Diplo has his fingers in many a pie and now he’s chosen to plunge it through the sweet, moist crust of dubstep. Diplo Presents Dubstep is a 16 track compilation which showcases “some brand new and unreleased, some classics, some overlooked sleepers”. The tracklist comprises a mixed bag, with some tunes hitting the jackpot and others floundering like Piers Morgan at a fundraiser. For example, James Blake ‘Sparing the Horse’ falls very much into the “maaate, sick tune” category, whereas Doctor P’s ‘Sweetshop’ falls into the “maaate, I’m not sure how much more I can take” division.
Starkey’s remix of Rudi Zygadlo’s ‘Resealable Friendship’ is definitely the high point, offering the beautifully vulnerable and epic in equal parts whilst James Blake’s refix of Untold’s ‘Stop What You’re Doing’ is similarly alluring. ‘Glazed’ by Brackles is another tune which I could loop and listen to all night long, but if you stop concentrating it drops into Stenchman and that glassy stare will be irreparably shattered forever. Anyway, Oldsy pointed out that this is probably intended to bring dubstep to a new audience, so in that case, it’s probably a positive thing that they’ll get the chance to listen to James Blake and Starkey alongside the bastardised creations from wub wub valley. Let’s just hope they make the right choices…
I’ve been neglecting the heavy shit of late. A lot of time has been spent lying in an ambient stupor when I should have been jauntily tipping my top hat and do-si-doing the bass bins. Trolley Snatcha’s contribution to DP038, a joint release on Dub Police with Circus’ Doctor P, is perhaps the nasty kick in the balls I needed. A dulcet ethnic hook haunts a filthier than thou bassline that will pummel and shake the wobbly mass that you call a face until you’re uglier than Jo Brand and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s love-child (phew…deep breaths). It sounds a bit like a dog with an eye patch fucking Pochohontas behind the bins on a spaceship. In other words, it’s beautifully gruesome.
Meanwhile, Doctor P’s offering — cannily titled ‘Badman Sound’ — is about as imaginative as a Werther’s Original and seems to have pretty much the same bassline as ‘Sweetshop’. Perhaps he should just remove ‘man’ from the title and stop lying to us all, the swarthy blaggard. Lord knows why it snatched the a-side. Oh well.
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This is Sub Focus’ drumstep remix of Rusko’s ‘Hold On’ and I’ve got to say, it’s a pretty delicious take on proceedings. Once again, Amber Coffman’s ’90s R&B vocals are smoother than George Clooney at an over 50s mixer and the whole thing is groovy enough to insight involuntary muscle spasms. For me however, even though it’s a decent piece of music, it’s still not quite as good as the original.
Circus mogul Doctor P has mentioned similarities to his own tune ‘Sweetshop’ but I think the comparison is a little unfair. The synths employed in that track are hardly unique and this is better anyway…oops.
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Doctor P — the guy who owns Circus Records along with Flux Pavilion — is a rare specimen. He’s a dubstep producer who makes what some people (not me, I hasten to add) like to call “filth step” and somehow actually manages to pay a little attention to melodies and what’s cracking off in the higher frequencies. ‘Sweet Shop’ from CR004, is a delectable example of this and his beautiful inclusion of ’90s keys alongside some seriously gung-ho bass is a recipe for success, rather like milk and cookies or blow and job. It begins on a deliciously ravey note and progresses into some serious sub killin’ complemented by a slice of crushed up 8-bit goodness. You’ll feel like you’ve been double-teamed by Bowser and Mega Man.
It makes me want to go out and binge on fruit pastilles until my family has to stage an intervention and ban me from everything sweet bar fruit. I wonder if I can get a sugary high off those free mint imperials in Indian restaurants? Hmmm. Listen below!
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