It’s fair to say that over the past decade or so, the UK has dominated the bass music scene. Over the same period however, the West Coast of America has been busy doing its own thing and now has just as definitive a sound as the UK; post-dubstep sounds in a post-Dilla setting along with the modern funk sounds of Dam Funk and his contemporaries.
With activity centered on LA and labels like Stones throw, Brainfeeder, Alpha Pup Records and All City Records and club nights like Low End Theory, a whole host of artists from all over the West Coast now prolifically produce more progressive strains of electronic music, drawing influence from both sides of the pond.
With all this action happening out West and here in the UK, the East Coast of America has been drowned out to a certain extent. But just because you don’t hear it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. The spread of both UK and West Coast sounds is now being brought together by a new flurry of musical activity on the East Coast.
Blazing the trail for the East is Dubporn Records in Miami, a young label which was founded earlier this year by forward thinking DJ and producer Adrianna Moschides.
Adrianna started out as a DJ mixing the deeper modes of house and through an interest in sub frequencies and percussive grooves found her way into dubstep and related 70/140 bpm styles.
DJing under the moniker Gooddroid, Adrianna paved the way for a progressive bass scene in Miami with her club night Down which is now one of Miami’s most prominent nights not devoted to house and has been host to a string of high caliber artists including Scuba, Sepalcure and Headhunter.
Dubporn Records compounds on this pioneering trajectory and holds great promise for the future. Here’s a small piece from their press release:
Dubporn Records is Miami’s first label dedicated specifically to Deep Dubstep, Experimental, and Future Bass music. Dubporn has flourished into an idea for a record label that only features the best artists in the genres, focusing on Bass music that isn’t overly aggressive yet can be appreciated at home and on the dance floor.
The label’s first release was the ‘Ternary EP’ from Miami based producer Gray Ghost >>
>>while the second release, a collaborative EP including tracks from acclaimed 2-step DJ and innovative producer Inanna is scheduled for August 8th.
A Dubporn digital compilation album has just been made available for free download and there are several releases already lined up for later in the year including Porphyro‘s ‘Qualia EP’, El Topo‘s ‘If Ever’ and Reixtra‘s ‘Prymara’.
Miami looks set for a renaissance in new EDM and we will be keeping a close eye on the scene over there. In the mean time, here’s a brief line on some other noteworthy East Coast goings on…
Twisup is a monthly night at Deity in Brooklyn, NYC. The night was created by Dave Q, the co-founder of the legendary NYC club night Dub War. Its feature list makes for a very pleasing read having in the past been host to artists like Alex Incyde (Hotlfush), Distal (Soul Jazz) and FaltyDL. In addition to these more dub based sounds, Twisup has been supporting the sound of Chicago Juke with sets from the likes of DJ Spinn.
Turbotax
is another monthly in NYC held at The Cove in Brooklyn. Their catalogue of events is equally impressive and includes a Numbers label showcase and performances from Sepalcure, Jacques Greene, Oneman, BenUFO and Jackmaster alongside their own skilled resident artists.
BassHead Music is a Miami based label co-run by a trans-atlantic partnership: Juan BassHead of Miami and A-Sides of London. Both are prolific artists in their own right, making BassHead Music all the more of a musical institution. Releases on BassHeadmusic span a wide range of styles due to their extensive roster of artists, which includes the ever popular wobble maestro DatsiK. Juan Basshead is also one of Miami’s best known promoters and has been at the forefront of the scene for a number of years.
SUBduction are a promotions organization and music collective based in Boston. They run various nights in the North East but have a monthly called BANG which is held at Middlesex club. The SUBduction members (G Notorious, Wheez-ie, Spliffolian, Codiac, General Motor, DJ Vous) are also talented producers in and are really pushing the sound over in Boston at the moment.
