Back in 2006, dubstep legend Kode9 wrote a profound piece in the sleeve notes for Dubstep Allstars 3 about the art of making a good mix. When talking about song selection he wrote that, “the selection…defines the range of emotional spaces likely to be encountered along the way.” He also wrote about the subtlety of beatmatching, the sonic space that occurs when a DJ mixes between two tunes, by saying, “beatmatching is an imprecise science, the iterative art of aligning two tracks by ear in realtime.” Earlier this month when asked by XLR8R whether or not he has ever had aspirations to produce his own music, Steve Bishop aka Oneman responded by saying, “I’m not bothered. My heart is in DJing.” And rightfully so. When it comes to the two main facets of DJing, song selection and beatmatching, there is no DJ who does it quite like Oneman. Oneman is a DJ that doesn’t confine himself to any one specific genre of music. Although he has a weekly show on London’s Rinse FM, the pirate radio station that gave rise to genres such as grime, dubstep and UK funky, Oneman plays whatever he likes and has a knack for mixing tunes together like no one else in the game.
This week, in anticipation of tonight’s TURBOTAX® in Brooklyn, NY, Oneman stepped into the mix for the TABLE TENNIS show on NYC’s WNYU. Like any of his other mixes or live sets, this one features everything from sultry R&B to hip-hop to UK funky and everything else in between. Every Oneman mix is a treat and this one is no exception. Stream/download the mix below and if you are in NYC tonight be sure to catch him DJing alongside Ben UFO at TURBOTAX®.
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Here’s a treat for all of our readers out there. This is a very rare studio mix by Skream from January 2004. It’s all his own tracks, but only a 4 track EP of them was ever released. This mix used to be hosted on a site called Big Apple Records, which was the first ever exclusively dubstep online record store (back before digital downloads were the norm), and really the only place you could get most of the early tracks on vinyl. Big Apple also pressed some of the really early dubstep tracks including the first releases by Benga, Skream & Loefah and was the only place you could really buy many of the dubstep records at the time from the dozen or so producers that were pressing it. The store closed down around 2005, because there weren’t enough people buying dubstep records to make it worth it. This is also the reason why much of the earliest dubstep was never released, but just handed around between producers & DJs who knew each other. There wasn’t a dubstep forum or anything, so you couldn’t even DJ dubstep successfully without knowing the guys in the UK. As a result, there were very few DJs in the US playing dubstep in their sets.
This mix doesn’t (and never did) actually have a name or a tracklist (which makes it even harder to find these days). The tracks that appeared on the Acid People EP on Big Apple Records were the only tracks that saw a release from this mix, and it’s too bad because there are some great tunes on here. This mix perfectly showcases the period when people were just beginning to make tracks that were half speed throughout the whole track (yes, there was dubstep before there was 70bpm dubstep), and Skream was the first producer to really start experimenting heavily with that. This mix showcases a far different direction than the direction that Skream eventually took with his music, and we feel that it’s a lot better in many ways. Download/stream the mix below.
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Мишка is proud to present Keep Watch Vol. XXV, created by Flinch. Adam “Flinch” Glassco is all about throbbing bass sickness backed by intricate, twisted melodies, as heard in his remix of Hussle Club’s “Loose Tights,” and his Keep Watch mixtape is no exception. His infectious, beat-oriented tracks have made him a favorite of heavy-hitters like Drop the Lime, Busy P, Skream, and many more names in the dubstep and dance communities, and this 42-minute mix of grinding outer-space electro will definitely show you why.
1. Kastle – I Know
2. Atlantic Connection -Take My Number
3. TRG & MATT U – One
4. Document One – Clap
5. 12th Planet & SPL – Lootin’
6. Flinch – World On Fire
7. Pendulum – Set Me On Fire
8. Flinch & Villains – Let Me Go
9. Freestylers – Frozen (Cookie Monster Remix)
10. Flinch & SPL – Untitled
11. Zeds Dead – Adrenaline
12. RUN DMT – Hold Up
13. Vaski – Storm Chaser
14. Dom and Roland – Punish Me (Digiraatii vs. Hot Mess Bootleg)
As we patiently wait for Alex Clare‘s Diplo & Switch produced debut album The Lateness Of The Hour to release in July, the British singer/songwriter recently put out a new track to hold us over until then. “When Doves Cry” comes as a cover of the song made famous by Prince, but a cover in the sense that only the lyrics from the original are used. Everything else gets a complete makeover, including the production which features a low-sub bassline and a jungle-like drumbeat. It’s the kind of production that Alex Clare has found particular success with–using his compelling yet subtle vocals to compliment and not muddle a bass-oriented track. Stream the song below, which as of now will not be featured on The Lateness Of The Hour.
Purity Ring, the group that brought us the absolutely infectious track “Ungirthed” a couple months ago, has returned for more dubstep-powered harmonizations. Their latest track, “Lofticries,” is a another irresistible gem, featuring the same shadowy vocals and synth-driven production that made “Ungirthed” one of our most loved tracks of the year. Download both songs now below:
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Here’s some smashing new drum & bass/drumstep from one of our favorite up and coming LA producer’s Ryan Rankin. Download the track now below, and look out for an exclusive LFTF interview/mix coming from Rankin in the near future.
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Staying on his recent dubstep tip, Mad Decent’s head honcho Diplo is back with a brand new remix, this time taking on Travis Barker‘s new single “Can A Drummer Get Some.” Throwing in an array of futuristic, mind-bending synths, Diplo ups the ante here with this remix making this already club smashing hit that much harder. Check it out now below:
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