Bass Breaks
The Balearics
It’s round one as the dubstep heavyweights hit Ibiza
Words: ALLAN MCGRATH
Benga
S
kream, Benga, Rusko, Caspa, to smash a riotous, eclectic jackhammer No longer the preserve of spoddy boys
Chase & Status… otherwise into the linear house and techno that rules and dark rooms, dubstep has crossed over
known as the dubstep scene’s Ibiza’s big rooms with names like Boys the divides this year and holds fi rm as a
‘Big Five’. They might have torn Noize, Brodinski, Fake Blood, Toddla T and bass-heavy party soundtrack wherever it
up the rulebooks and bossed dancefl oors Sinden joining the dubstep crew. goes. With Skream’s massive La Roux remix
the world over but when it comes to Ibiza “Dubstep is the defi ning new sound of strong-arming its way onto the daytime
they haven’t even stepped foot on the youth dance music so someone’s got to rep- playlists of Radio 1 and Snoop Dogg hijack-
island let alone infl uenced it. resent it in Ibiza — why not us?” explains ing Chase & Status’s ‘Eastern Jam’ beats,
Until this summer, that is. This year Ibiza Doorly, resident DJ and music programmer its global hype is a force that Ibiza cannot
Rocks’ after-party Reclaim The Dancefl oor at Reclaim The Dancefl oor. “Our night ignore.
is stepping out with a dubstep bolstered runs in San Antonio so we should have a “With the economic issues, everyone needs
line-up that brings dubstep and its Big large English crowd on our doorstep but to work a bit harder to get people over to
Five to Ibiza for the fi rst time. Taking place the sound is spreading across Europe and Ibiza,” believes Chew The Fat’s Paul Arnold,
at Eden, in San Antonio, the night looks beyond. It really is the sound of now.” who has booked master of sinister bass
wobble Raffertie to play his fortnightly
room at We Love… Sundays at Space. “The
Skream
younger audiences across Europe want to
hear the music that they love, not the music
of 20 years ago. So if they see dubstep and on the bill and people go crazy for it. The
other fresh sounds in Ibiza it surely gives best shows are the ones where you have a
them more reason to go.” crowd of new ears and clear heads — you
see people getting their heads blown off by
sounds they’ve never heard before.”
Will it work?
All heaving drum shuffl es and dark warbling With Ibiza’s musical plates shifting more
basslines, dubstep is hardly the most and more, fans of low bass frequencies
Balearic of sounds so the big question is… have even more reason to visit through
will it work on Ibiza? the presence of weekly drum & bass night
“Defi nitely,” claims Benga. “Our sound has Prang. Alternating Fabio and Grooverider as
got energy and that energy works anywhere fortnightly residents, Prang will present Es
we’ve taken it. Over the past few years I Paradis with the biggest names in the busi-
can’t think of anywhere I’ve played where ness in its bid to become the fi rst weekly
I’ve had a bad reaction and Ibiza will be just d&b night to conquer the island.
the same.” “We’ve all been out here for the past four or
“With the sort of strength that dubstep fi ve years and while there’s been bits and
is enjoying right now, it’s hard to see it pieces of d&b there’s been nothing totally
failing,” says Skream, who is responsible for dedicated to it,” says Prang’s Dan Corner.
two of the dubstep scene’s biggest crosso- “It has always worked well when people
ver tracks in 2005’s Villalobos endorsed like Roni Size and Marky have played at Carl
‘Midnight Request Line’ and his recent Cox’s events or at We Love so there’s clearly
remix of La Roux’s ‘In For The Kill’. a place for it.”
“Part of me is a bit cautious but that’s only
because I’ve never even been out to Ibiza Reclaim The Dancefl oor takes place at Eden
before and I’ve always seen it as a house every Tuesday. Catch Chase & Status (21st
dominated island. But then there are so July), Skream (4th August), Benga (25th
many British clubbers out there and I am August) and Caspa (8th September) there.
playing more funky style tracks too.” Prang takes place at Es Paradis every
“It’s what people are loving all over the Sunday, with Grooverider, Fabio, Danny
world right now so why not?” asks Rusko. Byrd (19th July), Benga (26th July), Shy
“Me and Caspa have played lots of events FX (26th July & 9th & 23rd August) and
where we’ve been the only dubstep DJs Marcus Intalex (2nd August).
www.djmag.com
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DJIB1.dubstep feature.indd 33 8/6/09 10:26:32
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