Optimus Pickachu does 8-bit tribute to UGK and Triple Six Mafia. Shit works since he seems to have real love for both worlds, both gangsta slaps and blip blop-bröt.
It’s a minor sensation.
Apr 132011
Nov 112010
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEKg0bLFCZE&hl=en&fs=1&]
After disco, funk, blues, drum n bass, noise, ambient and country, we finally get some dupstep from the old home computer.
Once again the Commodore 64 proves itself to be immensely contemporary.
Apr 112010
It’s rarely worthwhile to listen to dubstep outside of a live environment. Most canonical tracks are too boring for headphone-listening. It’s functional music, made for mixing. Dubstep needs a DJ and overdimensioned speakers more than any other genre. But what’s called dubstep is arbitrary. Burial is filed away as dubstep, but sounds more like Massive Attack over a twostep beat. Conclusion: it’s only when you add other genres that dubstep becomes headphones-worthy. Like those thugstep-blends. Or Digital Mystikz’ absolutely brilliant What Won’t You Do For Love remix.
Ikonika arrives in the field of dubstep (or Hyperdub, as her label would call it) through structures and sounds from IDM and 8-bit music. That means that the arrangements and sounds are interesting enough for headphones and livingrooms. It’s Dubstep that qualifies as both listening and dance music.
Quarta 330 is another group that master the space between dustep and 8-bit. But I prefer their varied livesets over their releases (which I suppose demand a bit more patience from the listener). Another artist coming close to this sound is Joy Orbison. I especially like Wet Look. But then we’re getting even further away from the traditional sound of dubstep, which is fine I guess. Ideally, dubstep is more a method, a kind of creative launching pad, than a specific style of music.