Dubstep Dossier: Deadboy

Meet Deadboy, another Londonite successfully mining the sonic territory between dubstep and UK funky. Over just two EPs, Deadboy is forging ahead with a sound that joins the lush soundscapes of Joker and the pulsing grooves of Geeneus.

Deadboy's U Cheated EP relies on insistent percussion, warm waves of synth, and vocal house loops. The tracks are infectious and bass heavy - big slabs of dark disco. The broken two-step rhythms of the crunkish "Brock Lee Riddim" and the catchy vocals of the title track come together on "If U Want Me," a single released last month.



His recently released Cash Antics Vol. 1 continues to push the genre forward, taking mainstream R&B songs and turning them into purple people eaters. Deadboy applies different treatments to two tracks by R&B chanteuse Cassie. "Official Girl" becomes "Unofficial Girl," leaving the vocals intact but injecting a funky rhythm and sweet and sour synthesizers into the mix. On "Long Way 2 Go," Deadboy pitchshifts the vocals, drops the tempo, and sprinkles wobble all over the chorus. Different approaches, similarly enticing results.

The highlight of the EP, however, is Deadboy's take on Ashanti's "Way That I Love You" which becomes a true dubstep ballad. The original's descending piano lines are replaced with shimmering chiptune synths, and once again, the vocals are altered to give the song more warmth. The result is moving, melancholy, and powerful. (Forgive the lame graphics on the clip, but don't miss this track!)

The Verge: Ebony Bones

Welcome to The Verge: a column dedicated to music on the edge of a breakthrough. After profiling an artist determined to show her ass, TGRI's Audio Anglophile goes back across the pond for some dance punk.


Santigold's eponymous debut was the sound of 2008, a way forward for Afro-punk artists and a heavily remixed palette for underground DJs. But nearly halfway through 2010, we're without even hints at a follow-up. Who will pick up the torch and run with it?

My money is on Ebony Bones, a twentysomething British singer-songwriter who released Bone of My Bones on UK label Sunday Best last year (Ms. Bones has yet to sign with a US distributor).

Ebony Bones takes the pop-focused songcraft of Santigold and mixes in dance punk melodies with rhythms that range from dubstep to tribal. The result is a contagious, energetic sound that is dark and mysterious.

Songs like "W.A.R.R.I.O.R." and "We Know All About U" clap and stomp along, all the while adding layers of synth stabs and booming percussion. The same can be said of "Don't Fart on My Heart," a rumbling song whose tone is juxtaposed against its flippant chorus and title.

Lead single "The Muzik" is a a Rapture-esque romp that finds Ms. Bones belting out "all we have is each other / and the muzik / to keep us warm" over a disco beat. The way she spits out "why don't you take off your socks when you give it to me?" is a snarling ode to the B-52s, and the video is a very-Millenial collaborative effort with her worldwide fan base.

Her contemporary influences are evident, but the record feels more organic than a straight-pastiche of Santigold, M.I.A., and Karen O. A notable exception is "Guess We'll Always Have NY," a mid-tempo ballad that cribs the drums and feel of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Gold Lion."

While she has yet to breakthrough stateside, her Gaga-friendly, performance art stylings will no doubt set her apart from a slew of peers. Her style is all neon dance party, and she should fit right in when she performs at DC9's popular Liberation Dance Party on June 4th. That's right - you'll be able to catch two Verge artists in just over a week.

The Notorious XX

The mash-up is dead. Long live the mash-up.

Most mash-ups face the same problem that Homer Simpson's barbershop quartet faced: something that is witty at first, but is less interesting each time you hear it. Case in point: "Jay-Z and Radiohead, what a brilliant idea!" For a mash-up to be relevant, there needs to be a synergizing quality about the musicians - not just a quirky, ironic pairing of dissimilar artists.

San Francisco DJ Wait What's "Notorious XX" mixtape reveals a pairing that benefits both Biggie Smalls and indie darlings the XX. Biggie's laidback flow is a perfect complement to the chill, R&B-infused instrumentals provided by London three-piece. The vocal hooks by dual XX singers Romy Croft and Oliver Sim even work in the same context for Biggie's songs, giving a fresh sound to well-worn classics.

Some tracks work better than others: "Juicy-r" and "Basic hypnosis" are natural fits. However, songs that feature other Bad Boy stars don't fare as well: neither Puffy or Ma$e have a cadence or style that match the beats. And I wished that "Suicidal Fantasy" worked better, because the same brooding tone dominates both the lyrics and music. Still, there are enough winning combinations over the 11 tracks to make this a worthwhile listen.

Dubstep Dossier: Starkey

This year, Valentine's Day meant more than just flowers, chocolates and ham-fisted attempts at romance. It also marked the release of Luvstep, a long-awaited mixtape by Dirty South Joe and Flufftronix on the Mad Decent Radio podcast. The Luvstep mix codified a developing trend in dubstep and bass sounds, away from the metallic and industrial and towards the melodic and orchestral. Introducing the mix was Philadelphia's Starkey, a DJ/producer whose sonic output fully fits within the luvstep realm, even if he opts for the grimier “street bass” descriptor.

Starkey's debut full-length, Ear Drums and Black Holes, released last month on Planet Mu, is a monument to how far dubstep has come. Throughout its 15 songs, Starkey pays tribute to two-step, garage, grime, and all the musical seeds that have cross-pollinated to form dubstep in 2010.

On opening track “OK Luv,” waves of shimmering synths and chiptune effects build over a stuttering shuffle, a pattern that repeats on tracks like “11th Hour” and "Four Dimension." “Stars,” the first single from Ear Drums, puts the warbling synths and vocals by Anneka in the front of the mix for a chilled-out feel. Starkey does get grimey, too, opting for pnuematic, grinding bass and epic, siren-like instrumentation on tracks like “Spacecraft.”

Rappers Cerebral Vortex and P-Money turn the clock back to the grime glory days, reminding rappers, both underground and mainstream, that these gurgling instrumentals are the perfect complement to rhymes, once you master the two-step rhythms. Starkey proved this on his remix of Gorilla Zoe's "Lost" for the ATL RMX album.

With dubstep producers like Rusko and Skream bringing back the rave, the scene needs a producer to advocate for luvstep. If Ear Drums and Black Holes is any indication, Starkey is more than capable. And remember, don't fear the wobble.

The Verge: Dominique Young Unique

Welcome to The Verge: a column dedicated to music on the edge of a breakthrough. Last week, I wrote about Brooklyn-based blog favorites Sleigh Bells. How about something a little dirtier?

Meet Dominique Young Unique, a 19-year old party rapper out of Tampa - or T-Town as she lovingly refers to it. Dominique is the protege of Yo Majesty producer David Alexander, who has signed her to his label and given her the type of bouncy bass tracks that he made for Jwl B and Shunda K. Check out the video for her standout track "Show My Ass," which goes from club-influenced claps to some 808 electro grime.

She might not have Nicki Minaj's skills on the mic, but she doesn't have her idol's stylized flow, either, instead spitting frenetic, high-energy rhymes guaranteed to get a party started. With Rye Rye missing in action, there is a void in the business for a barely legal spark plug. Dominique Young Unique just may be the "Hot Girl" we need.



Look for Dominique Young Unique's Blaster EP this month on Art Jam, and catch her at the Feedback Dance Party at DC9 on June 12th.

Dear M.I.A: Knock it off.

Ed. note: This was written before the whole NY Times controversy!


Less than a decade on the scene, and two months before her eagerly awaited third album, M.I.A. is in a class alone. Maya Arulpragasam is a singular artistic force, pushing against musical boundaries and political sensitivities with equal aplomb. She is followed by a public that yearns to extract meaning from her every note, word, or Tweet.

So why the fuck is she attacking Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber?

Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a plea to leave Gaga and Bieber alone. As much as I enjoy the music that the two put out, it's just pop. Neither is re-inventing the wheel; they're following in the footsteps of pop stars before them. And that's okay! Pop music can be iconic, especially with charismatic, interesting stars like these two. But it isn't high art. Lyrically, Bieber uses the word "baby" 9 times in the chorus of his number one hit. Gaga sings about disco sticks and fame monsters. Musically, they put out well-crafted, hook-filled R&B and dance music, respectively. Nothing groundbreaking.

M.I.A. is different. Her music is a true melting pot of influences and genres, her lyrics bombastic poetry. She is definitely not a pop star, but has had no trouble getting press, be it critical fawning or political commentary. Her personal connection to and pointed views on the Sri Lankan Civil War, discussed with greater depth elsewhere, are a defining part of her public image. Her dedication to Third World issues and subjugated peoples worldwide is admirable; she definitely isn't some Bono-come-lately. Her politics are personal; she has as much at stake as the political musicians of the 60s and 70s. So what happened?

A turning point here is the infamous video for "Born Free," a bit of cinematic ultraviolence that depicts genocide in very graphic terms. With classic shock rock tactics, M.I.A. made a video "so violent" and "so controversial" that it was banned from YouTube... promptly buying her another few news cycles, all about a clip that is not particularly novel or creative. The video for "Born Free" manages to combine the worst parts of collegiate political discussion and overwrought film school productions. It'd be less smug if Michael Moore directed it.

M.I.A.'s release of the "Born Free" video is part is of the same cynical media strategy that includes running to NME every month to shit on pop stars. It's not as if her album would have gone unnoticed, lost in Trending Topics to Justin Bieber's haircut. It's below her, and we should expect more from someone like M.I.A. She's too important to music, culture, and art in 2010 to punch down like this.

Dubstep Dossier: Deathface

Bloghaus duo Guns 'n' Bombs broke up last summer, jumping off the electro bandwagon right before it careened into the next wave of EDM. Their last release, the funky dubstepper "Samba Death Squad," hinted at the dark things to come for one of its members, both sonically and thematically.

Johnny "Love" dal Santo now goes by the name Deathface. The recent Trouble & Bass signee grinds out heavy, death metal-influenced bass, tracks that are perfect for a dubstep mosh pit. Imagine Salem but sped up for the dancefloor; demonic industrial that would make Al Jourgensen proud. Check out his grimly-titled "The Blood Has Gone Black" mixtape. It's a balanced mix of originals with killer remixes, like his throbbing take on "Cumbia" by the Mexican Institute of Sound.

Deathface's debut EP, The Horror, was released on Tuesday, and it proves that Goth kids don't just have to look menacing outside Hot Topic - they can get in on some hands-in-the-air raving, too. Demonic shrieks and semi-automatic drum fills complement the familiar breakbeats and wobble of dubstep. When Satan wants to party, he listens to Deathface.

Deathface is on his American Gothic Tour and stops by the Temple of Boom tonight as part of the Trouble & Bass DC takeover. As if a bill with the T&B crew, AC Slater, and Mad Decent's Mumdance wasn't enough.

The Verge: Sleigh Bells

Welcome to The Verge: a column dedicated to music on the edge of a breakthrough. Lookbook isn't the only pop duo on the verge. Here's an upcoming band proselytizing music fans everywhere with the power of noise.


A teenybopper popstar and a screamo guitarist walk into a bar... Haven't heard that one? It's not a joke - it's the impetus of the noise pop duo Sleigh Bells. Released yesterday, their debut album Treats is one of the most promising indie rock debuts since the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Fever to Tell. Since bursting onto the scene at CMJ 2009, Sleigh Bells has continued to ride a wave of hype, from SXSW to a spot opening for Major Lazer and Rusko.

Sleigh Bells is loud, pushing drums, guitars, and synthesizers way past the point of decency into deep red territory. Unlike the Loudness Wars, where mastering engineers simply amped up levels in an endless pissing contest, Sleigh Bells play at 11 for effect. The clipping and distortion on the record juxtaposes with the clean vocal melodies of Alexis Krauss. For the most part, the drums are simple boom bap rhythms, so the extra flavor and color of nice warm distortion is a feature, not a bug.

Derek Miller, the man behind the music, understands noise - he once was the guitarist for seminal post-hardcore band Poison the Well. Sonically abrasive music is his forte. Still, there are pop songs buried inside the aggressive audio assault. The brutal, industrial drums of album opener "Tell 'Em" may obscure the arena-sized riff or saccharine vocals, but the hooks eventually prevail.

Krauss' vocals occasionally resemble those of label boss M.I.A; Treats is being released in a partnership between Maya's N.E.E.T Recordings and Mom & Pop Records. The rhythmic chanting of "Kids" and "A/B Machines" are right off "Bingo" and "XR2," respectively. Her vocals are even sampled on "Rachel," Krauss' breathy gasps adding another layer to the percussion. Still, it's a long way from - and an improvement over - the pop stylings of Krauss' early 2000s girl group RubyBlue.

A song that diverges from the cacophony is the Funkadelic-sampling "Rill Rill," which relies on the classic riff from Maggot Brain's "Can You Get to That." The song works as a summery respite from the first fifteen minutes of the record, which reflects the album's brevity. The 11 songs total just over a half hour, which is about as long as you should subject your cillia without risking (even further) tinnitus. And if you catch Sleigh Bells live, I'd suggest ear plugs. No joke.

The Drop: DJ A-Mac Keeps 'Em Dancing

If you've been paying attention to the moombahton movement, you're already familiar with DJ A-Mac. Remixes by Calgary's fastest rising selector have shaken asses from coast to coast and across continents. Next to Dave Nada, A-Mac is the producer with the firmest hand on the nascent genre.

When I interviewed A-Mac in March, he tipped us off to Smalltown Romeo, the DJ supergroup that dominates the Calgary electronic music scene. The triumvirate is comprised of Smalltown DJs Pete Emes and Mike Grimes and disco producer Wax Romeo, and is a force to be reckoned with. The Smalltown DJs' Hai Karate party has rocked crowds for over a decade, and the duo also owns a clothing and record boutique, Giant 45. So it's no surprise that when the guys decided to release a series of mixes for Giant 45, A-Mac was one of the first musicians tapped.



A-Mac's mix is an hour of non-stop house and electro goodness, demonstrating his range as a DJ and cratedigger. It forgoes tracks-of-the-moment for modern takes on classics, like Luciano's remix of Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" or the Plastic Operator's Tom Petty-referencing "Wont back down vs. Night Fall." Other highlights include bits of electro-rockers Body Language ("Sandwiches") and queen of bounce Sissy Nobby ("Lay Me Down") remixed by Alaska in Winter and L-vis 1990, respectively.

The mix is a cohesive, grooving party-in-a-box. No track feels out of place or forced. By the time the mix concludes with 1967 #1 "The Letter" by blue-eyed-soul group the Box Tops, you'll be a sweaty mess, yearning for more. Somebody, anybody buy A-Mac a ticket to U Hall and book him for a Red Friday. Soon.

As a bonus, A-Mac has released his moombahton remixes for download on his SoundCloud. And there's more where that came from: stayed tuned for a TGRI exclusive moombahtoon mixtape this summer!

The Verge: How to Destroy Angels

Welcome to The Verge: a column dedicated to music on the edge of a breakthrough. After profiling synth-pop outfit Lookbook, it's time to highlight a new project from an artist who has been a force in electronic rock for over twenty years.


Last year, Trent Reznor pulled the plug on Nine Inch Nails as a touring band. While he left the door open to future NIN releases, he expressed a desire for something more than the relentless, exhausting touring that the band had come to represent. He married Mariqueen Maandig, the former lead singer for psychedelic pop band West Indian Girl, and sounded excited about other projects and opportunities.

A few weeks ago, his first non-NIN project, How to Destroy Angels, appeared on the web and across social networks. Offering just a few tantalizing video clips, not much was known about the band, other than it joins Reznor with Maandig and frequent collaborate Atticus Ross. As the band's promo photos show, Reznor is in the background and behind the scenes, finally free from the burden of a 20-year old inscription in the Pretty Hate Machine liner notes: "Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor."


Still, Reznor's invisible hand continues to pull the strings. How to Destroy Angels' first song, "A Drowning," would fit perfectly in the Nine Inch Nails discography if not for Maandig's breathy, sensual vocals. The song sounds like something off The Fragile or Ghosts, with the same brooding feel of B-side "And all that could have been." "A Drowning" pulses and builds over seven minutes, with sorrowful keys and dissonant electronic elements. Taking their name from a record by Coil, How to Destroy Angels opt for an ambient sound that owes much to the industrial innovators.

A six song EP is set to follow "A Drowning" this summer. Will it still bear the trademarks of Reznor's earlier works, or will he take this opportunity to create music that would not have fit the Nine Inch Nails rubric? Only time will tell, but for an artist who has never shied away from controversy or innovation, I'm betting on the latter.

ALBUM REVIEW: Rusko - O.M.G!

Every musical movement has a standard-bearer: a proud flag waver and ambassador to the masses. For dubstep, that role is clearly and ably filled by Rusko, the L.A.-based, Leeds-born DJ and producer. From his 2006 production debut "SNES Dub," to breakthrough track "Cockney Thug," to his earthshaking remix of Kid Sister's "Pro Nails," Rusko's output has found its way into sets by everyone from Diplo and Switch to Pete Tong and Annie Mac. With his full-length debut O.M.G.! (Mad Decent), Rusko presents what may be dubstep's first crossover album.

O.M.G! is a tour through the various permutations of dubstep, with each of the 14 tracks honed by Rusko's ear for melody and hooks. The album kicks off with "Woo Boost," a squealing, grinding assault complete with air raid siren (check out the alternate, drug trip of a video below). The throbbing wobble that has come to define dubstep is present here, and is a constant force throughout the album. The hardest dubstepper appears at the backend of the album: "Oy," featuring the Crookers, is a reminder that Rusko hasn't gone totally pop.

A pleasant surprise is the influence of rave and house on the album, elements Rusko only hinted at previously, on tracks like "Love is Real" off his Babylon, Vol. 1 EP. "Hold On" and "Feels So Real," featuring Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors and Ben Westbeech, respectively, are straight-up dance tracks, with pop hooks as essential as the basslines. "Kumon Kumon" sounds like a Skream track, with its jungle loop, Casio synth, and heavy dose of laser effects. Any of these three are guaranteed dance floor killers.

On a few tracks, like "You're On My Mind Baby" and "Raver's Special," the vocals are vocoded and autotuned in a way that is fresh and exciting. The Black Eyed Peas and T-Pain may have done it to death, but Rusko is undeterred in using the technique, and makes it work. Rusko even pays tribute to the dub in dubstep, playing up the dancehall influences in the Rod Azlan toaster "Rubadub Shakedown" and album finale "District Line." The reggae tunage would feel right at home in a Major Lazer set, with enough bass to get a crowd grooving.

If 2010 is the year that dubstep crosses over, it may just be on the back of hip hop collaborations and remixes. Gucci Mane, on "Got Da Groove," is the perfect fit for a trap-step track. Rusko bends but doesn't break Gucci's vocals, utilizing them as just another instrument to sample. It's not a standout track, but it points budding dubstep producers in the right direction.

O.M.G! is a complete album, perfect both for true bassheads and dubstep novices. Followers of Rusko's young but promising career will recognize tracks from his Mishka Keep Watch! mix, now as fully formed songs. However, the LP is not a rehashing of previously released material, but a formalizing of where Rusko, and by extension, dubstep is in the middle of 2010. If you still haven't gotten into dubstep, this is exactly the album that will make you a believer. Just put it on your system, crank the bass until the neighbors call the cops, and take part in the visceral experience that only dubstep provides.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS.

The Drop: The Simpsons make it pop with Ke$ha

The Simpsons has been a worldwide pop culture juggernaut for over twenty years. It holds most "long-running" TV records, it launched Fox into territory formerly occupied only by the Big Three, and its catchphrases end up in the OED. Emerging from a few less than memorable years, the show has become even more satirical and surreal as of late, albeit by sacrificing the sentimentality of its golden years.

Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" is a pop sensation in its own right, a #1 song that holds the record for most digital downloads by a female artist ever - the true mark of music business dominance in 2010. So, when last night's episode of The Simpsons bypassed its usual couch gag for a parody music video for the song, the move was totally unexpected but a natural fit.

Taking the ridiculous, self-indulgent lyrics at face value, the crew went for literal sight gags that involved big swaths of the Springfield universe. The minute long clip also shows off the ever-improving animation skills that remind us that The Simpsons is still the standard bearer of animated television.

Pop culture has always been at the heart of The Simpsons, so so-called purists who wince at what seems like an ephemeral tribute are not being intellectually honest. Ke$ha is not Poochie - it's a one-off gag that re-inserted The Simpsons into Monday morning water cooler discussion. That's something we still need. And it's not even the most obnoxious Simpsons musical crossover.