Martin Clark writes the best (only?) regular column on the state of dubstep and grime and this month’s is particularly tasty. He’s vamping on a theme pretty close to regular Cyclic readers/contributors: the way scenes develop, mature and evolve, specifically where the dubstep/grime scene is heading (he also goes into big problems currently faced by pirate radio in the UK).
Martin Clark, Pitchfork:
“What then happens when you take a scene from its environmental birthplace? Discouraging results can be seen with drum & bass, where the move from a London based urban culture to a global cyber-based dance music has resulted in either catastrophic misjudgements in quality control or time-sealed pockets of backwards-looking revisionism.DMZ’s Loefah, in a yet unpublished interview, reinforces the necessity of dubstep’s link to London, describing it as “essential.” The environment, the state of mind, the musical heritage– it’s all found in London and therefore in London’s music. Every sound has its calling cards, its sonic definers. Rap has that boom bap, drum & bass it’s energy and tempo, trance its sense of epic euphoria. Perhaps this is dubstep’s cornerstone, an essential, core component?”
Should a sound so rooted in a world full of music be confined to only one place? You need only look as far as the huge, if brief, contribution made by DJ Dinesh to see that concept’s limits, but it’s true that dubstep/grime has any number of possible directions at the moment.
And it’s spreading quick, a fact that starts Clark’s piece. For Australian evidence, check Southern Steppa and my rambling review of their gig last week at the Abercrombie Hotel in Sydney.
For more Clark, check his blog Blackdown Soundboy.
