A little past 9pm on a cold, rainy Saturday night in Brixton and a queue of a thousand people has already snaked around the garden outside of St. Matthew's Church.  The converted church is home to Mass, the nightclub which has seen the DMZ party grow out of it's 400 person capacity basement '3rd Bass' into the club's main rooms which now usher over 1,500 through the doors for the bi-monthly event.  The yearly birthday bashes in March have always brought out legions of supporters; even dating back to the legendary night in 2006 where the event had to be moved from 3rd Bass mid-party into the club's main room to accommodate the hundreds of people who were shut out.  With a lineup that often remains unknown until the week of the event, the allure of reaching a DMZ night is deeper than simply it's all-star cast of DJs.  It's about being a part of something bigger and coming together to celebrate the roots  and various permutations of dubstep music in it's birthplace of South London.

The queue itself is a one of a kind experience, with party revelers and dubstep enthusiasts from all over the globe showing up hours before the club doors open to ensure entry.  Be sure to stop by the Off-License (think bodega that also sells liquor) across the road and hunker down on line with a 6-pack of Red Stripe which will only set you back a fiver.


Arrived into Mass as VIVEK and Goth-Trad were busy tearing up the already rammed sweat lodge that was Room 1.  Goth-Trad's subwoofer bubblin' 'Itinerant Priest' was easily one of the standouts from their B2B set and one of the watermark tunes of the night as a whole.  The amount of tunes that these two are both sitting on right now is unbelievable.  We can only hope that some of those dubs see the light of day soon.



Kode9 and James Blake were up next as Kode9 ominously drew deep into the bag for Warren G's 'Regulate' right out of the starting gate.  Rest in peace Nate Dogg, who's untimely death occurred little over a week later.  It spoke volumes about the legacy Nate would leave behind, hearing his words ringing out almost 6,000 miles east of his native L.A. at a DMZ night of all places.  Other highlights from the set included Terror Danjah's remix of Spooky's 'Spartan', as well as James Blake playing some witch-house from Salem as well as his harmonimixes of 'Ms. Jackson' and Mala's 'Changes'.

Maneuvered into Room 2 for some much needed breathing room and found Horsepower already going in on some old school Jungle & DnB.  Zed Bias then followed with a selection of classic UK Garage, as well as some of the recent productions under his Maddslinky moniker.  Be on the look out for Zed's 'Stubborn Phase' release which is forthcoming on Swamp81.


Nearing 2am, it was time to stake out a spot in Room 1 for the Digital Mystikz set.  After testing the signal with Barrington Levy 'Under Me Sensi', the unmistakable innard warming opening notes of 'Anti-War Dub' came over the PA and created a release of pure elation in the dance.  Despite the unavoidable technicals that arose, the set and energy of the packed out main room was something that won't be soon forgotten.  Standout tunes included the behemoth 'Swish' by Pinch as well as the Coki classic 'Officer', which released on the DMZ label back in 2005.


Serious big ups to Pokes for keeping everyone hyped and engaged throughout.  His decree, "That left turntable needs to be taken outside and SHOT" was one of many entertaining Pokes-isms of the night.  Out to Mala & Coki for pushing through the technicals; soldiering it out and delivering a memorable set in the face of adversity.  With one turntable out of commission and forced to play out tunes from intro to finish on the only functioning deck, they let their selections speak for themselves.  Their set reminded us why so many converge upon Brixton for this special night and why the Digital Mystikz sound will continue to remain a gravitational force in the world.  Whatever your background, religion, political or social status; everyone is a unified, sweat soaked mass on the dancefloor at DMZ.


Up next were Skream & Benga with Youngman MC taking over hosting duties from Pokes.  While their set may have diverged from what some expected, it's ludicrous for anyone to question their validity at an event that celebrates a sound that they have undeniably helped shape and form over the past 8 years.  As far as the dancefloor was concerned, their set was a hit with the throngs of punters getting up close and personal with one another.


For a change of pace, Moxie was simultaneously killing it in Room 2 with Asbo hosting and paying tribute to some of the genre's foundational classics.  She temporarily brought us all back to 2005 and 2006 with a smooth blend of Kromestar's 'Kalawanji' and Skream's 'Midnight Request Line'.



Hatcha & N-Type took the stage at 5am and did their thing til' the break of dawn with VIPs and exclusives smattered throughout their closing tag-team set.  Full details of which are hazy due to it being early Sunday morning at a DMZ Birthday.  Beware the Dragon Stout...


While some seem all too eager to write-off the genre and focus on the negatives associated with it's recent explosion, the DMZ experience continues to be a positive bastion in the ever-expanding world of dubstep.  The sound may have splintered into more offshoots than anyone can possibly keep up with, but that malleability and creative freedom is what drew many of us to the genre in the first place.  Dubstep can still be up for interpretation and it's comforting to know there are still places where you can close your eyes in front of a massive sound system and meditate on bass weight.