forthcoming on Fabric
fabric presents Elevator Music: Vol. 1 from Fabric London on Vimeo.
Gaining both critical acclaim for its catchiness as much for its atmosphere, the mutant strain of 140 bpm (or thereabouts) bass music currently infiltrating the global airwaves has morphed consistently over its recent life span; cross pollinating its acres of influences into the bundles of sub genres it now houses. It's become a strain of club music that revels in biting back against the perceptions of those outside of the core scene, those who consider dubstep to simply be a swelteringly tough warbling bassline that's complimented by a half step drum pattern and some airy atmospherics. Minimix by mlr // Art by Remote Location // Animation by Peter Dickinson
The warm fluid basslines of dark garage, the spacious precision of techno, the unabashed bolshiness of grime; the percussion led rhythm of funky house, the wanton bump of 2-step and the erratic fluorescent synthesized harmony of skweee are all constantly being harvested, peeled and juiced by a new wave of producers who are revelling in their mission to further the cocktail of sound that dubstep is currently thriving off.
Positioned as it is, in the midst of the UK capital, fabric has seen a torrent of vivacious ingenuity pass through its brickwork over its 10 year life, but of late, there has been an invasion (as much in the offices as on the club's dancefloors) of impeccably sculpted dubstep. The 'Elevator Music' project stands as an album in its own right, becoming more than just a collection of tracks. It's a collation of all the variant strains of dubstep; a completely original and exclusive collection of future bumps that reflects the embracive nature of fabric's dance floor music policy.
Pooling tracks from established producers like Martyn, Starkey, Untold and Caspa & Rusko with a smattering of producers destined for great things come 2010, Elevator Music ticks boxes in categories and niches that don't even fully exist yet; unifying the vision of 16 producers with one simple passion. Bass.
If you pre-order 'Elevator Music' on CD before 6pm on January 8th, you will automatically receive free entry to the launch party at FabricLive. Taking place on Friday, January 8th, 'Elevator Music' will take over Room 3 with Untold, Shortstuff, Hot City, xxxy, Mosca and Vista, whilst Rooms 1 & 2 will feature the likes of Todd Edwards, Hudson Mohawke (Live), Rustie (Live), 2562, Headhunter, dBridge, Instra:mental, Joy Orbison and more!
FABRICLIVE 50:
D-BRIDGE & INSTRA:MENTAL PRESENT AUTONOMIC
D-BRIDGE & INSTRA:MENTAL PRESENT AUTONOMIC
ARTIST: VARIOUS
LABEL: FABRIC RECORDS
UK/R.O.W. 15th FEBRUARY 2010
USA RELEASE: 23rd MARCH 2010
LABEL: FABRIC RECORDS
UK/R.O.W. 15th FEBRUARY 2010
USA RELEASE: 23rd MARCH 2010
Despite the genre’s future-forward and experimental beginnings in the early 90s, drum & bass’ rigid uniformity over the last decade has made it a stifling environment for many producers. For dBridge, with his background as a former member of the drum & bass heavyweight champions Bad Company, the pressure of dancefloor expectations and DJs’ desire for club smashers has been experienced and rejected once in his career already. Since going solo, he has been busy developing a more cultured sound, carving himself a free form niche in a music scene from which he was feeling increasingly distanced from. Instra:mental meanwhile, having had a successful stint in drum & bass some years earlier, returned to D&B production in the mid noughties with a uniquely fresh approach. Inspired by 80s synth music, the Detroit sound and the Warp back catalogue, and with a studio fully loaded with vintage hardware equipment, they set about writing drum & bass unlike anyone else; a method that struck a chord with a like-minded soul in dBridge.
“There was no space in drum & bass, it was just running twenty breaks on top of each other, so we thought about what we could do, because what we were making was quite minimalistic in some ways; we decided to not fill the gaps. The way we work is great, because if you have got someone else working with you, you can all grab a synthesizer and just make some noise and have a little jam session.” - Instra:mental.
“Hanging out with Instra:mental began to influence me; they were thinking outside of the box, not just a little… a lot. I was still sampling whereas they weren’t, one session I made a sound on the JP-8000 and I started to get it, be re-inspired for my job… for music.” - dBridge.
After a year in which Instra:mental collaborated with dBridge on the epic ‘Blush Response,’ they decided to form a creative alliance as Autonomic. As a result a club night, a podcast, an umbrella for their labels, and, most crucially, a style was born. The Autonomic sound is music first, drum & bass second. The people behind it are not setting out to make a drum & bass track; they are setting out simply to make music, producing compositions that are emotionally charged, personally edifying and organic. This is a million miles from the music-by-numbers churned out by so many of today’s producers; this is lovingly crafted with integrity, with vision and without the limitations of genre or style that so many artists impose on themselves. And with the likes of Jimmy Edgar, Kyle Hall and Zomby lined up to release on Instra:mental’s NonPlus+ label in 2010, it’s fair to say that the trio are only just getting started.
“Eventually we want to go to any gig and have complete musical freedom. This is exactly what we are doing: any music, any style, and any tempo, as long as we like the music. - Instra:mental.
“Hanging out with Instra:mental began to influence me; they were thinking outside of the box, not just a little… a lot. I was still sampling whereas they weren’t, one session I made a sound on the JP-8000 and I started to get it, be re-inspired for my job… for music.” - dBridge.
After a year in which Instra:mental collaborated with dBridge on the epic ‘Blush Response,’ they decided to form a creative alliance as Autonomic. As a result a club night, a podcast, an umbrella for their labels, and, most crucially, a style was born. The Autonomic sound is music first, drum & bass second. The people behind it are not setting out to make a drum & bass track; they are setting out simply to make music, producing compositions that are emotionally charged, personally edifying and organic. This is a million miles from the music-by-numbers churned out by so many of today’s producers; this is lovingly crafted with integrity, with vision and without the limitations of genre or style that so many artists impose on themselves. And with the likes of Jimmy Edgar, Kyle Hall and Zomby lined up to release on Instra:mental’s NonPlus+ label in 2010, it’s fair to say that the trio are only just getting started.
“Eventually we want to go to any gig and have complete musical freedom. This is exactly what we are doing: any music, any style, and any tempo, as long as we like the music. - Instra:mental.
After a year of server-crashing Autonomic podcasts – that have shown an overwhelming thirst around the world for drum & bass that does not conform to any institutionalised boundaries - dBridge & Instra:mental have mixed FABRICLIVE 50 (note: the 100th addition to our compilation series). With a tracklist that boasts some of dubstep's leading lights working at a drum & bass tempo, FABRICLIVE 50 is a dreamlike collection of beat explorations and electronic soundscapes all lovingly woven into 70
minutes; a treasure of a disc that reveals more enriching details with each listen. Beautifully imaginative and colourful, enter the world of Autonomic, as they return drum & bass to the bleeding edge of electronic music.
“We wanted the fabric CD to be like the best podcast we’ve ever done. That was our aim. When we were asked to do it, we approached all the people making music we love, and asked them to write us something special for the CD. Distance, Scuba, Genotype, myself and Instra:mental all did it. It’s a great collection of music, harmonically it all works together; and as much as we have different styles, you’d be surprised what tunes stick together just from being in key. We wanted to showcase what it is that we’re doing, and what the sound is capable of.” – dBridge
“We wanted the fabric CD to be like the best podcast we’ve ever done. That was our aim. When we were asked to do it, we approached all the people making music we love, and asked them to write us something special for the CD. Distance, Scuba, Genotype, myself and Instra:mental all did it. It’s a great collection of music, harmonically it all works together; and as much as we have different styles, you’d be surprised what tunes stick together just from being in key. We wanted to showcase what it is that we’re doing, and what the sound is capable of.” – dBridge
Tracklisting:
01 – Riya – Seems Like – Exit Records
02 – Instra:mental – From The Start – NonPlus+
03 – Stray – Pushed – Exit Records
04 – Dan Habarnam – Nu Este Roz – Exit Records
05 – Vaccine – Ochre – NonPlus+
06 – ASC – Starkwood (Consequence Remix) – Unreleased
07 – Consequence – Lover’s Shell – Exit Records
08 – Distance – Sky’s Alight (Dub) – Unreleased
09 – Alix Perez – Self Control – Shogun Audio
10 – Genotype – Distorted Dreams – Genotype
- Meleka – Go (Accapella) – Meleka
11 – Instra:mental – End Credits – NonPlus+
12 – Instra:mental – Watching You – NonPlus+
13 – Instra:mental – Fist (Level 2B Mix) – NonPlus+
14 – Consequence – 11 Circles (ASC Remix) – Exit Records
15 – dBridge – I Know – Exit Records
16 – Instra:mental – Encke Gap – NonPlus+
17 – Loxy & Genotype – Farah’s Theme – Exit Records
- dBridge – Inner Disbelief (Accapella) – Exit Records
18 – Pearson Sound – Down With You – Darkestral
19 – Scuba – Tense (dBridge Remix) – Hotflush Recordings
20 – Instra:mental – No Future (Consequence Remix) – NonPlus+
21 – Code 3 – Living Proof – Exit Records
22 – Consequence Ft. Instra:mental – Reflex Reaction – Exit Records
23 – ASC – Phobos – NonPlus+
24 – Skream – Fire Call – Exit Records
25 – Instra:mental – Machine Made – NonPlus+
26 – dBridge – Love Hotel – Exit Records
27 – dBridge – The Dim Light – Exit Records
28 – Scuba – Eclipse – Paul Rose
29 – ASC – Ubiquity Incident – NonPlus+
30 – Abstract Elements – Abysmal Depth – Exit Records
31 – Actress – Gen Ohn (Screwed Version) – Werk Discs
01 – Riya – Seems Like – Exit Records
02 – Instra:mental – From The Start – NonPlus+
03 – Stray – Pushed – Exit Records
04 – Dan Habarnam – Nu Este Roz – Exit Records
05 – Vaccine – Ochre – NonPlus+
06 – ASC – Starkwood (Consequence Remix) – Unreleased
07 – Consequence – Lover’s Shell – Exit Records
08 – Distance – Sky’s Alight (Dub) – Unreleased
09 – Alix Perez – Self Control – Shogun Audio
10 – Genotype – Distorted Dreams – Genotype
- Meleka – Go (Accapella) – Meleka
11 – Instra:mental – End Credits – NonPlus+
12 – Instra:mental – Watching You – NonPlus+
13 – Instra:mental – Fist (Level 2B Mix) – NonPlus+
14 – Consequence – 11 Circles (ASC Remix) – Exit Records
15 – dBridge – I Know – Exit Records
16 – Instra:mental – Encke Gap – NonPlus+
17 – Loxy & Genotype – Farah’s Theme – Exit Records
- dBridge – Inner Disbelief (Accapella) – Exit Records
18 – Pearson Sound – Down With You – Darkestral
19 – Scuba – Tense (dBridge Remix) – Hotflush Recordings
20 – Instra:mental – No Future (Consequence Remix) – NonPlus+
21 – Code 3 – Living Proof – Exit Records
22 – Consequence Ft. Instra:mental – Reflex Reaction – Exit Records
23 – ASC – Phobos – NonPlus+
24 – Skream – Fire Call – Exit Records
25 – Instra:mental – Machine Made – NonPlus+
26 – dBridge – Love Hotel – Exit Records
27 – dBridge – The Dim Light – Exit Records
28 – Scuba – Eclipse – Paul Rose
29 – ASC – Ubiquity Incident – NonPlus+
30 – Abstract Elements – Abysmal Depth – Exit Records
31 – Actress – Gen Ohn (Screwed Version) – Werk Discs
NYC, don't slack on catching Instra:mental live at DubWar next month, January 15th alongside the NYC debut of Vaccine's new Live set @ Love.
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