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‘Back to the new skool, forward to your roots’Now is the time to return to jungle. But is it even a return?I remember when I first heard dubstep and I immediately related it to mid 90’s drum and bass. Not so much in the overall sound, more in the feeling or atmosphere the music created. Hearing a set where dubstep merges into jungle breaks seemed to make sense. One could clearly experience the influence of jungle as a fundamental road to dubstep days.To me the music at remarc recontextualized jungle….. although harking back to scatty amen breaks, jungilism days of old were nostalgically revisited but something had changed. No longer was I in a camo-netted Dunedin bassment on a Thursday night with subs that made my liver reverberate, listening to DJ Moe…. I was experiencing high production quality, tweeters that could make your ears bleed and digital sound boys dropping music that was just a twinkle in the eye of daddy dubsteppers back in da 90’s.Remarc played a diverse but consistent set. The beats sounded fresh. Super sharp shooter had become double deck dropper… the R the E the M the A…. anyway you get the picture- Old but new.As for MC’s…. (a pet hate of mine) Splash put on a good front. He wasn’t obnoxious, knew when to stop, and busted out some pretty sweet calls… he even shared the mic, asking Detail what was up….. “I like this one”…..
Recently in conversation, the topic of reintroducing old styles (such as jungle into dubstep) has appeared quite a lot. The question arises 'why produce something that's already be done before?'.My answer to this question...... New generations of music listeners and producers shouldn't be deprived of what others' have had before, once re-introduced it is never the same, and any contemporary stylistic convention can be found in old tracks and therefore the sound is never really truly 'new'.What about the 18 year old dubstepper who has no idea of from the journey it came? These 'new' listeners could go back and play old tracks, yes, but in this environment where there is just so much information, artists, music genres and styles bombarding the listener, it takes time and energy to find paths that take you back (unless they have been discovered for you). And how do you know what to look for if you have never been exposed to it? Once a 'style' has been introduced into the new releases, it becomes a lot more accessible. And once realized it has the power to be re-contextualized, developed and changed to create new and progressive sounds and styles. Contemporary conversations often revolve around the idea that in this day and age of mechanical reproduction, there is no original, once reproduced the original 'aura' (as Walter Benjamin called it) or feeling of the original is gone. But I tend to think every new track (even if the difference to another track is small) has the potential to lead to something else, and to transform what went before it.The Dubstep sound/ genre... is it new? I'd propose that it isn't new but the context of the music and the way it has been labelled and grouped has created a 'genre' or feeling. Go back and listen to some of those mid-90s tracks .......... from before the birth of the category 'dubstep', tell me what you find?........... Dubstep?
I’m a geek, I’m not expert, but I know what I like and why. I like the music scape Presha unravels because it takes me on a journey and into an alternative space. New Zealand’s borders are pushed to new limits as the music takes one into a virtual space. The more experimental sections of Presha’s mixes shine. Moody, melancholic and motivating tracks are the stars in the darkness. Decorum from Sabre, Instra:mental’s, Photograph (both coming on Darkestral) and New Zealand’s own Luca and Consequence (Kite Runner) , take you away from the dance floor and into a more contemplative state of mind. Uplifting and inner reaching, Klute’s new tracks solidify his reputation as a skilled, sustaining and solid producer. Presha doesn’t resist mixing genres and styles, even playing, an Instra:mental track Dead Zone (Darkestral) with an old school vibe…. I hear remnants of John B’s 1999 punchy snare in Starburst…. But I wouldn’t admit that out loud.For the more upbeat listeners, Presha adds in a few tracks that you may hear on a dark and dingy dance floor. All in all, I have to say that Presha’s show is reflective of an underground New Zealand culture, slightly dark, pretty melancholic, but always hopeful and ever-changing!DJ Presha hosts the Samurai Music Show on www.bassdrive.com
"Music is time and not space; music has no place, so it doesn't have to keep its place, it fills the air and doesn't take up space. It's mode of existence is to be in the middle of things; you can do other things while you're in the middle of it. You're not in front of it, and you don't go around it, or through it; the music goes through you, it stays inside you. It's a song you can't get out of your head." Vito Acconci
I could talk about Chef's "Sub Soca" being his first release and all but I just can't help myself flipping over the vinal to Cluekid's "Monkey Style" (subbalicious).
Is that Moving Shadow I hear?? Who said 1995 Drum and Bass? Rumor has it that this kid missed out on the whole drum and bass 'coming of age phenomena' but is taken with it anyway... and lucky for the new generation of urban music listeners, isn't afraid to bring it back.
He is able to weave together a track to cross the borders of jungle and dubstep.... just when you don't know where he's going with his Amen breaks and old school vocal samples, he drops a rolling bass line, sure to get you nodding your head.
In the tracks we all know and love (think collaboration with Cotti "The Legacy" and with Skream "Sandsnake") Cluekid's syncapated, crisp and snappy drum sounds are unmistakable and this track is no exception... I hear there is more to come!
This blog hopes to open up discussions, review and critique urban music that continues to push boundaries. As well as posts referring to gigs, album and track releases, the blog aims to connect the group of people who like to think about the music they listen to. Feel free to comment or if you are interested in adding a post contact us at citescapemusic@gmail.com
