Bring back the BASS
Dubstep has grown from a small scene in south London in the early 2000s to being tipped as "the next big thing" with passionate scenes all over the UK
and across the world. Often sparse and always heavy on the sub bass frequencies it is difficult to imagine dubstep truly crossing over into the
mainstream, but 2007 saw people starting to take notice of the sound that was born in the bedroom of kids barely in their teens at the turn of the
new millennium.
 Two of those kids, now veterans in their early twenties, Skream and Benga will be breaking new ground in Hiroshima February 15
when they are the first
big names of dubstep to showcase the sound at Sacred Spirits. So what is dubstep? The only thing that is consistent are the low bass frequencies and a
tempo of around 140bpm. After that, anything goes; you'll find bit's from dub, reggae, UK garage and grime drum and bass, and even jazz and techno.
Sure, dubstep is not to everyone's taste, but dubstep tunes have been turning the heads and getting props from a wide range of people from a wide range
of scenes. Skream's 2005 Midnight Request Line can be described as dubstep's first anthem and garnered
praise from leading producers in both the grime and minimal techno scenes. Benga's track
Night, the first dubstep tune to make it onto the BBC Radio 1 daytime radio playlist, was
Gilles Peterson's track of 2007.
Both producers are known for their unwillingness to stick with one flavor, something that can be seen on Benga's debut album.
Released last year, Diary Of An Afro Warrior,
was described by Emma warren in The Observer
as like "Shut Up and Dance sparring with Carl Craig and Underground Resistance...smart, sharp and supernaturally switched on". Compare
26 Basslines with Pleasure and you'll
hear the diversity we can look forward to on Sunday.
Dubstep - A Beginner's Guide featuring Skream and Benga
Interestingly, in a similar fashion to early drum and bass, dubstep is both an underground club sound and a coffee table sound; exemplified best
perhaps by the nomination of Burial's album Untrue for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize. You can enjoy it on your ipod or in your bedroom, but
you just can't get what it is about unless you experience it in a club, and most importantly, on a good sound system; unless you can literally "feel"
the bass.
Fortunately Skream and Benga will be playing on Hiroshima's best sound system, at Sacred Spirits. When drum and bass
DJ Zinc dropped a few dubstep tunes in the middle of his set there on his most recent visit, it sounded
fantastic. The low frequencies wobbled your bits with a rounded and warm sound without busting the eardrums. Lovely. The party is being run by
local drum and bass crew Heartbeat of Dragon, and it will be interesting to see how the kids more used to bouncing to 180bpm bangers take to the
more spacious stripped down beats.
Dubstep is the latest stage in the evolution of dance music, and if you are at all interested in club music and haven't experienced it you simply
must get down to Sacred Spirits next Sunday. See you there.
Links
Read more details about the February 15 show.
Paul Walsh
February 2009 | 
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