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

Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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″.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

Click here to view the embedded video.

On Friday, January 21, 2012 Senator Harry Reid postponed a vote on two online anti-piracy bills, one called the Protect I.P. Act (PIPA), and the other called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Both bills, drafted with bi-partisan support, would have given the federal government power to distinguish any website from the domain name system (DNS) considered to be infringing on copyright. For now, these bills are dead in the water, but the lobbying and legislative forces behind these bills will in no way let up, and the call-to-action around stopping this kind of legislation is now in full-force. Made up of Hollywood heavyweights, book publishing giants, and the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), the industries leveraging these bills, and no doubt any future versions like them, are set on protecting their large pockets while crushing the free speech, collaboration, and creative expression of artists.

Dubspot’s own creative community, immediate and extended, is particularly positioned to suffer from internet censorship of this kind. If these bills were passed, it would make for a field day in policing sites (large and small) that host music content of ANY kind. Dubspot’s teachers, students, and favorite artists are in a category of people whose access to information, sounds, and visuals are tantamount to the groundbreaking music we are a part of. Not only could the work be affected, self-promotion and the power to share one’s music from the ground up would be suffocated by unsafe hosting. Sites likes Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Dropbox, and even YouTube and Facebook would be at risk of the policing power granted to the federal government in these bills.

A none too soon example emerged earlier this week, as our favorite file-hosting site Megaupload was shut-down by the FBI. A major player in our ability to share our work, find sample material, and unique sounds Megaupload is just one casualty of what will likely be an ongoing struggle to keep our creative freedoms in tact. Be sure to check out the Washington Post’s great coverage of the Megaupload crackdown over here.

It’s important re-emphasize that these lobbying and legislation efforts have merely been slowed down. The entertainment industry will stop at nothing to ensure their profits keep rising, and Internet freedoms keep tightening. As Internet educator, activist, and public speaker Clay Shirky tweeted yesterday, “Even if #SOPA/#PIPA are stopped this year, they’ll be back under new names next year.” Watch Clay Shirky’s phenomenal TED talk on SOPA/PIPA below, and join Dubspot in staying informed and active about protecting our rights to create, collaborate, and share our chosen art form with the world.

In the latest episode of Dubspot’s Wireless interview series, instructor, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Raz Mesinai (also formerly known as Badawi) catches up with a long time friend, Max Glazer of the New York City-based dancehall sound system Federation Sound. Max founded Federation Sound with Kenny Meez and Hot97’s Cipha Sounds in 1999. Max grew up listening to a great deal of Jamaican reggae and dub; at home, his father played artists such as Trinity, Dillinger, U-Roy, Peter Tosh. He fell in love with hip hop and house listening to influential radio DJs like Red Alert, but his appreciation for Jamaican music culture endured over the years. Today, Max Glazer is an international dancehall DJ; he spent years as music director and tour DJ for music superstar Rihanna. There was a lot to discuss between these two old friends; Raz and Max talk about a wide range of topics, from their early days as DJs in New York City (the lineup for one of their first gigs was Badawi, Max Glazer and DJ Spooky) to dubplate culture to maintaining a unique voice and staying true to yourself.

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.

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

This new decade has been a great one for music. New tools for creation and discovery mean unprecedented access to an unknowable amount of music. One can find pretty much anything they’re are looking for these days if they dig hard enough. And as a music writer, I frequently do make that effort. But sometimes it would be nice to create that sound I’m seeking instead of hoping somebody else will.

Now that I’m beginning the Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program at Dubspot, I have the perfect incentive to learn some of those tools. I’ll be able to contribute to the conversation with music instead of just words.

And I’ll be writing about my experience in the classroom here on this blog regularly, offering readers an opportunity to see what taking a course here is like.

The classroom setting has never been one I was very comfortable in, but Dubspot is no ordinary school. Many of the teachers here are artists I’ve respected and been a fan of for years. And the full studio set up at my fingertips is much more exciting than any study hall.

My biggest interest is diversity and uniqueness of sound palette, and I usually find that through electronic and world musics – nebulous as both those categories are. Personally I prefer heavy and energetic moods and am significantly influenced by hip hop. It’s hard to pick one artist out of so many to highlight as a favorite. But some of the names that have had a steadily updated presence in my playlist over the past few years are Shackleton, Nguzunguzu, Jahdan, 2562, Pacheko and Sepalcure. I’ve covered local and international sounds with lots of beats and bass, delved into the array of music coming from my neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn, and interviewed a number of the world’s better known electronic talents.

I chose Ableton because it seems intuitive to start with, yet it’s extremely powerful with a deeper understanding. I also wanted to learn a program that was useful for more than just making music, and could be used for making studio mixtapes or live performances.

Through these classes, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the subject I cover, become a more engaged member of the musical community, and take further advantage of the unique wealth of knowledge at Dubspot. And hopefully you’ll join me, because it will be an educational experience for us all.

– Mike S

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.

This week one of electronic music’s largest international events. Now in its 16th year, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) combines a jam-packed schedule of daytime workshops, round-tables, and technical demonstrations with a world-class line-up of DJs and producers taking you into the night. After its inception in 1996, the event grown astronomically, from just 100 attendees in the 1990s to over 130,000 visitors in the last few years, putting it next to Miami’s Winter Music Conference as one of the most important industry events in the world.

Split into a music industry conference and full-fledged music festival, ADE manages to create a remarkably streamlined community of electronic music professionals that seeks to reflect the special relationship electronic music has to both business and art. It goes with out saying that ADE bring some of the biggest DJs and label showcases to its festival, but for Dubspot readers unable to attend ADE, of which there are probably many, here is a snapshot of the kinds of workshops and industry events that have been going at ADE’s conference.

Photo by Aico Lind

Of the various industry-related events going on, many of them seem to be engaging with the question of the internet’s effect on sharing music and content with audiences.

STATE OF THE BLOGS

If you run or maintain a blog, either as a music enthusiast or artist, you might want to know the State of the Blogs a workshop on how to transform your blog from a hobby into a professional internet magazine.

How to run a successful musicblog in 2011, and how not to? Can you make a living of of it, or does it remain a hobby? How to compete with professional internet magazines, in some cases these are well funded (3VOOR!@, State Magazine) by the big broadcasters? There’s enough to discuss with some of the movers and shakers in de Dutch Blogosphere.

CROWDFUNDING

Are crowd-funding platforms like Kickstarter going to rival labels as a way to reach an artist’s audience and develop interest? A crowd-funding workshop explores this question with Netherlands-based crowd-funding platform Voordekunst.

Roy Cremers is the founder of voordekunst. This is a crowdfunding site where artists can submit their projects to find funding through the crowd. In a time where public funding for Arts and Culture are being trimmed, could crowd funding be a serious alternative? Amongst the donations there are not just individuals, for example also Nike is pitching in. Will this sort of company-involvement become a trend? Come and hear Roy tell us about his experience with voordekunst since they started little over a year ago.

CREATING COMMUNITIES OF VALUE

Workshops have included presentations from co-founder Nikhil Shah of the popular DJ mix platform Mixcloud, about how engaged online communities are an influential force creating a lasting, loyal band of listeners and audience members.

Passionate online communities can be a powerful force. They can create and curate your content; they can police and moderate the site; they can evangelise and advocate; and finally they can be monetized. Nikhil Shah from Mixcloud talks about lessons learned and a few favourite examples of how to build an engaged community with lasting value.

Photo by Aico Lind

Other industry keynote speakers like Scott Snibbe (developer of Bjork’s interactive iPad accompaniment to her latest record Biophilia) have looked at the potential for iPad and iPhone apps to make albums and releases more immersive and dynamic.

THE ALBUM RETURNS AS AN APP

The emergence of music apps for mobile devices promises to reacquaint listeners with an immersive, intimate music experience that has been lost in the age of the digital download. Scott Snibbe’s keynote will focus on demonstration and discussions of his recent interactive music iPad and iPhone apps that bring immersive electronic music experiences to a broad mainstream audience. His talk will focus on a behind-the-scenes look at Björk’s Biophilia – the creation of the first app album, and the impact that apps will have on performing artists and the music industry. Scott will also speak on his personal history with interactive music, including rare examples of research and prototypes he created in the 1990s with Lukas Girling featuring video game-style interactive music, nintendo controllers, and interactions with Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno.

The iPad is the focus of workshops exploring its music-making potential as well, through both hardware and software. Rob Mekken of Music-IT talks about iPad integration into a musician’s live setup, something we here at Dubspot have continued to experiment with and explore.

Labels have been a large focus of this year’s event. Unlike any other genre of music, electronic music comes with a dizzying array of artists and labels. Not only do thousands of labels exist, each with a relatively small catalog, DJs and producers with any modest success often start their own labels. In the workshop titled “Off the Record? Labels In the Digital Age,” a round-table of label reps discusses the merits of vinyl, platforms like Bandcamp, and whether or not music should just be free.

Photo by Aico Lind

Of the absolutely dizzying array of events going on through out the week and weekend, here are a list of artists and showcases our Dubspot readers abroad may be enticed by.

Richie Hawtin Presents Plastikman 1.5. Hawtin has one of the most jaw-dropping audio/visual performances in the world, and will likely be the highlight of your weekend. Check out excerpts of a recent live set below.

BOILER ROOM Minus Takeover with Richie Hawtin, Dubfire, Seth Troxler & Ambivalent was definitely one of the highlights for those of us experiencing the ADE from afar. For those who missed it, stay tune because Boiler Room has a lot more in store, including next Wednesday’s Boiler Room Berlin 003 with Levon Vincent, Efdemin, Roman Flügel, Cosmin TRG & 2562/ A Made Up Sound!

Click here to view the embedded video.

To end your ADE experience right, plan for an epic evening with Berlin’s premier techno label Ostgut Ton. Representing the label will be Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock, Planetary Assault Systems, and Marcel Fengler. For those who are unable to attend Berlin’s world-class Berghain club, this will be a great taste of what you’re missing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dubspot is pleased to announce that our next live streaming workshop will be with Deep Medi Musik recording artist Tunnidge. He will be demonstrating his production techniques and talking about his creative process. Tunnidge’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, September 28, 6PM – 7:30PM. Please RSVP on our Facebook page if you would like to attend the event in person, otherwise return to this post to watch the live stream from the comfort of your home.

Characterized by his a laser-like focus on woozy, alien basslines, and devastating drops, Tunnidge is a producer as much as he is a sound designer. Emerging from South London’s dubstep scene in 2005, Tunnidge has stayed true to the deeper, more spacious elements of the dubstep made by folks like Mala (Deep Medi label head) and his Digital Mystikz project. After hanging around a quickly coalescing group of producers, Tunnidge not only put out some of Deep Medi’s first releases, but also did the artwork to go with them. Deep Medi releases are now often characterized by drawings of the release’s producer, all of them drawn by hand from Mr. Tunnidge himself.

Photo by Andrew Witts

Tunnidge is currently wrapping up a US Tour, with just a few more dates left. Don’t miss an opportunity to catch him live! Below, we’ve listed the remaining dates, which include stops in Detroit, NYC, and Chapel Hill, NC. Tonight, Tunnidge plays Detroit’s Datswotsup! party at Oslo nightclub. Tomorrow, he will touch down in NYC playing Reconstrvct at The Morgan – alongside Joe Nice, TrueNature, Bunzer0 & Mr. Jo, C Dubs. Also catch him at Chapel Hill, North Carolina at Signal Festival on September 29th at Players Nightclub.

23-Sep-2011 Detroit – Datswotsup! (Oslo)
24-Sep-2011 New York – Reconstrvct (The Morgan)
28-Sep-2011 – New York – Dubspot Live Streaming Music Production Workshop
29-Sep-2011 Chapel Hill – Signal Festival (Players Nightclub)

Released last month on the Get Darker imprint, Tunnidge’s latest 12” is “Control” b/w “Decay.” The latter sounds like standing outside of a space ship construction zone as metal gets tirelessly reworked, and the muffled sound of a metal-on-metal saw occasionally rises and falls.

Click here to view the embedded video.

An easy standout release from both the Tunnidge catalog and Deep Medi’s is 2008’s blistering “Geddeon,” which expertly positions a ruff ragga vocal with an ethereal female voice, creating an emotional palette ripe for a heavy drop that bubbles and bounces with a tight, thick bassline.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In other decidedly gothic and relentless productions like “7 Breaths,” a release for Distance’s Chestplate imprint, Tunnidge unleashes a stomach-turning amount of bass weight that will have anyone near a sub, out of breath.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

DJ Spinna maintained a strong output in the underground independent hip hop scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but no doubt had many reasons for his move towards house and electronic dance music. For one, the over-saturation of the hip hop genre resulted in massive amount of mediocre records being created and released in the mainstream and the underground. Early this Summer, ahead of an appearance at Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday dance party and performance event, Dubspot caught up with the genre-defying, prolific producer and crowd-rocking, crate-digging DJ for an interview in which he discussed a wide array of topics from his philosophy on DJing (DJing is a performance and crowd engagement is paramount) and production (every record should have a purpose, channel a feeling, an emotion, and communicate something) to having a unique voice, not conforming to industry standards, particularly in terms of formulaic production standards, embracing different genres, and more. Spinna has produced and remixed records for artists such as Mos Def, De La Soul, Stevie Wonder.

photo by JJ1ONE

Click here to view the embedded video.

DJ Spinna (Vince Williams) is something of an anomaly in music. A humbling example of what it takes to truly succeed within the framework of multiple fields. A steadfast work ethic, an obsessively extensive vinyl library and the willingness to pursue the full extents of his roots (Funk, Soul and Jazz), foundation (Hip-Hop) and future (Electronic/Dance music) with no restraints. A cornerstone of Hip-Hop’s late 90’s indie-uprise, DJ Spinna made much of his first impression on listeners as the musical background of his group The Jigmastas (having released an impressive slew of 12″ singles on his then self-run label Beyond Real during this time) as well as providing the canvas for an array of that era’s lyrical giants. As an emcee in New York City, if you didn’t have a Spinna production under your belt, well, you just hadn’t accomplished all there was to accomplish. Everyone from Mos Def, Talib Kweli to Pharaohe Monch boasted Spinna beats to prove their worth to the scene. At the height of indie-kingpin Rawkus Records heyday, Spinna was in demand, also churning out timeless classics of the era from the likes of J-Live, Mr. Complex and The Polyrhythm Addicts (his all-too-brief collabo-group with Apani B., Shaabam Sadeeq and Complex).

As collaborative production work flooded his studio, from hip-hop legends like Sadat X & Grand Puba (Brand Nubian), Masta Ace and Guru (Gangstar) to even The Jungle Brothers. Yet, while his stock as a the go-to producer rose so did his value as a key, if not crucial, remixer. At the time reworking hits for the major-label likes of De La Soul (“Stakes is High”) Das EFX and MC Eiht.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Turning heads throughout the industry, Spinna’s sonics soon infiltrated numerous genres. Tapped by everyone from Mary J. Blige to Motown Records (for his brilliant Michael Jackson homage to “We’re Almost There”). It’s here his production presence would flourish greatly, as Spinna would go on to revive and revise Soulful marvels like Donald Byrd, Eddie Kendricks, Betty Carter, Roy Ayers and Al Jarreau. Always relevant to the current, Spinna has taken to new mixes for the J Dilla bred Platinum Pied Pipers and Bay Area songstress Goapele as with the well respected Les Nubian.

Though it goes without saying that one of the more memorable mixes goes to his monumental version of Shawn Escoffery’s “Days Like This”. In turn, catapulting Spinna into his now stately, touted presence in the dance music scene. Which made the transition to BBE Records smooth as ever, for his landmark solo production album “Here To There”. It also spawned another record label, Spinna’s own, Wonderwax. A home for his soulful dance classics, the imprint came to fruition in 2003, and has seen memorable releases from contemporaries such as Rich Medina, Lady Alma, Blaze, The Free Radikalz and Selan.

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With so much studio work, it’s a marvel Spinna travels as much as he does. The constant, globe-trotting performances he’s become equally famed for have brought the DJ as far as Iceland, Australia, and South Africa as well as countless jaunts through England, Europe and the U.S. Not to forget, his hugely successful tours of Japan, where Spinna is held in the highest regard throughout the country for his craft in music. Not always the lone crowd-controller, Spinna’s collaborated on stage alongside contemporary luminaries like Gilles Peterson, Jazzanova, Joe Claussell, Bugz In The Attic, Osunlade, Q-Tip, Jazzy Jeff, Kenny Dope, Keb Darge, DJ Scratch (EPMD), DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist. He’s a true showman – versatile as ever.

Yet nothing compares to his celebrated Stevie Wonder inspired WONDER-Full– DJ-performances (aside friend and contributor Bobbito Garcia). Garnering overwhelming fanfare each occasion done – whether NYC, LA, San Francisco, Japan or beyond – if a WONDER-Full– event is booked at a club you can put money on a line around the block and thousands of Stevie Wonder admirers rocking the house. And while he’s gained so much attention and accolade for his tributes to Stevie, Spinna is not incapable of doing the same for any other pivotal forefather. Visit New York City any given month and find a number of Spinna themed throw-downs in the city’s esteemed venues – each as memorable as the last.

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Its true that there are other likeminded DJ/Producers in the world comparable to DJ Spinna, but for the most part, they choose a genre and master it. Ask them to flip another variety with the same intense knowledge and sleek-savvy and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone that’ll do it to Spinna’s extent.

With a brand new album “Sonic Smash” at its completion (set for release High Water Music), Spinna’s venturing back into the Hip Hop stage that saw his inception in the industry, tapping into his perfected take on cosmic boom-bap that is unique and only manipulated by him. Remaining a musician for the ages, Spinna’s true successes happily await in the future. Won’t you come along for the ride?

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Street bass is a sound birthed in Philadelphia but it acts as a sonic homeland for San Francisco’s DNAE Beats. It’s a style that encourages a variety of genres to gather under its broad roof of grimey mid-range bass and hard beats. DNAE’s particular school of thought is one rooted in hip hop but jumps from dubstep to house to disco. It’s often described as ‘blap’ after a series of parties he threw with the same name. His sound is an invasion by weighty neon lazers that stomp on any obstructions in its path towards domination. The former child choir star has worked with of rappers including Gift of Gab from Blackalicious and MF Grimm, and has a particular fondness for grime emcees. DNAE’s preferences are as much at home in the Bay Area as they are in the street bass enclave. For this exclusive mix, he hit Dubspot off with tunes as diverse as the producers on the come up in the region. The music ranges from bleepy beats and 808 music to mutant house and future bass. Enjoy the invasion. - MS

You’ve been interested in making hip hop beats from the start?

I’ve always been interested in different types of music. My passion from the beginning was to produce electronic music – whether that be break beats, hip hop, or grime. Being friends with MCs who needed beats, it just formed that way. However, thinking back to my first beats, there has always been a grimey electronic influence.

How did you link up with Seclusiasis?

A friend of mine gave me Starkey’s Ephemeral Exhibits before going on a lengthy tour. I found myself listening to it the whole trip and when I got home I reached out complementing him on his sound. He hit me back saying he has been following my music for some time and it went from there.

What type of crowds in San Francisco dig the street bass thing?

I think people that enjoy our sound are a mixture of rave kids and hip hop kids. Street bass is a smorgasbord of everything but that’s what’s great about it; it’s genre-less.

Has the Bay Area hip hop scene begun embracing the sounds from the beats scene and bass music?

That’s a good question. Yes and no. There are a lot of people who see the evolution of music but there are close-minded listeners who do not see the potential of what’s going on. I see that personally with my background working with MCs in hip hop then transitioning into bass music.

[P-Money Freestyle over DNAE's "Brasilian Bug Bite" | Photo by Aaron Bennett.]

Do you find a certain thread between most of the rappers that are interested in working with you?

The ones I work with, we click and get into the same zone musically, whereas there are artists when you get in the studio you are in two different zones. It’s important that the respect is equal to make quality music.

You were going to make a grime album with Sound Ink before in shuttered. Do you still have any interest in working with grime emcees?

I love grime. I was super bummed when Sound Ink folded. Such a great label. I really believed in their vision. I’ve always wanted to work with grime MCs, and when I heard P-Money freestyling over “Brazilian Bug Bite” on Rinse FM I was more than ecstatic. There’s something special about the flow of a good grime MC.

What do you look for in a rapper?

Substance, delivery, humbleness, and a strong work ethic. It is hard to find, though I’ve been blessed to cross paths with MCs like Mr. Lif, MF Grimm, Gift of Gab, and many others.

Have you started on the next Gift of Gab album yet?

Not yet, I’m focusing on solo projects and Gab is focusing on the upcoming Blackalicious album. We are planning on doing some shows that’ll be a bit different from before with him freestyling over my street bass riddims and a tour in Brazil this December.

[DNAE Beats - "Let Me Hit That ft. Psalm One & Mistah FAB"]

What is your studio set up?

In the studio, I’m currently enjoying a much more simplistic set up, running Abelton with the MPC 2500, Korg MS 2000, Moog Voyager, Dave Smith Instruments Mopho, a circuit bent Casio 23OS, Moogerfooger Murf, MPK 49, MPD 32, and Dyn Audio Acoustic monitors. With my live setup, I started with three MPC 2500s, an MPC 500, and a Kaoss pad, but I can’t afford a roadie so I’ve simplified to an MPD 32 with Abelton and a laptop. I plan to incorporate more outboard gear into upcoming tours but for one off shows it’s too difficult to fly with all that stuff.

What goes on during one of your performances?

My solo set is usually 30 minutes to an hour of all tunes I produced blended together with dubbed out delays and various vocal samples. With a rapper it is definitely planned out with a similar set up but different queue points for the MC to freestyle and for us to improvise.

How has the Low End Theory party changed with its continuing growth in popularity?

I’m not a resident but I am definitely extended family. I have known Daddy Kev since the days we were both producing for Existereo of The Shapeshifters. It’s dope to see the evolution of the party. It started out with 40 hip hoppers and junglists morphing into a line going around the block with Thom Yorke, Photek, and Eric Badu playing. It’s an honor to be a part of Low End Theory LA and SF for all these years.

You were going to start a label focusing on local talent. How’s that coming?

It is on the back burner for the next few months while I focus on the solo stuff but I’m excited to be releasing music from local hidden talent. There are so many bedroom producers in the Bay Area that need to be heard. Low Limit, Salva, Benito, Slotr, Hxdb, Quitter and Ground Control are all producing great innovative tunes.

DNAE Beats Dubspot Podcast.
-Intro
-Stagga “We The Generals” (DNAE’s Keep It Grim Remix) [Forthcoming on Slit Jockey]
-DNAEBEATS – “Red Curry Popsicle” [Forthcoming on Seclusiasis]
-Pacheko “Everyday” (DNAEBEATS Remix) [Unreleased]
-DNAEBEATS – “Death Comes Young” [Unreleased]
-DNAEBEATS – “Never Know” [Unreleased]
-DNAEBEATS – “Honey Dipped” [Unreleased]
-Obsidian “Shine” fx: MelissFX (DNAE’s Holding Me Down Remix) [Hot N Heavy]
-DNAEBEATS – “Atacama Sandstorm” [Unreleased]
-DNAEBEATS – “Let Me Hit That” ft: Mistah Fab & Psalm One [Seclusiasis]