendations?

[Derek]

I can see the appeal, but can rarely fully embrace it. I'll get some more recs when I get a chance, but off the top of my head, you'll want to check out Pole (1, 2, 3 and Steingarten).

[megladon8]

I can see the appeal, but can rarely fully embrace it. I'll get some more recs when I get a chance, but off the top of my head, you'll want to check out Pole (1, 2, 3 and Steingarten).


I've definitely heard some that I didn't dig. I have a friend whose music philosophy boils down to "the weirder and more obscure it is, the better it is", and so he will put on some "dub step" music that is just random sounds.

In fact, most any genre of music, if he puts it on, is just random sounds. No discernable beat of any kind, no melody, and if there are any vocals they're off-key and screeching.

This kind of stuff I find just unpleasant to listen to.

But something like Burial I find really, really evocative. I loved Burial's description of his album, saying it's "music meant to be listened to at 3:00am while coming down from a big party, driving home through the streets of London."

[MacGuffin]

I used to be a fan, but not so much anymore (although I like grime, which is the UK hip hop continuation of dubstep). That said, I am a fan of Where Were U In '92?, although I consider that more hardcore breakbeat music. Still, if you like Zomby and dubstep, check out his One Foot Ahead of the Other EP; that's dubstep. I also really like Mount Kimbie. I haven't heard their new album, but their EPs are great.

[Acapelli]

love skream, benga, the bug, caspa, kode9, etc

the stuff that hemlock puts out is pretty dope too, i'd suggest checking out james blake (especially), pariah, todd edwards, ramadanman, fantastic mr fox, untold as well as deadboy and joy orbison, it's all really different from the artists i posted above. there's jsut so much out there that there's something for everyone to like. i'll post some specific songs tomorrow (or technically, later today)

really don't care for burial at all

[MacGuffin]

Kode9 + The Spaceape, Deadboy and Joy Orbison have some interesting stuff. I wouldn't recommend James Blake. It's not very exciting music. As for The Bug, what I've heard (some of London Zoo) definitely wouldn't be considered dubstep. Check out the track "Meltdown" by King Midas Sound if you want to hear what the guy behind The Bug sounds like when he tries dubstep music.

[MacGuffin]

I always enjoyed this track, but it's more of a house track by a dubstep artist.

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You might also try Martyn's stuff. The Fabric mix he did may guide you into the direction of more stuff that you are looking for, as will several of the Fabric mixes I'm sure.

[Acapelli]

while the bug probably falls more under grime and/or dancehall, but i would definitely also throw it under the increasingly vast umbrella of dubstep, although of the more aggro variety.

the cmyk ep is one of my favorite releases this year. kinda love the trend of sampling 90s and 00s r&b songs that james blake and deadboy do

[MacGuffin]

while the bug probably falls more under grime, i would definitely throw it under the vast umbrella of dubstep, although of the more aggro variety.

the cmyk ep is one of my favorite releases this year. kinda love the trend of sampling 90s and 00s r&b songs that james blake and deadboy do

Fair enough.

"Skeng" is the best grime track I've heard to date, and while that's not saying very much since I haven't heard as much as I'd like, it really is a great track. As for James Blake and soul samples, James Blake uses samples in a way that feels soulless (pun partially intended) to me—it just feels so boring and artificially electronic; the sort of music that turns people off of electronic music without really hearing the stuff that's worthwhile. I prefer the repetition and subconscious (?) analysis of the samples that artists like The Field or Deadboy tend to use. Also, if you use soul samples after the release of Donuts, you really need to have a good fucking album or in the words of some famous rapper: "I'm not havin' that!"

[Acapelli]

well james blake doesn't use soul samples, he uses modern r&b, such as aaliyah, like deadboy does. it sort of fits in more with your so-called "soulless" critique, since some people consider modern day r&b soulless (although not me), although i respectfully disagree

i think the only dubstep artist who does use old soul samples is burial, but i may be wrong. anyway, the use of soul samples is a practice that is way more prevalent in rap than dubstep, if there is any in dubstep at all

[Acapelli]

have you heard any of james blake's non-dubstep stuff? it isn't bad, and probably a lot more expressive and soulful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx0dF86T0aU

[MacGuffin]

i think the only dubstep artist who does use old soul samples is burial, but i may be wrong. anyway, the use of soul samples is a practice that is way more prevalent in rap than dubstep, if there is any in dubstep at all

Yeah, peeps like Madlib have been doing it for a while. In fact, some of his latest releases consist merely of "found music", i.e. long-running samples. As for Burial, you'd be surprised: a lot of late 1990s, early naughts mainstream pop samples (Christina Aguilera, etc.) as well as samples from games like Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2. I actually like some of Burial's stuff, but I only feeling like listening to it on the rare occasion nowadays.

[MacGuffin]

have you heard any of james blake's non-dubstep stuff? it isn't bad, and probably a lot more expressive and soulful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx0dF86T0aU

He's got kind of an annoying voice, doesn't he? ;)

[D_Davis]

wobble-bass.

:)

Lots of good dubstep stuff/talk on the IDM Forums -

http://www.idmforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86

[Acapelli]

love the wobble bass

[D_Davis]

love the wobble bass

It's kind of an in-joke over at the IDM forums. "How do you make wobble bass?" is the most frequently asked question by new forum users. Dubstep was the genre of choice for young, new producers. It got so bad that at one point there were like 15 threads on the first page of the studio forum all about making wobble bass.

Things seem to have died down the last couple of months. Not sure what the genre of choice is right now - who knows what the kids are into these days! :) I just hang out in the ambient forum. ;)

[Acapelli]

the wobble bass is really prevalent in the much maligned bro-step style of dubstep, which is exactly what it sounds like. i really like it when caspa and skream do it, but there's so much shitty dubstep that abuses it

[MacGuffin]

the wobble bass is really prevalent in the much maligned bro-step style of dubstep, which is exactly what it sounds like. i really like it when caspa and skream do it, but there's so much shitty dubstep that abuses it

Yeah, to be honest I really hate a lot of dubstep mostly because of the wobble bass. Do people not realize it makes nearly all the songs sound the same?

[megladon8]

Here is another brilliant album...


.rar.html]Ital Tek - "Midnight Colour" (http://oron.com/mu6a2enf6kck/midnight_colour_[2010)

That last track - "Restless Tundra" - is just amazing.

[MacGuffin]

One of the best songs I've ever heard.

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