Headhunter and Pinch are our very special guests this week when our City Focus homes in on the UK's secret dubstep capital: Bristol.
The British harbour city has been a stronghold of alternative music since the 1970s. From bands combining punk, funk, dub and political consciousness, such as Mark Stewart's The Pop Group, the Bristol trip-hop sound of Tricky and Massive Attack, to drum'n bass artists like Roni Size and DJ Krush. For the past few years however it has been Bristol's vibrant dubstep scene that had become the focus of media attention. Influenced by the city's fabled Jamaican dub and sound system cultures artists like Pinch, Peverelist, and Smith & Mighty's Rob Smith (a.k.a. RSD) were among the first to create their own variants of London's emerging dubstep style. By the middle of the decade a large number of independent labels had sprouted up, showcasing the talent of local producers: Pinch's Tectonic imprint, Peverelist's Punch Drunk, as well as Earwax, Immerse, and Apple Pips, each representing a distinct take on the new sound. Several Bristolian artists rose to stardom on the back of their unique production style: Young über-talent Joker for instance, whose p-funk inspired synth riffs led the way for a new wave of pop-inspired, 'neon-coloured' dubstep, or Appleblim, who pioneered the incorporation of techno elements into dubstep via his and Shackleton's Skull Disco imprint. |
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 photo: Sarunas Mikalauskas / flickr Our two guests this week are two of the most prominent representatives of Bristol's booming dubstep scene: Rob Ellis a.k.a. Pinch is regarded by many as 'Bristol's Godfather of dubstep', having introduced the sound to the city's clubs as early as 2004 with his Context and Subloaded nights. Pinch's debut album 'Underwater Dancehall' from 2007 is commonly regarded as a milestone in the development of dubstep music, and his own Tectonic label has become one of the most highly regarded and prolific dubstep imprints on the British Isles, releasing music from artists like 2562, Skream, Loefah, and Martyn. Most recently Tectonic has been paying homage to dubstep's Jamaican roots with its 'Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space' project, a collection of dubstep tracks remixed by legendary Jamaican dub producer Scientist. Tony Williams a.k.a. Headhunter has been putting his name on the dubstep map with similar proficiency. His deep and complex production style landed him a deal with London's iconic dubstep label Tempa, which released his acclaimed debut full-length 'Nomad' in 2008. A close connection to Berlin's Modeselektor led to an exchange of remixes, with Headhunter remixing Moderat's 'A New Error' for 50 Weapons and Modeselektor contributing a version of his 'Prototype' to Tempa, which was backed by 'Sex At The Prom', probably Headhunter's biggest hit to date. Lately Headhunter has been experimenting with influences ranging from techno and electro to Chicago footworks sounds, taking on the name Addison Groove for his single 'Footcrab', one of the most talked about tracks of 2010.
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Headhunter, Tempa, Peverelist, Punch Drunk Records, Tectonic, Moderat, Guido, Apple Pips, Appleblim, Joker, Bristol, Kapsize, RSD, Idle Hands, Smith & Mighty, Emika, Hyetal, Paul St. Hilaire, Pinch, Aus Music, Ginz, Komonazmuk, Sideshow, Kowton, Orphan101, 50 Weapons, House, 2 Step & Grime, Drum & Bass, Dubstep
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