Bonafide Magazine @ MSN: Dreams rendered in metal: A look into dubplate culture

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Dreams rendered in metal: A look into dubplate culture Posted: 13 May 2015 03:32 PM PDT Dubplates are an essential part of the culture and history of soundsystem music from reggae to jungle to grime and dubstep. Though it has to be said that the same culture also represents some of the worst traits of specialist dance music and soundsystem culture: retrograde fetishism, pedantic one-upmanship, and downright musical snobbery. For the uninitiated, a dubplate (or acetate) is a one-off record, pressed not on vinyl, but on lacquered aluminum. It is designed for DJs to road-test tracks on club systems, gauge dancefloor reaction and then tweak accordingly before a commercial release. Tracks are pressed, one on each side (and typically on a 10 inch plate) on to a metal disk, and sound beautifully bassy and clear, before wearing out after about 50 plays. Each dubplate represents an exclusive, as well as considerable financial investment (each plate typically costs £30-£50). Dubplates sound good, they even smell good (everyone who has ever used a dubplate can attest to their unique smell), and give the DJ a secret weapon unknown to the rest of the dancefloor community. If owning a standard vinyl pressing feels like possessing the first edition of a novel, then having a tune on dubplate is like owning the author's original handwritten manuscript, midnight candlewax spillages on the pages and all. In the days before CDRs, mp3s and SoundCloud, dubplates had a more practical application: they provided the most effective (and pretty much only) way for DJs and producers to share ideas, garner hype for to-be-released dancefloor tools and provide DJs with unique calling cards.

FACT Magazine The Bug, Mala, Channel One and more bring bassweight to Soundcrash at KOKO @ Musique Non Stop

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1. The Bug, Mala, Channel One and more bring bassweight to Soundcrash at KOKO 
2. Watch an 11-year old Björk read the nativity story 
3. PC Music boss A. G. Cook shares ‘What I Mean’ – grab a free download 
4. R&S techno trooper Paula Temple gives away her ‘secret weapon’ – download ‘Gegen’ 
5. British singer Joe Cocker dies aged 70 
6. Stream ‘Nobody Wins’, the first Jodeci single in 18 years 
7. Jackmaster opens up about life in Glasgow — watch the mini-doc 
8. “I don’t care about sad robots, I care about SINGERS WHO CAN F**KING SING”: Kanye, D’Angelo, Oneohtrix and more reviewed in the FACT Singles Club 
9. Download Mixpak’s holiday bundle, featuring remixes by Murlo, Rizzla and more 
10. FACT mix 476: Eamon Harkin & Justin Carter 
11. Watch how Fatboy Slim created his crossover smash ‘The Rockafeller Skank’

The Bug, Mala, Channel One and more bring bassweight to Soundcrash at KOKO Posted: 22 Dec 2014 03:20 PM PST The Bug heads up a London showcase of serious bassweight. The latest event announced by Soundcrash spans several genres, but with one common thread: weight. On April 18 at North London’s KOKO, some of music’s all-time heaviest acts will lock horns. Headlining the night is The Bug, a bastard from the outlands of grime, noise, ragga and dub whose stage show – here featuring Manga, Flowdan and Miss Red – is infamous for what it does to speaker stacks. Elsewhere on the bill: one of dubstep’s most authoritative acts in Mala, ragga-tinged drum’n'bass madmen Dub Phizix & Strategy and the quietly legendary Channel One Sound System. In short: bring ear plugs. For tickets and more information, head to the Soundcrash website. Watch a promo video for the night below.

Blog Believe @ Musique Non Stop

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Discovery 2 Halloween Special with The Holden Girls Posted: 21 Oct 2013 09:41 AM PDT Halloween Special Feat  Morain + Little Brother Eli + Franco and the Dreadnought + Holden Girls Thursday 31st October AAA (under Archangel) 11 – 13  Kensington High Street, London W8 5NP Doors: 8pm  Show starts: 8.15pm £5 Ticket Links  Door £7 Tickets at wegottickets.com The Discovery 2 Halloween Special features Little Brother Eli who combine the excitement of old skool hip hop and an injection of good old rock n roll, Leeds indie rockers Morain, Mancunian singer-songwriter Franco and The Dreadnought, and ambient, dream pop and shoegaze from Holden Girls plus DJ Delphi. Holden Girls are a Cambridgeshire quintet who, after a few line up changes, have settled on Connor Browne, Luke Cowan, Owen Kennedy, Alex Brown and George Fletcher. Their oldest member not yet 16, since the addition of Alex and George the group has assumed a tighter and more textured live sound. Moments of dreaminess and noisier, intense sounds define their set. Their distinctive sound draws on anything from Low to Mogwai, Talk Talk and Cocteau Twins, with Browne's vocals compared to Ian Curtis' deep croon. Slate The Disco describe them as ”a complex mix of ambient, dream pop and shoegaze".

Zero" New Releases

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OUT NOW: 2 Dots Left by Monolog Posted: 20 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Album with 13 Tracks, out on Ad Noiseam. Released on Tuesday (10/22/2013) and available as MP3. Download MP3s | Listen | Share on Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Google Buzz This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Gilles Peterson @ Musique Non Stop

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Mala – ‘Como Como’ feat. Dreiser & Sexto Sentido (Theo Parrish Remix) Posted: 01 Oct 2013 02:38 AM PDT Limited Edition 10″ // Digital Vinyl: 14/10/13 Digital: 21/10/13 Fresh from inaugurating his new Wildheart imprint with a killer collaboration with Tony Allen, cult Motor City producer Theo Parrish (Sound Signature / 3 Chairs) maintains the languorous, dreamy vibe of Mala's original but opens out the groove, allowing the South Londoner's warm sub-bass to flex its muscle. The bass weight is tempered by deep, mantric keys; the soft choral vocals of Sexto Sentido; and Dreiser's spiritual incantations. On the flip is Mala’s original, taken from his ‘Mala in Cuba’ album. The results of a true culture clash, 'Mala in Cuba' married the intricate rhythms and deep, spiritual roots of Cuba with Mala's own roots in South London and his dedication to bass culture. Travelling to Havana with DJ / broadcaster / record collector Gilles Peterson and fellow producer Simbad in 2011 – where they were recording sessions for Gilles's 'Havana Cultura: The Search Continues' album at Abdala Studios – Mala installed himself in a small studio across the corridor from the main hub. With a constant stream of gifted local musicians and vocalists passing through, from diva Danay Suarez to the legendary percussionist Changuito and acclaimed pianist Roberto Fonseca, this was a true journey of discovery for everyone concerned. Preorders: Brownswood Bandcamp // Bleep // Boomkat // Juno // Piccadilly Recs malaincuba.com

Brownswood One Hundred Remixed

As announced by xlr8r last week, we’re marking our 100th release on Brownswood Recordings with a trip down memory lane… a straight-up retrospective of our favourite reworks from 2006 to 2013.