Wonky (Worst genre name since nu-rave?)

Reading a hilarious Guardian article on 'wonky', a new style of dubstep, that linked wonky fans with ketamine users (a tenuous one at best I thought), I thought it was probably the laziest piece of music journalism I'd ever encountered. To make a connection between drugs and any genre of music is lazy enough, and especially when the genre is debatably not even a real one - many of the artists mentioned in the article do not seem to have any real connection, bar sharing a label (often Hyperdub) and a larger genre (dubstep). However this doesn't change the fact that the producers mentioned by Simon Reynolds in the article are some of my favourite at the moment - Zomby, Joker and Hudson Mohawke. In the last paragraph of the article, Reynolds makes his most sensible point - he compares the sound to 8 bit and trip hop, and listening to tracks like Ikonika's Simulacrum or Joker and Rustie's Play Doe certainly reinforces this. But the genre also seems to me to align itself with hardcore more than Reynolds likes to admit - Zomby even released a hardcore tribute album - Where Were U in '92? Although my answer to his question is probably in a crib wearing a nappy, producers like Acen, 808 State and Altern 8 have been really up my street lately - the breakbeats bring hardcore closer to bmore than happy hardcore or drum & bass, the genres that hardcore were said to develop into.

Zomby - Where Were U in '92? Buy rest of album here:

Ikonika - Simulacrum (Hosted by Electrorash)

The B side to Ikonika's debut single on Hyperdub (Please) was absolutely rinsed by me when I first got it - Ikonika combines a proper fat analogue bassline, and a synth line that borrows heavily from chiptune and 8 bit, with a classic syncopated, off-beat dubstep percussive beat. Buy MP3 here.

Zomby - The Lie

This Zomby track samples classic reggae artist Sizzla's I Was Born, coupling that vocal sample with percussive shakers, airhorns (hardcore again anyone?), detuned synths and a real feeling of pent up aggression.  The 12" came with remixes from LV and a new Zomby track - Dripping Like Water.  Buy it here.

Joker - Zariak (Hosted by YCCMP)

Another jittery, off kilter hit from Joker - keeping up the tension with a fat square wave analogue bass and a drum beat that keeps you guessing all the time.  Thanks to the Grime Forum for releasing this for free.

Joker & Rustie - Play Doe

This was my first real introduction to 'wonky', and still remains one of my favourite tunes - it's so easy to hear exactly which parts are Rustie and which are Joker.  It's got that trademark Rustie 'aquacrunk' (another contender for worst genre name) lead synth line, and that grunting vocal sample propels the track along nicely.  Buy MP3 here

2000F & J Kamata - You Don't Know What Love Is

Already covered this song in my first post for Squeaky Bleeps - I think the exact words I used were "If Prince made dubstep", and I'd still agree with that... the vocoder gets me everytime.  Showcasing a more funky vibe, this B side to Joker's Digidesign actually got more attention than the A side from a lot of DJs, and with good reason.  Buy the 12" here

Bring Back The Rave...

So its a subject that's been on my mind a lot lately, but I think it's only now that I think I've really thought I should talk about it in more detail. Firstly though, we need to consider the obvious. What is a RAVE?

Now wikipedia, the 'free encyclopedia' tries to define a rave as being:
"A term in use since the 1980s, to describe dance parties (often all-night events) with fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties DJs and other performers play Electronica, Trance, and Techno with the accompaniment of laser light shows, projected images, and artificial fog."
Although I've more come to like the definition given by Pastronroot.co.uk:
"A rave/free party is an all night (or longer) event, where people go to dance, socialise, get high and generally have fun in an unihibited way with other like minded people. Consider them temporary autonomous zones. The music is a distinctive 'series of repetitive beats' provided by sound systems with DJ's who follow specific genres of music, so the sounds you hear in a good party will be stuff you'll never hear on the radio or really from any standard commercial outlet."
Of course I could do into more detail and talk about the history etc... but most of you will already be familiar with Acid House, 1988, the Reigate Rave, The Hacienda, and Danny Rampling's venture Shoom. So i'll move on to my next point, being about a recent resurgence in rave music.

Now, I'm going to primarily centre my argument on the existence of 'Fidget' music, however, it would be wrong to suggest that only this sub-genre has contributed to the recent rise. There seems to be a complete resurgence in almost all styles of music that originated from Rave. Dubstep has grown out of DnB, 2-step Garage and traditional Dub, emphasising raw and encompassing sub-bass, with random samples and bleeping sounds. Techno has evolved hugely the past five years or so with a huge following being created in Eastern europe and more specifically in Germany, with club Berghain in Berlin, being crowned DJMag's No. 1 club in the world, beating London's Fabric and Ibiza's Space in the process.

With this new found resurgence in rave music, there also seems to be demand for such music in the suburbs of London, which mirrors exactly what happened during the original scene (generally 88-92), with club nights and one off events sprouting up in and around the London metropolitan area, such as FWD (Dubstep), Kill Em All' (Electro/Techno), Supercharged (Breaks, Electro) and most recently in the Kent area, 666 presents (Fidget/Electro/Breaks/Dubstep/Alternative).
When Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs began championing these new experimental sound a few years ago the scene was in its infancy, but it seems the demand for such nights has increased ten-fold in the last 18 months. It seems the old indie scene of 2004-2006 has grown up a bit and gone looking for something a bit harder, a bit more party orientated (I know I did).

The UK scene is now a huge melting pot of up and coming talent ranging through all genres at the moment whether it be Rusko and Skream in Dubstep, Commix and Cyantific in DnB, Herve and Fake Blood in Fidget, Milton Jackson and Dave Spoon in House or Riton and Erol Alkan in Electro/Techno. These artists are only going to benefit the scene and hopefully take it forward and to better times, unlike what happened in the early 90s with the collapse of the rave scene after its drug stained past and the many police raids and club closures that followed.

Seeing as it's the weekend I thought I'd take the time to delight you with a few blasts from the past from producers and DJs that are shaping the new sound today, but incorporating those timeless classics that have put the scene where it is today.

Acen - Trip II The Moon (Hostage Remix)
This remix by the one and only Hostage, for me encompasses everything there was and is to shout about the old and new scenes. With the classic breakdown paying homage to the golden days, and the build and drop to the glory days of the late 90s.

The Prodigy - Everybody Is In The Place (AC Slater Remix)
If there's one thing that Mr. Slater can do, its get people dancing to the most disgusting basslines and catchy beats. He's on the bill for Beatport's artists to watch in 2009, and with his new production 'Hello' branching out to more of a dubby feel, expect big things from him this year.

Altern8 - Frequency (R!M!E Remix)
Now I've already posted this remix before, but purely for this post and the fact that it's a choooon, it had to be posted again for anyone who missed it! Also please check out his material on his MySpace, this dude has some amazing stuff!

Human Resource Vs. 808 State - Dominator (Soulwax Edit)
One of the classic remixes from the duo that's seen a resurgence lately in sets from various french maestro's including Busy P, Xavier from Justice and DJ Mehdi.

Have a good weekend, whether you're raving or behaving people!