Dubspot @ The NAMM Show 2012 in Anaheim, CA – January 19-22, 2012

The 2012 NAMM Show was a chart topping success. With record numbers in turnout and many notable new products being released this year, NAMM was a sight to behold. The Dubspot team was in attendance to get the scoop on the latest movements in technology and sound from the world of music manufacturers. Upon our arrival we eagerly ran from booth to booth, checking out new products from companies such as Moog Music,  Akai, Arturia, Korg, Keith McMillen, Smithson Martin, Eowave, Teenage Engineering, Rane, Allen & Heath, and Pioneer. This was no easy feat at a convention that tops 100,000 visitors annually at the Anaheim, CA Convention Center.

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In the video above, we had a fantastic time playing with Moog’s new Minitaur, synth, we geeked out with Teenage Engineering as we explored the new OP-1 operating system, we checked out Akai’s new MPC series and we got a moment with Ezra Buchla to learn a bit more about their highly coveted modular synthesizers. In addition to the excitement on the convention floor, we also took time to attend some industry-related music events happening in and around Los Angeles during the week. With much of the music industry in town for NAMM, there were many great performers in the area making special appearances this weekend. Most notably, Native Instruments, Teenage Engineering, and Interface LA brought some great events for night time entertainment. We had a wonderful time this year at NAMM and we’re already anticipating next year’s event. See you there!

Our music production program is custom-tailored to fit your musical style. You can choose from several Digital Audio Workstations including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or Propellerhead’s Reason.

After completing this program, you will leave with 4 completed tracks (EP), a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

What’s Included:

• Ableton Live Level 1: Shake Hands with Live
• Ableton Live Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Ableton Live Level 3: Production Essentials
• Ableton Live Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Ableton Live Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

“So far the experience through Dubspot is incredible, and I can’t wait to go through the next levels. It’s just getting better each week, and I can not wait to start putting an EP together, not just being able to put a successful track together!” - Dan Carter, United Kingdom

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Los Angeles-based producers and remixers Salva and Shlohmo recently stopped by Dubspot NYC for a music production workshop and interview. The two Friends of Friends recording artists were on the east coast trek of their tour. Salva is heavily influenced by Chicago house, freestyle, hip hop and electro. He has been producing genre-defying electronic music for quite some time and heads Frite Nite, an independent record label and crew based in San Francisco. Salva’s latest release is an EP titled Yellobone and it’s out now on FoF Music. Shlohmo, a member of the WEDIDIT Collective popped up on our radar just over two years ago with the fantastic Shlomoshun Deluxe compilation. His debut album Bad Vibes came out last year and his new Vacation EP is currently receiving excellent reviews.

The two electronic music artists talk about their influences, inspirations, LA underground music community, Low End Theory, music education, and much more. Salva also talked about his production workflow and demonstrated Logic Pro’s ESX24 Sampler and Pitch Correction plug-in, explained how he utilizes the sampler to manipulate vocal samples, slices and converts them into playable sampler instruments.

Shlohmo – wen uuu by FoFMusic

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Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Logic Pro Producer Certificate Program

Classes start in NYC January 18th!
ONLINE Class just started; Sign up today!

See more dates NYC and ONLINE classes!

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

For more start dates and information about payment plans, please call 212.242.2100 or 1.877.DUBSPOT (1.877.382.7768) or send us a message.

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Winston Riley at Techniques Records on Orange Street, Kingston Jamaica, 1995 | photo courtesy of David Corio

Such is the genesis of this first Sub-Bass, which mourns the passing of Jamaican producer Winston Riley while honoring his extraordinary career trajectory, making hits with bold new sounds for an astonishing five decades. Recent rewards of sampling had helped Riley expand his operations, adding a recording studio and even a music museum to his store on Orange Street, Kingston’s shabby Tin Pan Alley. But though greatly loved and respected, Riley clearly had his enemies. His death on January 19 following a gunshot at his home, was the last round in a grim series of attacks, from a stabbing to the burning of his Orange Street operation, which he later re-built. No-one has been arrested and no motive is known.

Winston Riley at Techniques Records on Orange Street, Kingston Jamaica, 1995 | photo courtesy of David Corio

Riley’s first group, The Techniques, were part of a wave of harmony trios that dominated Jamaican music in the early 1960s, right round the time of the island’s independence. Heavily seasoned with Afro-American influence, trios like the Techniques, the Wailers and Toots and the Maytals were following the template laid down by people like Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. That great master from Chicago helped move street corner doo-wop into the stirring, wrenching sounds that came to mean “soul” around the world, with a humanistic political philosophy that made us feel a gangster’s wounded manhood and understand the reverence a man can feel for his Queen. In fact, one of the Techniques’ most loved tunes is “Queen Majesty”, a version of a Mayfield song, “Minstrel and Queen”.

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After the Techniques, Riley kept on pioneering. His UK number one instrumental ska hit with Dave and Ansel Collins, 1971’s Double Barrel helped spark the mod/ska boom. Later in the decade, another massive riddim for Riley, and a great favorite at King Tubby’s Sound System, was a lethal one-drop bass which he named “Stalag 17″.

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Thus, the haunting, heavy instrumental is forever linked to the 1953 tragic-comic Second World War prisoner escape flick of the same name Stalag 17, shot with typical brilliant cynicism by my favorite director, the great Billy WIlder. Take a look at the trailer for Stalag 17 here.

The “Stalag 17″ riddim attracted several top DJs including U-Roy and Big Youth. Its appeal never waned, and in the mid-80s, Riley re-vamped it again for another round of hits with a new generation of DJs. The version that stuck hardest was cut by a slight youth named Tenor Saw, born Clive Bright, as “Ring The Alarm”.

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A true “ghetto star,” Tenor Saw came from the least materially privileged of an economically depressed underclass. He first flourished as the teenage protegee of another late Jamaican great, the socially-minded raggamuffin, Sugar Minott. Tenor Saw’s reedy, edgy singing matched the gripping lyrics: “Ring the alarm! Another sound man dying!”

The track became his prophetic legacy as just two years later, the 22 year old sound man’s body was found among some bushes at a roadside in Houston, Texas. Like Winston Riley’s death, Tenor Saw’s demise remains a mystery. The many rumors swirling round Tenor Saw’s death prompted a DJ tribute, “Who Killed Tenor Saw” by his old compadre, Nitty Gritty.

If “Ring The Alarm” may now seem to have a sinister frisson, thankfully that doom never touched the seemingly invulnerable Beyonce. She may spend more time in snazzy St. Bart’s than downtown Kingston, but Beyonce clearly still likes to think of herself as a Rude Gyaal. Last year’s “Girls (Run The World)” was based on Major Lazer’s dancehall tune “Pon De Floor”. But as far back as 2006, Beyonce was feeling dancehall with her take on “Ring The Alarm”. Producer Swizz Beatz, no stranger to dub and reggae, brought her the idea and co-produced. But the sparse, clangorous neo-dancehall of “Ring The Alarm” left Beyonce fans bemused with its unaccustomed aggression. It shows the ruff face of Beyonce, the one who’d spit in the dust and ball her fists to fight and scratch for her man. In fact, the very role Beyonce went on to play in her 2009 Obsessed movie co-starring Idris Elba!

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On this live MTV Awards performance of “Ring The Alarm”, Beyonce is unusually covered up, in her high-necked ankle-sweeping trench coats, a bit like those of the German officers in Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17. Who knows whether Beyonce realized the role she was playing in the conceptual heritage of her song; but as dramatic searchlights sweep the stage, we see her swing down from on high, and hear an announcement — Beyonce’s a prisoner, busting out! The synchronicity is too great. Surely Beyonce knows the original “Ring The Alarm”, and that it was based on “Stalag 17″, which in turn was inspired by the Billy Wilder comedy escape flick set in a P.O.W. camp!

If she doesn’t, let’s hope she reads this and joins us in giving respect to the late greats who showed us how to find laughter even in the midst of tragedy, and to persist in what you believe in, even at risk of your life: Winston Riley, Curtis Mayfield, Tenor Saw, Sugar Minott and Billy Wilder.

Vivien Goldman is a journalist, educator, and musician from London. She currently lives in New York City. Goldman’s fifth book The Book of Exodus: the Making and Meaning of Bob Marley & the Wailers’ Album of the Century was published in 2006 on Three Rivers Press.

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Unravel electronic music’s origins, build your chops, learn the language and theory, and make and play music the way you want. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the roots and lineage of a variety of electronic and dance music, strengthen their keyboard skills, and learn valuable music theory skills, deepening their creative practice and facilitating effective collaborations with musical partners.

What’s Included:

• Essential Music Foundations Level 1: Electronic Music Appreciation
• Essential Music Foundations Level 2: Keys & Melodic Theory
• Essential Music Foundations Level 3: Pads & Rhythmic Theory

This course exceeded my expectations. I went through everything I needed to have a solid knowledge of basic music theory.
- Jonathan Crespo, Miami

EMF (Music Foundations) has been an amazing experience! I didn’t realize I was going to learn so much about electronic music history, something my generation missed.
- Yianno Koumi, United Kingdom

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Dubspot’s YouTube channel is 50,000 subscribers strong!

Thank you, subscribers! Over the past few years Dubspot has gained a reputation for delivering free high quality content to music production enthusiasts across the globe on our Youtube Channel. We offer a constant resource of sound creation tutorials with talented instructors such as Matt Cellitti, Steve Nalepa, Evan Sutton, Chris Petti, Thavius Beck and many others teaching you how to get the most our of your productions. This week we are especially proud to announce that we have topped 50,000 subscribers to our Youtube channel!

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Featured Playlists

Some of Dubspot’s most popular videos from 2011:

Mixing & Mastering Tutorial Pt 1: Limiter in Ozone w/ Ableton Live

Mixing & Mastering Tutorial Pt 2: Mid-Side EQ Technique w/ Izotope

Native Instruments Massive Tutorial Pt 1: Talking Bass Synthesis

Traktor Pro 2. DJs Qbert & Rafik: Shiftee’s Breakfast of Champions Breakdown

Syncing Traktor Pro 2 + Ableton Live: How to Route Audio | Dubspot’s DJ Endo

Ableton Live Tips #7: Vocal Effect Techniques (Radiohead, Nosaj Thing)

Using Ableton Live w/ Native Instruments’ Maschine for Production & Performance

Mixing & Mastering Tutorial – Dubstep Bass Compression w/ URS

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Related Dubspot Courses Starting Online & in New York City:

Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Program starts February 5th Online.

MASCHINE Program starts in NYC January 30th and Online the week of January 22nd.

DJ Extensive Program

Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing from beatmatching to stage presence. Whether you’re a beginner in search of the fundamentals or a seasoned pro looking to take your talent to the next level, our curriculum is designed to accommodate all skill levels and styles of music. This comprehensive DJ program covers everything from basic mixing to advanced digital DJing. Learn more about our DJ courses and programs.

What’s Included:

• DJ Level 1: Rookie Sessions | Essentials I
• DJ Level 2: Phrase Mixing | Essentials II
• DJ Level 3: Beyond The Blend | Intermediate Skills
• DJ Level 4: Preparation | DJ Psychology
• DJ Level 5: Classroom to the Club | Advanced Techniques I
• DJ Level 6: Club to the World | Advanced Techniques II

“I love the class, and the content! Shiftee and Endo are very funny, and very clear, so the material is easy and fun to follow! I wish my college   teachers  were more like these two!” – Leandro Martinez, Chicago IL

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Native Instruments MASCHINE redefines hardware and software integration for music production and creative performance. Upon completion of this program, you will have written a full original track using multiple plug-in instruments and effects, produced a remix based on rearranged source material with your own musical additions, and made recordings of yourself improvising with both projects while creating break downs, build ups, and effect manipulations.

What’s Included:

• MASCHINE Level 1: Programming and Beat Making Basics
• MASCHINE Level 2: Sampling, Slicing and Composing
• MASCHINE Level 3: Advanced Production and Performance Techniques

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Moog Minitaur

One piece of gear that is stealing everyone’s attention right now is Moog’s new Minitaur bass synthesizer. It’s a monophonic synth based on their classic Tarus bass pedals that boasts USB / MIDI connectivity, one knob per function and very small footprint for $679 ($599 street). In this video Nick from Moog Music explains the history behind the new Minitaur tabletop bass synthesizer and gives a demonstration of what it can sound like.

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Akai MPC Fly

Akai’s big hit this year seems to be the MPC Fly – a combination iPad case with MPC pads and application that re-create the MPC workflow on your iPad. While the unit was not yet in production for us to try out, we did get to look at the software that will support the MPC Fly.

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Buchla

Buchla creates modular analog synthesizers that have been championed by artists such as Trent Reznor and Richard Devine. In this video Ezra Buchla (son of company founder, Don Buchla) explains some of the sequencing capabilities of the highly coveted Buchla modular instrument.

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Waldorf Pulse

Everyone seems to be going analog again and legendary synth creators Waldorf are no exception. Following up on their 1996 Pulse instrument comes a revamp in the form of Pulse 2. The new monophonic synth has three oscillators, a filter, an 8-slot modulation matrix, an arpeggiator, and is backwards compatible with the original Pulse. The Pulse 2 releases this summer.

SONiVOX Wobble

On the software end of things, one product that stood out was SONiVOX’s Wobble dubstep grime generator. Wobble combines SONiVOX’s new spectral morphing synthesis technology with a bevy of intuitive realtime performance features. Wobble is designed to make the most crazy, pulsating, and different sounds ever to grace your speaker’s soon to be aching cones.

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Mackie DL1608 iPad Mixer

First of all, this is one of the strangest advertisements we’ve ever seen as Mackie and the sound guy for Portland band Vanimal get surreal in this very trippy video. Simultaneously the product being advertised looks incredibly cool. Mackie explains: The Mackie DL1608 is a full-featured digital mixer with the mobility of an iPad. With 16 Onyx mic preamps and 24bit Cirrus Logic AD/DA converters, you have unparalleled sound quality. Seamless wired to wireless iPad control means you can mix from anywhere in the venue.

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It all started with Ray (The Kurzweil Music Story)

The Kurzweil PC3 Series of workstations (and Kurzweil keyboards in general) are a standard in music performance. They’re not entry level instruments and they often cost well over two thousand dollars to acquire. But these instruments continue to set the standard for performance keyboard / synthesizers. In this new video, Ray Kurzweil recalls the story of Stevie Wonder’s technical challenge that ultimately motivated the inception of Kurzweil Music Systems.

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Loco Dice has been tearing up clubs and DJ playlists over the past 7 years with a blend of house and techno that has appeared on labels such as Ovum, Desolat, Coccoon, and M_nus. With a sound that straddles minimal techno and funky house, Yassine Ben Achour has quickly become a star of the DJ circuit. Dubspot’s Alex Burkat caught up with Loco Dice for a chat this past December while he was getting ready to hit the decks at Pacha in NYC.

Alex Burkat edits videos at Dubspot, DJs/produces bass music as Rx, and is part of a Philadelphia based DJ / art collective called DUSK

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Related Dubspot Courses Starting Online & in New York City:

Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Program starts February 5th Online.

DJ Extensive Program

Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing from beatmatching to stage presence. Whether you’re a beginner in search of the fundamentals or a seasoned pro looking to take your talent to the next level, our curriculum is designed to accommodate all skill levels and styles of music. This comprehensive DJ program covers everything from basic mixing to advanced digital DJing. Learn more about our DJ courses and programs.

What’s Included:

• DJ Level 1: Rookie Sessions | Essentials I
• DJ Level 2: Phrase Mixing | Essentials II
• DJ Level 3: Beyond The Blend | Intermediate Skills
• DJ Level 4: Preparation | DJ Psychology
• DJ Level 5: Classroom to the Club | Advanced Techniques I
• DJ Level 6: Club to the World | Advanced Techniques II

“I love the class, and the content! Shiftee and Endo are very funny, and very clear, so the material is easy and fun to follow! I wish my college   teachers  were more like these two!” – Leandro Martinez, Chicago IL

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Dubspot Podcast 026: DJ OBaH (Oldskool Beats and Harmonies) – Cajun Style by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 025: Mungo’s Hi Fi Sound System by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 024: Nihal Ramchandani (Hotflush, Halcyon) – Innigkeit Mix by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 021: DJ Chicken George – Peddlin’ 45s for Dubspot (Ode To NYC) by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 020: Exclusive Mix from Spatial (Infrasonics) by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 019: DJ Shiftee Live @ Public Assembly by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 018 – DJ OP! by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 017: DJ Excess – Our Way Disco Mix by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 016: Wiseacre – Emerald Isle Dream Bump by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 014: Sabo – Exclusive Moombahton Mix by Dubspot

Dubspot Podcast 013: Liondub – Exclusive All Vinyl Mix by Dubspot

Digital DJing with Traktor Pro 2 Program

The definition of DJing has changed dramatically in the last decade. Laptops, controllers, and software have emerged alongside more traditional turntables and CDJ’s, smashing the barrier to entry. In today’s digital age, anyone can become a DJ. To reflect this renaissance, Dubspot has created the Digital DJing with Traktor program. In both our physical and online schools, students will learn how to DJ entirely with Traktor’s cutting-edge technology. An emphasis will be placed on the concepts of DJing rather than simply learning how to use the software.

What’s Included:

• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Level 1: Introduction to DJing
• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Level 2: Phrase Mixing
• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Level 3: Beyond The Beatmatch

Starting with a historical overview, students will learn the fundamental concepts of the DJ via Traktor’s intuitive interface. They will then begin to delve into the vast array of new possibilities offered by this groundbreaking software, presenting their work along the way. Students will leave with finished DJ mixes, a thorough exploration of DJing with Traktor, and a skill set and knowledge base perfect for further development.

DJ Extensive Program

Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing from beatmatching to stage presence. Whether you’re a beginner in search of the fundamentals or a seasoned pro looking to take your talent to the next level, our curriculum is designed to accommodate all skill levels and styles of music. This comprehensive DJ program covers everything from basic mixing to advanced digital DJing. Learn more about our DJ courses and programs.

What’s Included:

• DJ Level 1: Rookie Sessions | Essentials I
• DJ Level 2: Phrase Mixing | Essentials II
• DJ Level 3: Beyond The Blend | Intermediate Skills
• DJ Level 4: Preparation | DJ Psychology
• DJ Level 5: Classroom to the Club | Advanced Techniques I
• DJ Level 6: Club to the World | Advanced Techniques II

“I love the class, and the content! Shiftee and Endo are very funny, and very clear, so the material is easy and fun to follow! I wish my college   teachers  were more like these two!” – Leandro Martinez, Chicago IL

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro: Pt 1/3 – The Routine w/ DJ Shiftee

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Optimize Your Windows PC for DJing & Music Production Pt. 2

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Digital DJing Tutorial w/ Traktor Pro 2: Pt 2/3 – Loop Recorder w/ DJ Shiftee

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How to Sync Traktor & Ableton Live: Routing Audio w/ Dubspot’s DJ Endo

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How to Sync Traktor & Maschine With Only 1 Computer

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DJ Extensive Program

Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing from beatmatching to stage presence. Whether you’re a beginner in search of the fundamentals or a seasoned pro looking to take your talent to the next level, our curriculum is designed to accommodate all skill levels and styles of music. This comprehensive DJ program covers everything from basic mixing to advanced digital DJing. Learn more about our DJ courses and programs.

What’s Included:

• DJ Level 1: Rookie Sessions | Essentials I
• DJ Level 2: Phrase Mixing | Essentials II
• DJ Level 3: Beyond The Blend | Intermediate Skills
• DJ Level 4: Preparation | DJ Psychology
• DJ Level 5: Classroom to the Club | Advanced Techniques I
• DJ Level 6: Club to the World | Advanced Techniques II

“I love the class, and the content! Shiftee and Endo are very funny, and very clear, so the material is easy and fun to follow! I wish my college   teachers  were more like these two!” – Leandro Martinez, Chicago IL

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

In August, dubstep producer, DJ, and Deep Medi Musik recording artist Silkie stopped by Dubspot NYC during his US tour to present a special live streaming workshop. Silkie shared production insights, talked about his creative workflow using the PC-only FL Studio (formerly known as Fruity Loops) and offered some invaluable advice for rising producers. After the workshop, we talk to him about his early days as a DJ, venturing into music production, inspiration for his City Limits albums, learning through collaborations, and remaining adventurous and open-minded as a producer, making a decent living through music, and much more.

Silkie (a.k.a. Solomon Rose), like many of dubstep and UK funky’s finest, came from the late 90s, early 2000s era grime and garage scene – producing his first tracks at the tender age of 15. After spending his teenage years producing for his brother’s grime crew Unorthodox, Rose began attending the infamous FWD>> parties, introducing him to the emerging sounds of dubstep.

Bridging his grime foundations with dubstep’s low-end weight, Silkie quickly found a home with a growing sound that would take him around the world, and into a highly productive career as a producer. After emulating the sounds coming out of FWD>>, Silkie’s music found its way into the hands of Digital Mystikz (DMZ) co-producer Mala, who was immediately drawn to the Silkie’s unique style. From that point forward, Silkie would remain a fixture of Mala’s personal label Deep Medi Musik. Silkie has since released a number of split EPs and “12’s, alongside folks like Skream, Mizz Beats, Quest, and Goth-Trad.

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Among Silkie’s many releases is his City Limits series for Deep Medi Musik, a series of albums that explore Silkie’s dynamic range and depth as a producer. On the first volume of City Limits, tracks like “Quasar” reflects Silkie’s ability to channel everything from jungle, Baltimore club, and dubstep into something that is as ethereal as it is dance floor-ready. These tensions are central to Silkie’s sound; often building a track’s bass heft before overlaying interjecting synth squiggles, and always keeping an overarching element of soul and atmosphere as thematic glue.

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These touches, whether it’s a sultry sax, or erotic electric guitar, are ones that put Silkie’s sound in conversation with jazz, opening his sound to a wider palette that makes his sound stand out amongst the often dark, aggressive sounds of his colleagues. In fact, on an earlier Deep Medi Musik “12 titled “Jazz Dubstep” patient piano key flourishes come between ragga melodies and bass pressure that threatens to topple the whole production.

Unravel electronic music’s origins, build your chops, learn the language and theory, and make and play music the way you want. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the roots and lineage of a variety of electronic and dance music, strengthen their keyboard skills, and learn valuable music theory skills, deepening their creative practice and facilitating effective collaborations with musical partners.

What’s Included:

• Essential Music Foundations Level 1: Electronic Music Appreciation
• Essential Music Foundations Level 2: Keys & Melodic Theory
• Essential Music Foundations Level 3: Pads & Rhythmic Theory

Click here to view the embedded video.

To Cotti, music is music, he’s not just interested in dubstep. But that’s his home, and he works to keep the genre versatile. The producer and rapper came up bringing a heavy reggae sound and grime element mixed in with his dubstep. Growing up in a family partial to reggae and starting his own musical journey as a grime emcee, this all comes as no surprise. As of late, he’s been heavily influenced by hip hop, and has even released a free mixtape through his Sum Ting New label featuring his own vocals on most tracks paired with a number of other emcees. The South London native came to New York last weekend to play at Bass Fueled Mischef and talked to us about the influence of money on music in the UK, pirate radio, diversity of sound in dubstep and more.

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What’s your setup?

I use Reason 4, Cubase, a USB keyboard, Triton sound station with Korg and that’s it. A couple of VSTs, a load of Reason plugins and I’m good to go. I use more Reason refills than VSTs to be honest. Most of the time I choose the sounds by random when working on a tune. Unless it’s a specific idea I’ve got. But I do have a load of sounds I’ve tweaked and saved them down and I use them a lot. For DJing I’ve recently been using CDJs more than turntables because it’s the way the music is going now. I’ve been using dubplate acetate vinyl since like 2000 when I cut my first one. I used them up until 2009 when I started using CDs more. I haven’t pressed dubplates lately, but that’s not to say I won’t again.

What inspired your move into the free mixtape game?

It’s just the culture. You guys do it over here, and we do a lot of it in the UK as well now. It’s a way for me to get more music out there too. Because as a dubstep producer, I probably have like two or three releases a year, so that’s not really much material getting out there. And it’s a way to get different types of material out there. Stuff I might not be known for. Like people might not really know me for hip hop. I’m not just into dubstep man. I’m into music.

How long does it take you to make a track?

I’ve been known to make a whole song in like three hours from scratch. Write the instrumental, write a chorus and verses, and the whole track is done. An instrumental can take like an hour. All that’s left is mixing.

What makes for a good vocalist?

There’s a couple key points. Number one is versatility – you’ve got to be able to handle different types of beats, different music. Creativity as well, like what you’re saying. And originality, with word play and flow.

So you’re a fan of Big Pun?

He’s just a wicked lyricist man. The way that he flowed? Like wow. And the way he put his words together?? He’s just well creative. He wasn’t just saying the same average bullshit. He was being quite creative. A bit flashy and that, but creative. He was popular in London back in my day when Capital Punishment came out. But I think Fat Joe is probably more popular because he’s more commercial.

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Is it still the case that being a DJ helps producers trying to come up?

Yea. Loefah from DMZ gave me the idea. Chef, too. They were really into to productions. And they said you should really DJ to get yourself out there. Then they invited us to come play their night, which was our second gig, and I never looked back.

What role did pirate radio play when you were coming up?

I think pirate radio was a very important part of it. I spent maybe four years on pirate radio. I’d test my early productions on there. Get my DJs to play them and we’d spit some bars over them and then maybe we’d take them home and tweak them. I’d take my crew up there, there’d be about six of us (four emcees, two DJs). And we’d decide based on the reaction of the DJs and the other emcees. And obviously we’re on air, and people are locked in. People would call up and text. We’d have the phone line poppin, like text, text, text. Like hundreds of texts for a two hour show.

What’s replaced that role?

I personally think the whole music industry has changed and it’s affected everything, not just pirate radio. Not just underground clubs and labels. It’s all money motivated now. Business oriented. Pirate radio has gotten pushed to the back. Mainstream radio kinda got a few DJs in, and they’re trying to cater to the underground. Somehow they’ve locked off all the good underground radios. I don’t know what’s happened. It’s gone from underground to overground. It’s a good thing and it’s not a good thing. It’s good in the sense that more people can listen to it, it’s more accessible to the masses and there’s a chance to make a living off of it. But the worst aspect of it is that anybody with money and a couple of links can just step into the music scene in the UK now, and you’re the top boy. Just because of money and who you know rather than talent, which is a real shame. There’s so much shit out there these days.

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Does having a grime element help you stand out?

It did, but not anymore, because people with a lot of money came along and are doing the same thing. They put more money into it and get more exposure. Competition is fierce now. Dubstep and grime, they’re basically the same scene now. They’ve been taken over by groups of labels or people, and they’ve kind of just cornered the market. It’s all about money now. Three years ago, it wasn’t like that. 2008. You could just make a really good record and then use the internet to get people all around the world listening to it through places like dubstepforum. But now there’s a million dubstep forums. There’s a million dubstep producers. The only thing that’s really separating people is money and PR. It doesn’t seem to be about good music anymore, which is sad. You got so much shit music right now and the kids are going crazy for it, because it’s the latest thing, the new fad.

Do you think dubstep has lost it’s versatility?

No, I think it’s still versatile. I mean, what most people are listening to isn’t – that brostep, noisy kind of bullshit. But that doesn’t mean that’s all dubstep is. You got so many aspects of it. You got people like Cluekid, who I don’t really work with anymore. He’s got a jungle vibe to it. Then you’ve got people like Coki and Kromestar. They’ve got a mid range kinda thing going on with their tracks. And recently I’ve been making some hip hop influenced dubstep. And then there’s like the original reggae type of dubstep. There’s loads of influences that make it versatile. I think brostep is the biggest right now though. And it’s still another part of it. But don’t get stuck on one bit.

Do you see much of a difference between brostep and the metallic mid range sounds from London?

If you’re asking is there’s a difference between Skrillex and Coki, then yea. Hell yea. Coki’s stuff is more coherent. It’s more of a vibe rather than just hype. The brostep seems like it’s all about getting excited. Like who can make their track do the mad craziest thing. Music’s not about that. To me, music’s about what can give me the good vibes. It’s not all about the mayhem. I can’t explain it, you’ve just got to come and listen.