About a year or so ago, I said to a good friend "dubstep will make a comeback, and it will be huge, and better than ever", and, I was correct, but, unfortunately, the latter part of that sentence let me down massively.
People get awfully defensive when someone uses terms like "dubstep", "post dubstep" and "brostep", telling you "YOU CAN'T CATEGORISE THEM LIKE THAT" or something else stupid that they've basically just twoked from Pitchfork or some other hugely anit-mainstream, one step ahead of the game, hipster website, when actually, I think its perfectly fine to try and set apart these artists into categories, if just for simplicity. However, dubstep, I feel has let a lot of people down.
If you send yourself back into the bedroom mixers of the 2000's, in particular, Skream pushed dubstep into the frame. The slow rhythm and heavy basslines filled garages and house parties across the nation, but it remained relatively untouched and untarnished as a sound, and as a genre. Depite it being rather cliche to be using Skream as a prime example, it was his ear for a melody that allowed him to send the genre further than the back bedroom of some teenager in central London, and put it on the airwaves. Skreams debut EP set the tone for dubstep, and is a sort of bar for what was to be achieved at the time.
Despite Skream selling dubstep to the nation, the thrill soon died out before a huge resurgence in the past 2/3 years, but thats where for me, it's all gone pear shaped. Luckily, there's artists out there that are still encapsulating what dubstep is about, taking the forward thinking, unusual and uncomfortable sounds, and merging them into a melody that catches and sticks, but something you don't know how to react to, something that makes you listen to the subtle tones, the bass melodies and the hooks on which the samples are placed, layered one on another. But whats most special about this, is that each artist is master of their own instrument, each having a different ability, making each artist, and each song, entirely different. What i'd say was this, 'elite' band of, almost purist like artists, is including of the poster boys of "post dubstep" such as Jamie xx, James Blake, Jamie Woon, Burial, Four Tet, Joy Orbison, Ifan Dafydd and Mount Kimbie. For me, these are true dubstep artists, sticking firmly to their roots, defying the industry and its mass money for the joy of making the best music they can, and keeping a dying genre alive. They are dubstep.
Then that brings me onto what people are now referring to dubstep, that infuriating "wobblewobblewobblefunnynoisewobble" mess. A genre typified by Skrillex, his music holds no rhythm, no passion, nothing. This dubstep is just there, in my opinion, for people to jump up and down to, and make fools of themselves. There's almost a feel to it like a money has just hit a MIDI keyboard plugged into Logic repeatedly until some sort of noise is made. The music itself, bares no resemblance to the roots of the genre it comes under, its just a musical mess, but for some reason, it sells like wildfire, so much so in fact, that house artists such as Deadmau5 and even Skream has sold out the roots of what he is founding father of, in the interests of some wobbly bass and a shed load of money, and while I can't blame them for wanting the money, its a shame that this is what the industry is. Its like dubstep has lost its way, and the real artistry is being left in the shadows for hopeless bloggers like me, to try and shout out the message, to get the true musical talents recognised and respected, because theyre the ones who deserve the money and the fame, not the fools like Skrillex and their, frankly repetitive, generic and abrasive sounds.
If you need convincing of anything more, just listen to this babe:
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Monday, 24 October 2011
I've been away a little while.
But now i'm back! First of all, some shameless plugging of a few mixes i've been doing, they arent anything amazing, but its more difficult than it looks, and I must say, I never realised how influenced I was by dubstep I was until I started making them. I am going to try and master some production techniques on Logic and push on from there and see what I can do, my mixes are over on http://www.mixcloud.com/OddSox/ so if youve got some time, please, give them a listen and share them about if you think theyre any good!
Coming back I thought i'd say my piece about the new James Blake EP "Enough Thunder". It's gotten a lot of inches in the industry and its either turned heads or turned previous fans away, whilst i've recommended the EP to a few friends, who've gone on to become big Blake fans, sites like Pitchfork have seemingly turned their back on Blake, who was once a poster boy their "hipster" image. Blake has always been at the front of what's acceptable since his early EP's, taking a great amount of dubstep influence, but mainly creating his own thing, with deep bass tones, and a real haunting feel to whatever he's done vocally in the past 18 months or so. His current work has been a million miles away from his previous EP's such as "Air and Lack Thereof" which failed to capture my imagination, however, Blake rounded and rounded, letting all his influences pour out, into his more recent EP's, and whilst I do hold his previous works in high regard, I do prefer Blake's more recent escapades into a more rounded, vocally inhibiting sound, both factors of which cumulated brilliantly into his debut self titled album, with Lindesfarne I and II encapsulating this sound.
In his more recent EP, Blake has further distanced himself from the poster boy of "post" dubstep, and for me, this seems intentional as it is exceptional. Although he'll always have his influence in the dubstep genre (with a more 'electronic' EP due for December 2011), his more vocal works such as that on Enough Thunder removes himself from the hype train he's been on. To me, the EP is sublime, the subtle tones come through when you really listen to it, and whilst tracks like "A Case of You" resinate some great beauty, We Might Feel unsound takes all of Blakes finer elements, such as his piano work and vocals, then attaches a steady beat towards the end, making it, for me, one of the tracks of the year.
If i'm honest, the EP didnt capture me in the way I ever expected it to, but it did grab my attention in the subtleties. Effectively, I think what Blake has done here is taking himself from the limelight, maybe on purpose, maybe by mistake. Some will say he's pushed too far on this EP, and is getting too ahead of himself, and at times, too minimalistic, but to me, it seems like he's trying to work two audiences, with his later electronic EP to come and re-solidify his status as the dubstep overlord of hipsters, whilst his album and Enough Thunder and getting his name out to a wider audience, or maybe, he's just trying to find his style still...
Coming back I thought i'd say my piece about the new James Blake EP "Enough Thunder". It's gotten a lot of inches in the industry and its either turned heads or turned previous fans away, whilst i've recommended the EP to a few friends, who've gone on to become big Blake fans, sites like Pitchfork have seemingly turned their back on Blake, who was once a poster boy their "hipster" image. Blake has always been at the front of what's acceptable since his early EP's, taking a great amount of dubstep influence, but mainly creating his own thing, with deep bass tones, and a real haunting feel to whatever he's done vocally in the past 18 months or so. His current work has been a million miles away from his previous EP's such as "Air and Lack Thereof" which failed to capture my imagination, however, Blake rounded and rounded, letting all his influences pour out, into his more recent EP's, and whilst I do hold his previous works in high regard, I do prefer Blake's more recent escapades into a more rounded, vocally inhibiting sound, both factors of which cumulated brilliantly into his debut self titled album, with Lindesfarne I and II encapsulating this sound.
In his more recent EP, Blake has further distanced himself from the poster boy of "post" dubstep, and for me, this seems intentional as it is exceptional. Although he'll always have his influence in the dubstep genre (with a more 'electronic' EP due for December 2011), his more vocal works such as that on Enough Thunder removes himself from the hype train he's been on. To me, the EP is sublime, the subtle tones come through when you really listen to it, and whilst tracks like "A Case of You" resinate some great beauty, We Might Feel unsound takes all of Blakes finer elements, such as his piano work and vocals, then attaches a steady beat towards the end, making it, for me, one of the tracks of the year.
If i'm honest, the EP didnt capture me in the way I ever expected it to, but it did grab my attention in the subtleties. Effectively, I think what Blake has done here is taking himself from the limelight, maybe on purpose, maybe by mistake. Some will say he's pushed too far on this EP, and is getting too ahead of himself, and at times, too minimalistic, but to me, it seems like he's trying to work two audiences, with his later electronic EP to come and re-solidify his status as the dubstep overlord of hipsters, whilst his album and Enough Thunder and getting his name out to a wider audience, or maybe, he's just trying to find his style still...
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Octodip is as good as Salsa dip.
So, its a little bit late, i'll give you that, and its been a little while since ive blogged anything of decent meaning, but I thought i'd make the triumphant return with a review, and subsequent point in the direction of Myd's new Single/EP, "Octodip".
Coming on the eve of the new Club Cheval studios opening, Myd hasn't really ventured much out of his style like I anticipated he may have done, but thats not a bad thing, instead he's stuck with a similar style that brought some great club tunes like his Imperial March remix and Next Novel, even though his recent remix of Les Gillettes suggested he may have started to move away from his signature style, which, if i'm honest, would have disappointed me. Luckily though, Myd has stuck with a very similar style and mastered something thats a little bit different, but still really good to listen to. Opening track Octodip has a catchy rhythm to it, and a nice upbeat feel, but while i'm sure others will love it more than me, i'm still not feeling it 100% when comparing it to the other two tracks on this Single/EP release. A great redeeming feature of Octodip is how it leads brilliantly into the simplistic, bassy and overall bouncy Javier, which, in the beginning sounds not too far away from being a Post-Dubstep production if it wasnt for a meaty bassline holding it together. For me, Javier is the stand alone track on this, its progresses from a simple, almost Post-Dubstep like shape, and forms into a more well rounded song with the introduction of the robotic voice adding an element of surprise before the tone slows down and picks up again, before the rather minimalist (for Myd anyway) fades charmingly out. Victoria lays out an almost Sam Tiba like bassline before reverting back to an African dance like tone, before an influx of heavy bass and synthesisers kick off, accompanied with wobbles and all, to provide a tune that would bring a club to its knees. The beat is solid, and its the little touches with the synths working their way through the speakers like a worm of sound that really offer up something special to the track. When played together, these songs work really well, and with new Club Cheval studios and EP's for Sam Tiba and Canblaster in the pipeline, this is a sign to things to come from the Parisians.
Remember when I told you Cheval were going to be big?
Other than that, Mele has been hammering out loads of free mixes after his Glastonbury stint, so go grab one of those while you can on either his SoundCloud, Facebook, or Twitter (@ukmele).
Albums ive been giving a good hammering to recently have also been Wu Lyf's brilliant Go Tell Fire To The Mountain and SBTRKT's new bit work, both are excellent.
I've also been making a couple of mixes recently as well, so if you fancy, check them out too and tell me what you think over Twitter (@TomAlbrighton) http://www.mixcloud.com/OddSox/
Coming on the eve of the new Club Cheval studios opening, Myd hasn't really ventured much out of his style like I anticipated he may have done, but thats not a bad thing, instead he's stuck with a similar style that brought some great club tunes like his Imperial March remix and Next Novel, even though his recent remix of Les Gillettes suggested he may have started to move away from his signature style, which, if i'm honest, would have disappointed me. Luckily though, Myd has stuck with a very similar style and mastered something thats a little bit different, but still really good to listen to. Opening track Octodip has a catchy rhythm to it, and a nice upbeat feel, but while i'm sure others will love it more than me, i'm still not feeling it 100% when comparing it to the other two tracks on this Single/EP release. A great redeeming feature of Octodip is how it leads brilliantly into the simplistic, bassy and overall bouncy Javier, which, in the beginning sounds not too far away from being a Post-Dubstep production if it wasnt for a meaty bassline holding it together. For me, Javier is the stand alone track on this, its progresses from a simple, almost Post-Dubstep like shape, and forms into a more well rounded song with the introduction of the robotic voice adding an element of surprise before the tone slows down and picks up again, before the rather minimalist (for Myd anyway) fades charmingly out. Victoria lays out an almost Sam Tiba like bassline before reverting back to an African dance like tone, before an influx of heavy bass and synthesisers kick off, accompanied with wobbles and all, to provide a tune that would bring a club to its knees. The beat is solid, and its the little touches with the synths working their way through the speakers like a worm of sound that really offer up something special to the track. When played together, these songs work really well, and with new Club Cheval studios and EP's for Sam Tiba and Canblaster in the pipeline, this is a sign to things to come from the Parisians.
Remember when I told you Cheval were going to be big?
Other than that, Mele has been hammering out loads of free mixes after his Glastonbury stint, so go grab one of those while you can on either his SoundCloud, Facebook, or Twitter (@ukmele).
Albums ive been giving a good hammering to recently have also been Wu Lyf's brilliant Go Tell Fire To The Mountain and SBTRKT's new bit work, both are excellent.
I've also been making a couple of mixes recently as well, so if you fancy, check them out too and tell me what you think over Twitter (@TomAlbrighton) http://www.mixcloud.com/OddSox/
Monday, 27 June 2011
Well...
My Blogging has been dead for a while, but I have spent a little time making a little mix for the summer, unfortunately, Sound Cloud is ripping it out of me because of something to do with copyright.
I'm going to sit on it for a while and see what happens, if not, I'll pop it in a YouTube video or find another alternative.
I will return to my blogging and reviews soon.
See ya'll!
I'm going to sit on it for a while and see what happens, if not, I'll pop it in a YouTube video or find another alternative.
I will return to my blogging and reviews soon.
See ya'll!
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Brenmar is the one
Brenmar has been smacking out tracks at an alarming rate, covering so many styles, its hard to keep up with him, but one of his many recent releases has grabbed me more than any.
Be The One is a superb mix of echoed vocals and a catchy bass line, its simple but brilliant. The track has a brilliant bassy yet haunting feel to it, with all the love of James Brown thrown into it. Brenmar is never one to shy away from different styles, and this simple, elegant and catchy tune just shows that its doesnt need to be all about synths and pumping out tunes at 140bpm, sometimes its just got to be simple and catchy, but most importantly, bloody good.
For a simple track, there isnt much I can say, and with Brenmar, chances are, somebody somewhere has already said it a million times before I have.
More of this please!
Be The One (new!!!!) by BRENMAR
Be The One is a superb mix of echoed vocals and a catchy bass line, its simple but brilliant. The track has a brilliant bassy yet haunting feel to it, with all the love of James Brown thrown into it. Brenmar is never one to shy away from different styles, and this simple, elegant and catchy tune just shows that its doesnt need to be all about synths and pumping out tunes at 140bpm, sometimes its just got to be simple and catchy, but most importantly, bloody good.
For a simple track, there isnt much I can say, and with Brenmar, chances are, somebody somewhere has already said it a million times before I have.
More of this please!
Be The One (new!!!!) by BRENMAR
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
A miracle in its own right...
Theres a dude floating about on SoundCloud, and he goes by the name of One Minute Miracles. His real name is David Stephans and he lives in Canada, and that's all anyone knows of this man, but I think we should know more about him, fo' sho'.
As One Minute Miracles, David produces high quality in short, sharp stabs, taking literally meaning to the good old "quality over quantity" saying. As by his name, he only produces shorts bursts of tracks around the one minute mark, but these are damn fine minutes. His tunes float about, using a mix of old school bass and hip hop influences and covers them with catchy vocals and cheeky synths and makes a tune thats straight in your face then out of it again before you know whats hit you.
His tunes are brilliant, and beautifully catchy, whether in their own element or as a sample, these things are works of art.
Only god knows why David doesnt produce longer songs, but, for whatever reason, here's me (and hopefully many others) hoping someone notices this guys amazing talents and employs him to make some music, because the music he does make is brilliant. I like everything about it, apart from the fact his tracks are insanely short, but, I suppose without those short sharp bursts, David would lose some of that nonsensical charm his tracks have.
However Sir, I salute you, for you make music that makes my face do this :), and sometimes, even this :D
Here's his latest miracle, Utensils and Shit...
Utensils and Shit by 1 Minute Miracles
Check him out on SoundCloud too http://soundcloud.com/1minutemiracles
As One Minute Miracles, David produces high quality in short, sharp stabs, taking literally meaning to the good old "quality over quantity" saying. As by his name, he only produces shorts bursts of tracks around the one minute mark, but these are damn fine minutes. His tunes float about, using a mix of old school bass and hip hop influences and covers them with catchy vocals and cheeky synths and makes a tune thats straight in your face then out of it again before you know whats hit you.
His tunes are brilliant, and beautifully catchy, whether in their own element or as a sample, these things are works of art.
Only god knows why David doesnt produce longer songs, but, for whatever reason, here's me (and hopefully many others) hoping someone notices this guys amazing talents and employs him to make some music, because the music he does make is brilliant. I like everything about it, apart from the fact his tracks are insanely short, but, I suppose without those short sharp bursts, David would lose some of that nonsensical charm his tracks have.
However Sir, I salute you, for you make music that makes my face do this :), and sometimes, even this :D
Here's his latest miracle, Utensils and Shit...
Utensils and Shit by 1 Minute Miracles
Check him out on SoundCloud too http://soundcloud.com/1minutemiracles
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
The Young Crooks
This is simple, go to google, type in "The Young Crooks", go on their website (thats the first link down) and download their EP, it's totally free, then, go tell everyone you know how brilliant they are.
P.S, Me, a.k.a OddSox is embarking on a new musical adventure (after the exams) and as soon as its done, its going straight to here, so keep your eyes peeled.
The Young Crooks have a sound that represents their band title. It's The Teenagers meets Jamie T meets Low-fi Surf rock, it's also fantastic. Their relaxed backing rhythm, and simple strumming guitars sound almost like a typical stereotype of a Hawaiian beach party, but with an edge. The cheeky low-fi lyrics set this band apart from anything i've heard in a while, they've created a hybrid of chill out sound with a youthful arrogance in a sped up narrative. The band are out there, and its clear they don't care about opinions. Although their lyrics are pretty much about sex, drugs and rock and roll, as well as petty thievery, this band is close to chill out tunes. They've got a great sound about them, and its fun and easy to listen to.
I seriously suggest checking this band out, and anyone who does, spread the word, you can't ask for more than a free 5 track EP that is of great quality, all this band wants to do is get out there, and downloading their EP is the least anyone could do. If you still arent convinced, here's the standout track from the EP just to lure you in.
P.S, Me, a.k.a OddSox is embarking on a new musical adventure (after the exams) and as soon as its done, its going straight to here, so keep your eyes peeled.
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