Mix Mondays: Weight For The Week

What’s going on everybody. This week for mix monday we’re going to keep it short and sweet. These mixes speak for themselves. Our first mix that we have to feature comes from a man who really needs no introduction, Hatcha. This man is, without argument, one of the most influential pioneers of Dubstep music. He has seen Dubstep music evolve from the dark garage of the late 90’s and early 00’s into the omni-faceted culture that it has become today. All while firmly maintaining his signature style and underground acclaim. To those of you local readers, you better not miss out on seeing Hatcha, N-Type, and Crazy-D at the Hollywood House of Blues on December 17th. That’s right, these ultra-badmen are stopping off in LA on their Sin City Tour, and you would literally be a pair of clown shoes if you did not catch this one. So here you go, take a listen to this proper mix with Hatcha b2b Lost.

Hatcha & Lost – Mixmag November Set

The second mix for today is a little different than the typical material we feature here on BWS, but nonetheless is still an amazing showcase of another one of Dubsteps’ Dons, Skream. This man is one of the, if not THE, biggest names in the world of bass music. From his deep rooted involvement in the early years of Dubstep at Big Apple Records to his worldwide mega-tours, Oliver Jones has done and seen it all. This mix that we have from him was taken from his live set at The Warehouse Project. It is a 130bpm set that is an absolute dancefloor smasher. It is also available as a free download, so capitalize on that!

Skream – Warehouse Project set Dec. 2011

The final mix that we have for you guys is one from the mighty Subscape. This mix was featured on the latest KMag podcast back in October of this year. This mix is an absolute ravers soundtrack, a vibe roller-coaster, and just purely business. He starts the mix out with none other than Cali-native Matty G, and from there on out drops a very vibrant selection of tunes. Subscape doesn’t start mixing until 24:00 into the podcast, so if you don’t want to hear the host talking about the new tunes he’s featuring just go on ahead and skip right on through!

Subscape – KMag October Podcast

Alright folks, hopefully your subwoofer is doing okay after these mixes. Check back for new posts this week that will be highlighting some classic bassweight anthems and an exclusive artist interview.

Stay up and smoke up.

-Bassweight Society

Frequency Friday

Good day, folks. A lot of interesting/controversial things have happened within Dubstep this past week. Whether it was the victors of the 2011 Dubstep Music Awards held in Birmingham (Don’t forget the girl that received the “trigger finger”, so eloquently put by Skream, front row. Pictured above.), or a certain somebody receiving Grammy nominations. Everybody has their two-cents and it is a conversation so circular that it would be useless for us to even spark a debate about. All we will say is that Electronic music, Bass music included, has encountered a new frontier, whether you consider it a positive or a negative, and we are very interested to see how everything pans out. So today, on this beautiful day in Southern California, we are going to bring you some fresh new weight that we’ve seen circulating.

The first track we have for you is, yet again, an absolute gem from the badman Benton. This track, titled ‘Equilibrium’, emits some amazingly dark vibes. With misinterpreted claims about the Mayan calender predicting the end of the world next year, the vocal sample of this track is seemingly too perfect. A spacey soundscape takes the listener on a mystical journey into the heavy hitting drop filled with an ABSOLUTE amount of pressure on the low-end. Make sure to have your subs turned up when you listen to this apocalyptic masterpiece.

Benton – Equilibrium

The next two tunes that we have for you are produced by Jack Sparrow. The first tune is a 170 production, but on the slower side. It is a remix of ‘The Way I See You’ done by Maidu, and is an absolute roller! The beautiful vocals on this track perfectly compliment the break patterned drum sequences, as the hard-hitting bassline occupies the space left over. The second tune is a collaboration between J. Sparrow, Ruckspin, and Quantam Soul. This bongo-filled, meditation-induced stomper is truly one for the deep heads. The evolution/flow of this tune is a perfect example of how mixdowns should be constructed. Big ups to the man like Jack Sparrow, as well as Ruckspin and Quantam Soul!

J. Sparrow – The Way I See You (Remix)

J. Sparrow/Ruckspin/Quantam Soul – Minotaur

The next two tunes come from the Belgian production duo, Requake. These guy are truly underrated in our opinion and deserve MUCH MORE exposure! Do yourselves, and us, a favor by checking these guys out and spreading there sounds to everybody you know (IF you haven’t already done so). The first track is one titled ‘Thalys’. This tune hit so hard and makes your sub flex to its true potential! The second tune, titled ‘Berrua’, automatically sparks the “head-nod” onto its listeners. This bouncy low-end production is a great way to start off the day.

Requake – Thalys

Requake – Berrua

Bladoww! There you have it everyone, a Friday filled with a sufficient amount of bass-WEIGHT. Please visit the artists links listed above, “like” their page, give em’ a shout, and do anything else you can think of to support the continuance of their productions. Most importantly, GO OUT AND BUY THEIR DAMN MUSIC!!

Peace everybody, stay BLESSED.

-Bassweight Society

Feeling ‘Love Sick’ : A Look at One of Brighton’s Emerging Bass Labels.

Today we have the very special honor of interviewing with one of Brighton’s newest Bass labels, Love Sick Recordings.  Founded by Riskotheque, Marchmellow, and the Southbound Hangers(Screen Age & Mudie), this label has already been off to a great start.  Prior to starting the label,  each of these artists has had a number of releases from labels such as Disfigured Dubz, Boka, and Skint.  With that said, what can be expected other than HUGE sounds?  The label’s sound has been recognized by some of the most respected names in the scene such as: Kode9, Skream, DJ MADD, Ramadannman, N-Type, Trolley Snatcha, and Mary Anne Hobbes(And that’s just to name a few).  To top it off, they have gained a residency at HOSPITALITY, which is one of the UK’s most successful club nights run by Hospital Records.  With the label’s intention of side-stepping “the more aggressive styles of dubstep”,  they have made a great appeal to “educated music lovers”.  Given the versatility of the genre and Love Sicks production abilities there is no way to identify a distinct sound within the label.  Their ability to incorporate influences from a variety of genres only further accentuates the bright future that this label has.  In the words of the label, “Love Sick is a bass music label with one thing on it’s collective mind……Love!”  Make sure you keep your eyes out for these guys because they’re sure to turn heads, as they already have.

BWS was fortunate enough to get a couple questions answered from these guys aside from their busy schedules:

BWS: What are Love Sick’s  plans for 2011 and 2012?

  •  Love Sick: For 2011 -2012 we really plan to build the Love Sick label/brand. This will include more releases of course, initially from us but with a view to building a strong roster of new talent too, and all within the context we have already established for Love Sick Recordings. We are considering organising Love Sick events too… club nights with a musical policy directly related to the labels output… quality music for music lovers. Maybe even touring with the label too. Our weekly radio shows on the Electric Sound Stage channel of iHeart Radio have been incredibly well received in the U.S. so this could more than possibly lead to some sort of American tour… Watch this space!

BWS:  Much respect for keeping the vinyl culture alive.  What are some of the challenges that come along with pressing vinyls in today digital age?  How do you overcome them?

  •  Love Sick: In this throw-away digital age we think its important to give people the option to buy a product that is more than just a bunch of 1s and 0s on their hard drive… something they can hold, collect, treasure and show off to friends! Obviously we would never disregard the digital format as many people don’t have the luxury of a turntable these days but in the same way we wouldn’t want to leave out those that still love the whole thing of collecting and playing vinyl. Infact we want to encourage this and to this end we will be adding extra bonuses for those buying the limited vinyl, to show that we appreciate their support…. and we have some really cool things lined up, believe me!

BWS: Who were some of your biggest musical influences growing up?

  • Love Sick: All four of us have very different musical backgrounds. I (Riskotheque) grew up with rave culture and was influenced very early on by this but having worked in an indie record store for 6 years my influences have diversified hugely. It would be boring to mention them all… just imagine lots of great music in the melting pot of my brain and you might understand.

BWS: If you had to describe your label’s sound to someone who has never heard ‘dubstep’ or electronic music, how would you do so?

  • Love Sick: It’s a combination of the soundtrack to a 70’s porno flick, a Woody Allen romantic farce and that bit in Bambi when his mother dies.

BWS: What about the ‘deeper’ sounds of dubstep appeal to you?

  • Love Sick: We love the longevity of the so called ‘deeper’ sound. The fact that you can keep coming back to this music without tiring of it and discover hidden details and intricacies that maybe you hadn’t noticed on the first few listens. It’s music that gives the listener space to attach their own meanings and emotions rather than thrusting it forcefully down their throats.

The labels first release, LUVSIC001, came out TODAY!!!!, November 14th in 12″ and digital format.  You can find the it at almost every major site such as Beatport, Chemical Records, Surus, and Juno.  This release contains ‘All Alone” on the A side, which is produced by Marchmellow and Riskotheque.  On the flip you’ll find ‘You Don’t Understand’ by Southbound Hangers.  Both of these tunes exemplify great production skills, and exhibit a sense of maturity in the sound that is hard to find these days.  Support the atrists and BUY these tunes!

PS. Don’t forget to envision Bambi’s mother dying next to Woody Allen while he’s watching some old school porno’s when you’re listening to the Love Sick sounds 😉

Below are links you can listen to and follow Love Sick at.

Riskotheque & Marchmellow – All Alone(LUVSIC001)

Southbound Hangers – You Don’t Understand(LUVSIC001)

Von D & Mr. Lager – You’re My ft. Phephe (Riskotheque Remix)

Chase & Status – Time ft. Delilah (Southbound Hangers Remix)

Love Sick Facebook Page

Love Sick Soundcloud Page

Well folks thats what we got for you today. Check back for more tunes and interviews. If you like the content, please share BWS with your friends and fam.

Peace and as always, one love to the gods.

-Bassweight Society