When Pinch released his full album with Shackleton last year, it not only felt really exceptional because it was released very suddenly, without any immediate notice. His label Tectonic is a refuge for some of the most innovative bass music releases, which the recent albums of Author, Pursuit Groove or the recent Distal shows. One of those producers, who have never given up the constant pursuit of creative progress, is Rob Ellis aka Pinch. An interesting remedy is coming from artists for whom dubstep is rather a philosophy than a style. The other extreme is the mainstream -step of people like Skrillex, in which reticent silence is replaced by the loudness of war and relaxed vibes are confused with gorilla posturing.
In this context, dubstep is also a rejection of the sensory overload of everyday life.Īlthough the sombre half step sound from the likes of Youngsta is still an unique listening experience, there is little musical innovation.
This music still provides a space, where the visual is secondary and the immersion in sound gets a new relevance. When I began to visit the FWD > club night at Plastic People on a regular basis in 2011, I was immediately intrigued by the fact how little the traditional dubstep sound has lost its fascination.
