pinch

Pinch – Punisher

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aka Rob Ellis is the founder of , one of the premier dubstep labels out of the UK, as well as being a pioneer of the genre itself.  His style is not always the wobbly and dark stuff one expects from labels such as DMZ or even Tempa, as he brings a more sound-design-oriented approach, with intricate drones and synths to accompany his involved yet minimal drum beats.  “Punisher” is perhaps my favorite Pinch track, but it doesn’t stop there.  Its b-side “VIP” version on the Planet Mu-issued 12-inch is also fire, as are the and remixes released two months later, in November 2006.  The tracks are proof of Pinch’s magnifient attention to detail and his authentic, natural feel for the genre.

Ramadanman – Revenue

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is making lots of noise as of late, what with his onslaught of originals and remixes released on various labels, his alias, and his own Hessle Audio imprint.  Like Pinch, his attention to subtlties is great and his overall style is very minimal (one reason I love his production), and though he more or less avoids the dubstep staple LFO bass wobble, his subs always hit hard, leaving nothing to be desired in the bass department.  This one in particular caught my attention as being quite possibly the best dubstep single I’ve yet to come across, which is of course saying a lot.  Not only is “Revenue” brilliantly produced and just about as modern- and new-sounding as it gets, but the b-side remix is absolutely bananas.  His music may not come to be embraced as much as some of the more popular-leaning steppas (e.g. Skream, ), but as far as technical skills are concerned, watch out – Ramadanman may just be the up-and-coming king of dubstep.

James Blake – Sparing the Horse

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Another flaming hot Untold-related release comes from .  The “Air & Lack Thereof” 12-inch dropped on Untold’s Hemlock Recordings last month, joining its founder’s “Discipline/Bones,” “Yukon/Walk Through Walls” and “Yukon/Walk Through Walls (Remixes),” as well as a 12 in the label’s slim but impressive catalog.  “Sparing the Horse” is the b-side, and is every bit as unique as “Air & Lack Thereof.” Just as Ramadanman’s work does, this release shows the quickly-evolving sound of dubstep, or rather, it’s spreading to incorporate sounds from other genres; in this case, both IDM‘s quirkiness and the organicism of someone like .

Spatial – 81012

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In keeping with the minimalism and the modern-dubstep sound of the first three artists, I present .  Available as a free-download bonus track to the Infra002 EP released earlier this year, “81012” may in fact top the other two tracks on the EP and I’m not sure why he kept this gem as a website exclusive. Like many other dubstep guys, Spatial runs a label, called Infrasonics.  It is just getting started (three releases thus far) but everything they’ve put out has been on that post-UKG drum programming tip with Basic Channel-type synth washes. Very nice, very tasteful stuff.

Posted in Music Posted by on Aug 12 2009 12:00 pm

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