I was waiting this one for quite a while. Their previous album, “Dude Descending a Staircase” was released in 2003, nine f*cking years is over an eternity in music industry nowadays. Kids of today probably have not even the memories of “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Dub” as probably they don’t have a clue who the fuck is Eddie Van Halen! Still and unsurprisingly, Apollo 440 (alternately known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) came back with a powerful and fresh album, the trendy dubstep frequency oscilation and bass wobblings are incorporated into their noisy electronics and rocking construction, and definitively they delivered – once again – a mandatory killer album. Read more Apollo 440 – The Future’s What It Used to Be (2012)
dubstep
Red- _ -box – Think Out Of The Box (2012)
Free download, contorted dubstep, worth to give it a try. So, go and grab it – from the Sostanze Records web page.
We’ve got 6 tracks, an excellent mixture of noisy electronics and subtle experimental sounds, a monstrous clash between the raging and wobbling dubstep basses and the more gentle, smoothly layered progressive trance taste like passages and soundscapes.
This is electronic music, but it’s absolutely brutal and have a quite destructive rock vibe. “Deathmatch” definitively may pull your head off. And it’s not the only explosive moment, “If I Die Growl Growl Growl” will blow up your speakers instantly. This may not be rock, but it’s definitively rocking pretty hard. Read more Red- _ -box – Think Out Of The Box (2012)
Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour (2012)
The merging of metalcore and dubstep was kind of predictable and unavoidable evolution of the scene. Low frequency oscillations, the wobble bass and some crushing riffs and screaming vocals make a quite destructive pair and definitively fits the taste of the new generation. But there’s at least one question left. Those kids who are willing to set the city on fire only to steal a pair of sneakers and eventually a flat screen TV, are gonna pay for all that music the industry kindly delivering, or they gonna download – steal – it? And honestly, most of this music deserves nothing than to be downloaded.
Although I have my (musical) roots back in hardcore, but I also appreciate the quality dubstep too, so, I think this musical collision could bring to the surface quite exciting results, I still did not heard some outstanding results. America had his best shot by Korn, but not even the almighty Skrillex and a whole army of appreciated nowadays producers could save the lack of inspiration from “The Path Of Totality” and hide it under the massive sound. So, let’s see what the Brits managed to delivered on their third album… Read more Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour (2012)
Skrillex – Bangarang (2011)
Dubstep became mandatory, it’s sold as the new revolution and definitively it’s the rising trend for 2012. Originated in south London, England, back at the end of the 90s, Dubstep get far and from an alternative street music became institution in America. This is embezzlement, it happened to Rock And Roll, to Punk and to Grunge, this is the so-called evolution, the way of art from creativity to mainstream and from self-expression to industry. Art might become a product, but rarely a product contains artistic values. Although I like those wobbling basses and ass kicking hits or contorted twists, Dubstep get patternized, becomes predictable and kind of meaningless, emptied of itself.
This “Bangarang” EP’s highlight is probably the collaboration between keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger, the surviving members of the legendary rock band of the 60s and 70s, The Doors and Sonny John Moore aka Skrillex, ex-rocker, nowadays famous and appreciated electronic dance music producer. They get together for the Re:Generation Music Project, and the result is the song called “Breakn’ A Sweat” and the movie comes out February 2012.
I wonder, there’s still any fire left to light? Read more Skrillex – Bangarang (2011)
4Star – Daylight (2011)
If you’re looking for some biting hip hop mixed up with cutting edge industrial, this is it, no use to looking further. Obviously the first thing coming on my mind is Saul Williams’ 2007 album “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!”, and actually there’s a quite impressive vibe of Nine Inch Nails behind these songs, but still, 4Star sounds different, more aggressive, more intense, eventually raw in its very positive – street – sense. “Daylight” probably is not a radio-friendly product, not something build upon the public and mainstream taste, still, it sounds simple and massive simultaneously, blow your head off.
I saw a video on YouTube (Face Change) and it was bloody murderous. I put 4Star on search at Google and I got myself a serious list of 4 star Hotels from the whole world. Gee! Read more 4Star – Daylight (2011)
Archnemesis – Peoples Radio (2011)
Their debut full length album “Peoples Radio” is available now for free download at their official website, just like their debut EP, “Diamonds And Glass”. Cookies for Christmas! Anyway, this is a quite fan (and user) friendly approach.
Formed by Justin Aubuchon and Curt Heiny, Archnemesis prefers to defined themselves by the self-coined term “Intelligent Electro-Crunk”. Merging funky licks with acid layers, digging back to the earliest jazz and blues samples and mash them up with modern hip hop and soul samples, contorted dubsteb wobbles and to all this boiling cocktail adding their own sound and creating something brand new and fresh, Archnemesis definitively know to set a club on fire with their glowing grooves. Dancing becomes a nasty business, isn’t it? So, let’s get dirty! 🙂 Read more Archnemesis – Peoples Radio (2011)
Korn – The Path Of Totality (2011)
They previous venture – and first album delivered to Roadrunner Records – issued friendly, achieved unsatisfactory results. Korn became a brand and it seems they get lost rediscovering their past by recycling it more or less inspired. After selling 63,000 copies during its first week in the US, and landing at number two on the Billboard 200, “Korn III: Remember Who You Are” has sold over all only 170,000 units in the US.
Guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer declared that they’re “definitely moving forward” and mentioned something about a song which reminds him Soundgarden. Than Jonathan Davis released a 14-second sample on SoundCloud in late March, of a new song entitled “Get Up!”, featuring dubstep/electro house artist Skrillex. Dubfuckingwhat?! 😀 Gee! Good that I had wrote about dubstep just a few days back. Still, if you want some quality dubstep, dig out the Brit Subsource – they are just murderous!
But honestly and seriously I doubt it that rockers/metalers will appreciate the latest trend riding from Korn. Read more Korn – The Path Of Totality (2011)
Kill The Noise – Kill Kill Kill (2011)
Dubstep originated in south London, England, back in 1998 and the earliest releases were darker, more experimental, instrumental dub remixes of 2-step garage tracks attempting to incorporate the funky elements of breakbeat, or the dark elements of drum and bass while the term “dubstep” in reference to a genre of music began to be used by around 2002.
A very early supporter of the sound was BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who started playing it from 2003 onwards. Throughout 2003, DJ Hatcha pioneered a new direction for dubstep on Rinse FM and through his sets at Forward>>. Playing sets cut to 10″ one-off reggae-style dubplates, he drew exclusively from a pool of new South London producers—first Benga and Skream, then also Digital Mystikz and Loefah—to begin a dark, clipped and minimal new direction in dubstep.
Dubstep started to spread beyond small local scenes in late 2005 and early 2006. In the summer of 2005, Forward>> brought grime DJs to the fore of the line up. Building on the success of Skream’s grimey anthem “Midnight Request Line,” the hype around the DMZ night and support from online forums and the almighty media, the scene gained prominence after former Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs gathered top figures from the scene for one show, entitled “Dubstep Warz”, later releasing the compilation album Warrior Dubz. The show created a new global audience for the scene, after years of exclusively UK underground buzz. Read more Kill The Noise – Kill Kill Kill (2011)
Scooter – The Big Mash Up (2011)
Kind of unbelievable, but this is the fifteenth studio album from this German hard dance band. From their early “happy hardcore” up to dubstep, Scooter have experimented with several dance genres and sub-genres such as hardstyle and jumpstyle, and moving between hip hop and hard rock, shifting from trance to house smoothly. Ans “The Big Mash Up” is about mashing up all these styles and genres, twisted out the classic euro-disco into dubstep and blend happy hardcore with hard dance into one. The Scooter’s trademark sound combining simple and catchy melodies with fast tempos are all over the new album and most of their melodies eventually sounds familiar. This is quite a mash up. But probably… winning is everything. Read more Scooter – The Big Mash Up (2011)
Asking Alexandria – Stepped Up And Scratched – Remix Album (2011)
After the April’s release of their second full-length album “Reckless And Relentless” , “Stepped Up And Scratched” is the remix version of their debut album from 2009, “Stand Up and Scream”. It’s pretty strange, or at least unexpected, while on their second album they turned to a much heavier side of their music, this remix album step back to the much electronic, “dubstep feel” content. So, they still trying to “Ride Two Horses at Once”, and definitively they will piss off one or other of their fans because metal fans will not digest this dance-club oriented mixes easily as the club music consumers are not huge fans of noisy guitars and deadly growls. If sexually it may be acceptable or at least tolerated to be bisexual, in the music business it’s pretty hard to take it both way simultaneously and keep on smiling just like nothing happened. The facts are facts: metal-heads always been extremely conservatives. Read more Asking Alexandria – Stepped Up And Scratched – Remix Album (2011)
