Afro Monk

There is one reason and one reason alone that we should love a DJ, and it’s because of the music he or she plays! Most electronic music has always been fairly exclusive and the era of Dubplate culture is still amongst us. The Dubplate culture refers to producers and record labels releasing an acetate record versus a full vinyl release. The acetate disk is almost a beta of the final version and is limited to certain amount of plays. These copies of the track are very limited and given to a select few. Although records are not commonly used today by DJs a dubplate also refers to a unreleased track that is held by only a select few DJs.

Ultimately what has happened is that big producers make a tune but don’t release it right away and give to a small group of DJs they chose to play the record. This builds hype for the track and good indicator of how much of the vinyl release should be pressed.

A lot of people have different views on this dubplate culture. On one side you have the people who love this because it makes the song more memorable when you hear a certain DJ drop one of your favorite track and then there’s the argument that music should be freely available. No matter what stance your take on this is it does give a certain aura about tracks and DJs. I can’t tell you countless nights where I’ll be out raving and an exclusive dubplate gets dropped and the place goes WILD because everyone knows it’s an unreleased tune.

This gives DJs power yet almost creates an elitism some say when it comes to music. At the same time some DJs make a living out of playing out and certain dubplates they have are the reason they get booked all over. This is predominate with DJs who play Drum & Bass and Dubstep today.

Now all the hype for this dubplate has gotten has faded once everyone gets their hands on it. This results in certain tracks being played out. It becomes a bit discouraging also as a follower of music and knowing you can’t purchase one of your favorite tunes at the moment especially when you know it won’t be out for months since you first heard it. The flipside is you will search and search for a specific song and have no luck but when you do get a hold of it; it’s this unexplainable feeling to finally have in your possession.

Today in a digital world you don’t see much of acetate records being made because of cost but you will see white label and promo copies floating around on very limited pressings before an official release. CDJs and Serato are so popular now that it has become about who you know and if you’re on that secret mailing list for certain producers.

All things considered now chose wisely on what parties and DJs you go check out this year at WMC. There are some tracks that I’ll never forget hearing last year at WMC events solely because it was something so rare to hear at the time on a big system. One that stands out to me right away was hearing Joker & Ginz’s Purple City dropped by Plastician at London Bass at Black Sheep months before that tune got an official release.

Hate it or love dubplates create a special moment for us all when we hear music played live. It’s what can make a lasting memory of the night hearing a certain song with hundreds of people around us loosing control to what is to be one of the hottest songs of the year.

Sub Swara is at it again bring some serious whomp!
He just released a new podcast and features tons of hot tracks right now.
Glad to see some Mochi, Heyoka, and Joker put together all in one mix.
This is quite a diverse set and can’t be more thrilled about mixes like this.
It’s become a time where you’ve got to throw in all sorts of genres into the pot.
Being a DJ you should be able to throw a little of everything.
Massive respect out to you Sub Swara!

I’ll never forget the first event I attended where I heard dubstep live, ViRam WMC event and caught Plastician’s 2 hour set. Never had I imagined Miami had such a hidden movement. That night wiped me out for days… We didn’t leave the club till around 5am after Evol Intent closed the night off…

This is when I knew Dubstep was alive in Miami. Months past as I saw all the events going on but never ended up going for undisclosed reason… 2009 brought me back into the scene. Boy was I surprised to see how much stronger the community had grown. Old and new familar faces. After the closing of Black Sheep on South Beach it seemed like things were going to change but no one knew if it was going to be a hamper to the community. Little did we know this was going to bring to light a new event all bassheads would look forward too, Get Low!

The first Get Low brought in talent of Dj Lord of TriLLBaSS! His scratching skills tore through the crowd and hyped everyone for the monumental night which put Get Low on the map. The Vagabond blew up with a new sound that was new to the block. Miami Dubstep had a new night to show off it’s talent and whompy bass orginating back from the old Miami Bass days. The sound was new but everyone felt nostolgic when they felt the low frequences blasting through them. Dj Lord didn’t let up and showed us how a Public Enemy DJ gets down.

I unfortunately missed the 2nd Get Low but boy did the third one KILL it. Get Low 3, Mr. N-Type came all the way from the UK to muder the place. That night was WILD. I actually ended up injuring my foot real bad and paid terribily considering hours later I’d be flying out to Chicago for Lollapalooza. N-Type absolutely showed Miami what was up dropping exclusive dubplates everywhere. The sounds of Benga’s iTunes was a big moment knowing that he was one of the few who was dropping this track. After his set I made sure to introduce myself and give him a huge Big Up for a killer set. He simply replied, “Sure you are a bad man, you were skanking the whole time I saw you”. HAHA Miami Dubstep represent! After flying into Chicago word got out that Get Low broke Vagabond’s record attendance for Thursday. This was a huge statement! Miami Dubstep and Get Low is just getting started…

Joe Nice is one man that lives up to his name! I was disappointed when he missed that night at ViRam but wouldn’t have that memory of 2hr set from Plastician. There is a reason Joe Nice is probably considered one of the biggest American Dubstep DJs, this man is seriously nice as can be. This man only touches wax and the type that you probably won’t see for months. He brought it hard yet with such hypnotic vibes. Bigg tunes from Skream, Calbrie, and Untold dropped. Be sure to check this guy out on his montly radioshow. He’s always cracking jokes and participating in the chat room.

The last to hit the Get Low stage was legend Mala from Digital Mystikz. I had the pleasure of catching Skream and Benga the night before and catch Mala for a short chit chat. It is clear where this man pulls the music from… He’s deep. Talk about a guy who has some dubplates and hypnotic sounds in the bag. Mala showed Miami has repeatedly show this town about meditation on bass is and he didn’t hold back this time at all… Highlight of my night was seeing him drop a record and seeing the word “Tron” on the label spin around… Won’t forget the first time hearing Tron on a big system… Thank you Mala for an unforgetable night. That is one way to put these Get Low events… unforgetable.

Think that line up was big? Ha, Miami get ready because some of the next people lined up for future Get Low’s are MASSIVE. We’ll be seeing Borgore all the way from Isreal bring his filfthy hard whomping bass style to Miami. It’s going to be a sight to see him drop his track “Love” after at the last Get Low it went absolutely mental when it got dropped…  The serioussss sounds of Noah-D will be most likely be in our near future. This man is no stranger to Miami so expect an set of big tunes just for Miami. The big event which has been highly anticipated is one of the member of the Purple Trinity, Joker. Don’t sleep on that because Joker has done no wrong ever since his began releasing his tunes. He doesn’t come alone either. MC Nomad is coming along for the ride to show Miami how he gets down on the mic. It’ll be big to catch Nomad live after listening to him along side Plastician for the past 2 years almost every week.

Simian Mobile Disco – Cruel Intentions Joker Remix (320kbps download)

This is one of the big remixes Joker has done in the recent months. Although it’s been rinsed out over and over it finally gets a free digital release. This is my personal favorite and hope it gets a vinyl release. Be sure to check it out and download!

Keep it fresh!

The past three years in dubstep have been quite prolific. The sound has evolved and the genre of dubstep is becoming quite a well known animal in the clubs. It has been since Benga’s follow up of Newstep EP release, Dairy of an Afro Warrior, that much hype has been surrounding new albums to me. Silkie’s new album City Limits Vol. 1 has finally graced us and boy did it live up to the hype. This is just the beginning of the albums to slap us up with bass.

One of the biggest names in Dubstep, Skream, has been non-stop since 2000 producing banger after banger. This man has blown us away with Skream!, Skreamizm volumes, and tons of masterpieces. Skream is finally at work to follow up his release of Skreamizm Vol 5 with a new album. I’ve had the great opportunity to catch Skream recently and hear two of new tracks off the album. As far as I know these tracks are still untitled but boy do these tunes carry a sound of epic proportions. The sound has become a lot more open and driven with a blend of dope b-lines meeting epic synths building the tracks to deep peaks. The sound of both these tracks have a legendary feeling as they rise your body to a relaxed groove.

Skream has been working with closely with Joker, a new comer which has taken the sound and created his own signature sound we’ve all come to love. The two taken the alias of Parma Violet. Their track Skittles has been well recieved and hope to hear more collarborations from these two.

Talking about Joker… This man is one busy producer. Digidesign put this man on the map and now the name Joker has built up the most momentum I’ve seen. His signature hard sounding synths and beats have created a new take on the genre of dubstep. Joker has’t seen an album release yet but boy is he going to make the end of 2009 and 2010 his. His recent remixes & tracks are instant hits. He is hard at work with his solo LP which will feature Tron, My Trance Girl, and work with TC.  After that we’ll finally get to see what Joker & Silkie can do together when they collaborate and put out a an album together. Silkie’s recent Purple Love & Joker’s Purple city seems to be just the type of flavor I hope we see from these two. The next thing we’ll probably see from the man is a full length album with Ginz, Gemmy, & Guido. The four of them have worked with each other closely and finally coming together to release their first album as a whole. The Purple Trinity (Joker, Gemmy, & Guido) & Ginz will not let down and this piece of work will probably be a big step forward for the music.

The next set of albums that are about to be pushed out are Shackleton’s new work Three EP on October 12th 2009. The release will be pressed on three 12″s and feature nine tracks. He has mention how he decided to put together a collection of tracks and release them as three EPs and reason for this is that it’s not really a concept album just more of a collection of EPs.

2562′s new album is being released November 2nd and should be quite a crowd pleaser. It is a follow up of aerial a masterpiece of sound. This should be an album to pick up and enjoy with a good glass of wine and smoke.

Another prolific album due out late 2009 is Kromestar’s 2nd album, The Other Syde. His first album, My Sound, was on repeat for a month of mine. I have great expectations of this considering how his sound keeps mutating into all sorts of dark wild creations.

One of the most mysterious names in dubstep/downtempo is Burial. This man has created quite a name for himself and yet kept such a low profile. It was even once rumored that Burial was just another alias of Richard James. The rumors were smashed eventually. He doesn’t play out nor seem to desire the fame and hype of the culture. His debut album and Untrue are considered some of the best albums to come out in the recent years. No work on a new album from the man but we have seen a recent release from him on a split release along side, Four Tet. It has been annouced that a new track from Burial, Fostercare, will appear on Hyperdub’s next compulation.

Last on my list is a big name in music right now, Flying Lotus. His name has been growing and his tunes keep showing signs that it’s only going to get bigger and bigger. Flying Lotus has announced that his new LP will be coming out in 2010 and considering it his “most creative work yet”. His release alongside Joker is nothing short of amazing.

Dubstep is here to stay!
These upcoming months will bring many new vibes and flavors of music.
It’s safe to say that despite the growing trend of many recent releases being critized for consintrating on the wobbly bass that these albums and singles coming out will show the critics it’s not just about the wobble.