From all I have read on the web and in glossy magazines, few are able to decipher a complicated music subject and share it with the masses better than Martin Clark. Clark writes “The Month In:…” features for pitchf*#k, and I need to find out where else he gets published because I learn so much from each of his installments. I’ve mentioned his column before, usually in reference to grime, but I’ve never really drawn attention to the man and his writing abilities. I just wanted to point this out to you because I know some of you love to read and write about music yourselves. That, plus Clark’s gone and done it again - he’s written a fantastic article about what’s happening right now in dubstep and grime, how the music is beginning to draw from its rich cultural history, and how this will bode for the future. He weaves short stories together about the different musicians making moves right now, with commentary on the fresh and upcoming albums. He describes the hardships of urban youth in the UK and ties it into the music’s lineage, rooted in the UK Jamaican diaspora.

If You Like Grime Or Dubstep, Or Even If You Don’t…

In other words, if you like Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, Kode 9 or any of the other dubstep/grime artists that we have been discussing on HearingTest this year, or if you like the deep rolling basslines of sludgey downtempo electronica or Drum and Bass, YOU Should READ THIS Feature!

If you like dub or dancehall, or if you just appreciate a wide knowledge of musical roots and global music culture, YOU Should ALSO Read This Article! If you stumble on people or concepts that you’ve never heard of, just check wikipedia. Most of this obscure stuff is well documented in wiki.

And if you don’t know what dubstep and grime sound like, check out the my$pace pages for these artists, or listen to samples of their music on Boomkat or Bleep:

Grime:

Wiley
Dizzy Rascal
Roll Deep

Dubstep:

Kode 9
Skream
The Bug - does dubstep, but also jungle and breakcore, so who knows which you will hear until you hear it….
Benga
Plastician

You can also find a lot of grime, dubstep and other experimental electronica on the Mary Anne Hobbs radio show on BBC, as well as RinseFM radio.

Grime and Dubstep Links

This Month In: Grime/Dubstep by Martin Clark
Bleep
Boomkat
Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC
RinseFM radio

Pages about Benga ~ Dizzee Rascal ~ dubstep ~ grime ~ Kode 9 ~ music history ~ Plastician ~ Skream ~ Wiley