Guys, tell me about dubstep.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I've been really into Burial's album "Untrue" for about a year, and I've heard you guys who like that album on here talking about stuff that is similar. However, I've done a bad job of absorbing the references, and at this point am really not sure where I should go from here. But I definitely want more dubstep and similar-sounding records in my life. I really like how that Burial album has a sort of dark, "under the dancefloor in the sewers" feel to it, so stuff like that would be preferable. If such things even exist. Help me out here, I really don't understand this style of music much at all.

[Ignatius]

This shatters my worldview. It's stupid to think there are areas of music that interest you where you don't already have encyclopedic knowledge. I've just never thought about it before. Of course, I know nothing about dubstep. Good luck!

[Andrew_TSKS]

Yeah, I don't know much about techno/electronic music that's not by The Orb, Aphex Twin or Squarepusher. I also don't know much of anything about classical music, though I do like "The Rite Of Spring" and "1812 Overture."

Most of the rest of it, I know at least a little bit about, though, so your perception is not entirely wrong.

[Nick Ink]

I'm not much better off than you, and I have never found anything to quite match Burial. But just from the little I know, here are a few names to consider anyway.

2562 - Aerial
Not quite as unique or affecting as Untrue, but lots of wobbly, sliding, rumbling bass to be enjoyed at high volumes.

Skull Disco - Soundboy Punishments
A great, big, dirty double album. The politics are a bit less personal and a bit more sloganeering (titles include Hamas Rule and Blood On My Hands), but the sounds are quite adventurous. Dark and cavernous.

Headhunter - Nomad
I like this album a lot. It has some quite pretty sounds around the edges, but at the centre is a similar, nervous, inner-city skittishness to a lot of Burial tracks.

Pinch - Underwater Dancehall
This is a huge double album, with one disc full of guest vocalists and one instrumental. I used to prefer the latter but have gradually come more around to the former.

Shed - Shedding The Past
I've recently discovered this gem from last year. it might not be quite what you're after, as it sits somewhere between dubstep and techno, but it's very detailed and absorbing.

Various Production - World Is Gone
This one is a bit different. Some of their tracks are incredibly addictive and really amongst the best dubstep I've heard, but then a quarter of the album is sensitive girl-in-the-flowers folk. They've done other albums since this one, but this is still my favourite.

[ellaguru]

I liked the Various Production, and also The Bug's London Zoo. I think both of those have more energy than Untrue (in the sense that Burial is better for the sludge), but they are still pretty good. I was wanting to try Underwater Dancehall, it sounded interesting when Pitchfork or whoever wrote it up, but then I forgot.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Hmm. Warren Ellis got me into Burial, and I'm betting he likes that Bug album too, considering that an area of his Whitechapel forums is called London Zoo. That is enough to pique my interest right there.

Thanks guys, I'll look into all of that stuff soon.

[Almanzo]

Everyone likes Kode 9 and Space Ape.

To me, dubstep is just less gay 2-step with those fashionable wobbly basslines.

The Bug is much more neo-ragga or something like that - I'm not sure what label the kids are calling that whole new ragga stuff.

[Almanzo]

p.s., I really liked 2-step, which was just the second coming of new jack swing. It had the skittery factor of dnb but the cheeseball factor of house, and a lot of hooks.

[Andrew_TSKS]

See, what you have to understand is that I have no idea what you're talking about except that you're bringing up New Jack Swing, and dude, Burial sounds NOTHING like Bell Biv Devoe.

[Thermofusion]

I really miss new jack swing

[Antero]

See, what you have to understand is that I have no idea what you're talking about except that you're bringing up New Jack Swing, and dude, Burial sounds NOTHING like Bell Biv Devoe.

I smell a mash-up.

Strangely, I'd never heard "Poison" until I started going to clubs in Chicago, where it's invariably played at least once a night in any given venue.

[Andrew_TSKS]

That song fucking rules dude, you were missing out. As I suppose you now know.

And I mean, I certainly didn't intend to imply anything else by saying that Burial sounds nothing like BBD, it's just that I really don't hear any commonality between them at all.

[Thermofusion]

I don't wanna derail your thread, Andrew, but I also kinda wanna talk about how awesome the New Jack City soundtrack continues to be after all these years

Antero if they're playing "Poison" every night in every club in Chicago, ya'll got some def-ass clubs. Nice.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Derail away, I've gotten some good suggestions already.

And you're right, that soundtrack is indeed awesome. Ice-T's "New Jack Hustler" is the SHIT.

[Thermofusion]

Dude, YES. New Jack Hustler = one of my all time favorite rap beats. Song is still hard as hell

[diesel_powered]

See, what you have to understand is that I have no idea what you're talking about except that you're bringing up New Jack Swing, and dude, Burial sounds NOTHING like Bell Biv Devoe.

I smell a mash-up.

Strangely, I'd never heard "Poison" until I started going to clubs in Chicago, where it's invariably played at least once a night in any given venue.

There definitely was a bunch of speed garage versions of "Poison" back in the day.

Andrew- Check out the Breezeblock on the BBC 1. Mary Anne Hobbes spins quite a bit of dubstep along with a lot of other electronic music you'd probably like.

[Almanzo]

Hey, TSKS, here's what I mean:

This was classic mid-nineties drum-n-bass - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYA4DoZOiD8&feature=related

It eventually started to sound more and more like this, to the point where nobody could/wanted to dance to it anymore by the end of the decade - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi223aue1tY

When dudes realized that the ladies weren't dancing to dnb anymore because it had gotten so ridiculous, a new sub-genre of drum-n-bass came around where they slowed it back down and made it poppy and borrowed diva vocals and stuff from house music. It was called 2-step:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owKkSxGT8Ng and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBKcEcavIfg

Which I really liked because it sounded a lot like the new jack swing that I grew up on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYndcYFUMxY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdF2zqs1bxQ

That was right about the time I stopped listening to dance music and participating in its culture, but I've been under the impression that 2-step got more and more bass-heavy, dark, and hookless until it became dubstep. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdWlzTfXgl4

Hope this clears up what I was saying!

[diesel_powered]

Wow. That's a pretty excellent short history of about the past 15 years of drum & bass.

[Antero]

That song fucking rules dude, you were missing out. As I suppose you now know.

Oh hells yeah.

Brap, brap babrap, brap babrap babrap brap

Never trust a big butt and a smile.

[Killdozersnakeboy]

Not much to add here other than to second the Skull Disco suggestion. Also look around for some of the free mixes on the web. Rinse FM mixes are usually damn good with a mixture of old classics like So Solid Crew right up to some 16 year old’s dub-plate pressed 10 minutes before the show. Also - stay away from American dub-step as it is often too awful for words.

[diesel_powered]

Wait... There's American dubstep? I always thought that with a few exceptions, America lacked the Jamaican influence required for worthwhile drum & bass.

[alistarr*]

Pinch - Underwater Dancehall
This is a huge double album, with one disc full of guest vocalists and one instrumental. I used to prefer the latter but have gradually come more around to the former.

Various Production - World Is Gone
This one is a bit different. Some of their tracks are incredibly addictive and really amongst the best dubstep I've heard, but then a quarter of the album is sensitive girl-in-the-flowers folk. They've done other albums since this one, but this is still my favourite.

i'll second these two recommendations, andrew, particularly the instrumental disc of underwater dancehall. i'll also make a note of everything else on the list for next time i'm looking to bump my boomkat basket up to £50.

[graham]

See, what you have to understand is that I have no idea what you're talking about except that you're bringing up New Jack Swing, and dude, Burial sounds NOTHING like Bell Biv Devoe.

It's funny you should mention that.  Last time Chris Terry was in town he described "Untrue" as sounding like early 90s dance music played through a wall.

But if you want, I can make you a mix of stuff.  It might take me a bit because I'll be out of town until Sunday, but remind me.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I will definitely at least make an effort to mention that to you again, because I would love a mix.

And yes, some sort of dance music played through a wall is definitely how Burial sounds. I think that "through a wall" quality is my favorite part of it.

[Nick Ink]

Okay - I've been off work sick today, so I thought I'd do this - a mix of dubstep-related stuff that I like, for Andrew and, of course, anyone else who would like it:

Part 1
http://drop.io/nickink/asset/dubstep-mix-1-rar
Part 2
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mz3mwkkwz13

Tracks:

01 - Kode9 & The Space Ape - Glass
02 - Various Production - Hater
03 - Burial - Distant Lights
04 - 2562 - Redux
05 - Pinch - Lazarus 
06 - Headhunter - Grounded
07 - Zomby - Test Me For A Reason
08 - Kode9 & The Spaceape - Sine
10 - Pinch - One Blood, One Source (Instrumental)
11 - Scuba - Hard Boiled
12 - 2562 - Techno Dread
13 - Various Production - Thunnk
14 - Headhunter - Baseflow
15 - Shackleton - I Am Animal
16 - Pinch - Battered (Instrumental I)
17 - Starkey - Miracles (Original Mix)