Zed’s Dead, Baby. Zed’s Dead

Yummy.

Zed’s Dead, baby. Zed’s dead. Some people don’t like it. Hell some positively absolutely think it’s the most boring shit they’ve ever heard. Mind you, it’s nowhere as boring as minimal techno, that’s for sure.  I’m talking about the heaviest, craziest, ghetto-fabulist music that ever blasted forth from a speaker cone. Ever. As you can tell, I like the stuff. Shit, until I heard Skream, Rusko, Bassnectar and Zeds Dead, I had all but given up hope of hearing anything that could capture the spirit and swagger of mid-90s jungle or drum ‘n bass. But lo and behold, along came Skream’s rework of La Roux’s ‘In For The Kill’ at the beginning of 2009, and I was hooked. Hooked like a motherfucker. Fletcher had been telling me about this new sound for a while now, I had been slack. There was a storm of sound brewing, and I was missing out on the unleashing. Tsk, tsk. Can’t have that.

For the uninitiated, an explanation will be necessary. Dubstep draws on deep roots – from Jamaican dancehall and dub, to the 2-step garage, dub sound system and pirate radio drum ‘n bass and jungle influences of south London. Added to these foundations are the development in the early 2000s of grime and the proliferation of sound software that has enabled the powerful sub-bass and synthesizer sounds to be replicated and manipulated into entirely new dimensions in sound. The result is a bass-heavy sound that sounds as though it plays at halftime, yet in fact generally runs between 130 and 148 BPM. Bass drops are utilized to devastating effect, with silent or near-silent pauses inevitably followed by incredibly heavy bass drops that feature progressive and frantic overlaid breakbeat passages. In addition to this, samples and breaks are often liberally used, as are MC toasts and choruses made from cut ‘n pasted samples from film, television, gaming and elsewhere. The result is nothing short of ear shattering and irresistibly danceable. A lot of people don’t like it. Fuck ‘em. Actually, let’s be clear – I love some of it. I don’t really love the more dancehall-styled dubstep; for example, some of Rusko’s stuff is a little noodly for me, a little lite, reminds me of Zion Train. But Zeds Dead and Bassnectar? Shit, that’s the business, right there.

Perhaps some of the animosity can be explained by the fact that some of the heaviest hitters in the dubstep scene right now have taken to remixing some real classics. For some, that’s just the reason it holds such interest. For example, among the hits of yesteryear that have been given the bass-heavy treatment are ‘Gimme Shelter’ by The Rolling Stones, ‘Immigrant Song’ by Led Zepellin, ‘Doin’ Time’ by Sublime and ‘Where Is My Mind’ by the Pixies. I even picked up a copy of…think what you will…’Take On Me’ by A-Ha, which had been given the mutant bass treatment. If the purists out there think that’s sacrilege, so be it. These tunes, amongst others, have defined the direction that dubstep has taken in this new decade. How it will progress, and whether it will continue to be a source of new and inspiring directions in sound, remain to be seen. One thing’s for sure – the death knell has already been sounded by scenesters who point to Mary Anne Hobbs’s endorsement and the emergence of a watered-down dubstep sound in the R&B and hip hop scenes. Hell, even Britney Spears’ last album featured a healthy serving of the dubsep flavour. Hmmm.

Fair enough. Nothing lasts forever. But I’m going to work a few cones while the going is good.