A broad diversity of percussive instrumentation threads through a catalog of shuffles, slides and cadences in DJ Slouch’s “Black Coffee.” The drums have kick like a strong fresh brew, but veer away from aggressiveness. One bar rarely progresses without a new element being introduced to the mix. But order is kept among the throng of sounds. Drums are allowed their shine, but they play the background when the melody or vocals deserve the limelight. The track consists of an almost entirely organic sound palette, save an amelodic crunchy bass. It is a work divorced from a dependence on novel noises. Instead, it is sustained by the height of its bounce. The sounds pay homage to Sarah Vaughan’s era, but introduce her lyrics to a new century of expectations.

Also, listen to Slouch’s “Mirage,” exclusively on The Downbeat Treaty.

DJ Slouch — “Black Coffee”

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Run Riot Records is about to rush the interwebs with a new sampler called Motion Sickness, which drops August 1st. These sympathizers of the digital revolution were nice enough to lace us with a preview, and we got a couple streams from the 17 song mix for y’all. First, there’s label founder Kitimat’s nearly percussionless “AMSND.” It sounds like the soundtrack for an obsolete artificial intelligence freakshow made up of wards from a hospital for the criminally insane. Next, you’ll snap your neck from nodding your head so hard to Chip Chop’s “Launch Blank,” you might as well start headbanging. Start growing your hair long now, because you’ll lose that flat brimmed cap listening to this one. Go cop a mini-mix preview from the RRR blog (which you shouldn’t be sleepin’ on anyway). You can also grab another little people mix from Chip Chop from over there. Image of Banksy’s show at the Bristol Museum.

Kitimat — “AMSND”

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Chip Chop — “Launch Blank”

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Someone can write all they want about music, but the true test of it comes down to the listen. So sure, Sa Bat Machines say they make a conscious effort to create dubstep departing from the expected elements. But listening to their music makes such a comment superfluous.

In one song, gypsy folk styles blend with dub tendencies and melodic wobbles. Here, the wobbles take on a percussive aura, trickling along like rapid fire drums. There, jazzy instrumentation creates the foundation. Overall, a powerful sense of songwriting prevails.

One of the benefits of being involved in a genre during its youth is that everyone who comes to it arrives from somewhere else, bringing along their varied experiences. The backgrounds of these four Parisians are certainly evident in their music. One is a bassist, another a trumpeter. There’s also a turntablist and a jazz singer. Two teach computer assisted music. The common interests among them are breakbeat, jazz, jungle and African influences.

Although dubstep’s tribal primitiveness first attracted them five years ago, they weren’t content to leave it at that. And now, at the turn of the century, they’re contributing their own unique perspective to the global dialogue.

Listen to Sa Bat’s “Sylvia” on the Melodic Wonkster mix, or buy it at Juno. “No Money” (in the player above) is expected to be released in September. “Time Dub” is a CS dotplate for now. Peep the new MPFree category!

Sa Bat Machines — “Time Dub (version)”

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StereoTyp has been posting cuts on his SoundCloud page for free download, and this is just one of them. Although it’s unfinished (you can hear some production errors, and the third verse just repeats the first) it’s definitely worth bumping.

This simple but effective version of “Make It” is a smooth vision of anonymous sex in a deep bedding of bass. It’s rhythmic motions are captured on granular tape in a room the color of dark red wine. The whispered vocals are full like moans quietly uttered directly into your ear in a silent, echoless room.

StereoTyp — “Make It feat. Warrior Queen and Hubert Tubbs (version)”

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“Machine Sim” is a portrait of suspense and conflicting advice. The mood evokes a dead forest where ash falls from the sky instead of snow in the form of simple piano melodies. The whispers of suspicious spirits waft in the air, suggesting a path that could lead to salvation or doom. The earth offers its own warnings as crunchy bass rumbles underfoot. Radio airwaves carry the indistinguishable words of someone either the victim of forthcoming calamity or wise to whatever awaits behind the corner. Photo by Christopher Mole. :10: — “Machine Sim feat. e0nic” Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Some scary (non-music related) ish right here. Picture a phone in your pocket next to your special place… (via S dot X)

The wobbly “wub wub” has become so commonplace that it often makes dubstep a caricature of itself. It’s novelty is gone and the methods of creating it are easy to find. But maybe this is a good thing and will force those who want to stand out to progress. This new mix is an exploration into melodic wobbles - not just melodic dubstep, mind you, but a focus on that wonkiness. There’s a lot of other interesting routes that dubstep can take other than this. Wobbles can take on new design forms, for example, or they can play the background while other instrumentation creates the composition or atmosphere. A focus on the rhythmic elements is another area. This is just one route we’d like to see more of. Also, we’re aware of the whole Wonky thing. We take wonk in this post to just mean wobble. Some of these dubs are fully realized songs, others are raw melodic wobble. Some are long solos, and others thread multiple wobbly melodies together.

Dumbsteppaz — “The Shogun of Harlem (Sho ‘Nuff)”
Cardopusher — “Milk Thistle”
Geochelone — “Evil”
Stenchman — “Puking Over”
Sa Bat Machines — “Sylvia”
Ed Solo — “Sludge”
Kether — “Goblinz”
Eops — “Softly Softly”
DJ Dore — “Snowcone”
Pacheko — “Bimbo”
Drop The Lime — “We Are The Future”
D-Code and Chan 1 — “Glitterstep (Sub Swara RMX)”
Thark — “Smooth Killer”

Cover painting by Then One

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