Beyond Dubstep

Unless you've had you ears tucked away under the settee next to a stack of Noel Coward long players or exclusively tuned in to the confines of Radio 4 for the past ten years, then chances are you've heard of dubstep. Its popularity has been steadily rising for many years with its roots able to be traced back to everything bass-wise that has come before it; be it the dub heavy sound system culture that itself emigrated from Jamaica, the future forward strains of drum & bass that impacted on the entire world, the champagne and cocaine excesses of garage and 2 step, or the gritty urban reality of grime.

Clubland June

Every year there are a run of artists who completely shake the foundations of music, mercilessly messing with your preconceptions of sound and style, extending a beckoning finger for you to join, follow or simply witness as they blast off into orbit. This year already there have been such albums released and surely with a further six months of 2010 there will be more who inspire, confuse, cause utter disbelief and admiration in equal doses. For my money I'm not sure if there will be any that will surpass the sheer brilliance and unrestrained ambition of Actress's Splazsh and Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers.