Brüt Force

Dubstep may have jumped the shark this year, but there’s still plenty of good stuff to be found in the post-hardcore continuum of British bass music. Allow me to illustrate through the following list of my favorite records of 2011.

Bonus link: http://soundcloud.com/liamindigo/synkro-indigo-exit-records-nme-selector (great DJ mix from these two)

Current Value ft Snow - Shy Flame (SPL Remix) [Section 8]

Dare I call this tasteful brostep? I don’t care, this killed the dancefloor every time I dropped it.

S-X - Woooo Riddim / S-X vs Ramadanman - Woooo Glut [Butterz]

This was big on road in 2010, especially due to D Double E’s vocal version. It finally came out on vinyl this year and I purchased several copies.

Bonus link: http://youtu.be/Ahrum2Ck5m4 (D Double E doing his version live)

Frisco - Frisco vs Flava D [Boy Better Know]

The previous entry notwithstanding, there just isn’t as much grime on vinyl anymore. But it’s quality releases like this and other BBK tunes have inspired me to press dubs again.

Arkist - Fill Your Coffee [Apple Pips]

This is my jam.

Burial - Stolen Dog [Hyperdub]

This reminds me of a time when I suffered from nostalgia.

Amon Tobin - Journeyman [Ninja Tune]

If you’ve seen the live version, you already know what’s up. Otherwise, just an expertly produced recording from an epic genre-less album.

P Money & Blacks - Boo You [Butterz]

Arguably the biggest grime MC’s in recent memory put a old school twist on the grime sound. Or is it a new school twist on the 2-step sound? Either way, I want to hear more tunes like this.

Instra:mental - Thomp [Nonplus]

I know I’m a bit late, but UK funky finally won me over this year. In no small part due to this track.

Raiden - Forbidden Fruit [Voodoo]

Drum & bass that you can groove to, no snares required.

Hybris - Of Two Minds [Invisible]

Reminds me of the the chopped up Limewax vibe that got me back into drum & bass a few years ago. Dark, heavy, and surgically edited.

Honorable mention: Gorillaz - The Fall [Parlophone]

When I wasn’t mixing records or listening to DJ mixes, I had this one in my playlist on repeat.

Bonus video: Whoa-B - Deal With It, Bro

Next one I do will be in HD, I promise.

Dec 09

Sushi’s Best of 2011

I can’t believe 2011 is almost at a close. This year has moved along pretty fast in me for some ways, but has been dragging in other aspects. Music turned out to be one of the “fast moving” items of 2011, but probably because I haven’t had this much excitement following music in a while.

UK Garage made its big return in 2011 with some impressive 2-Step releases in the UK the two previous years, along with (in my opinion) a push into the more “classic” UKG feel by the emergence of UKB. Some of the legendary producers made their return amongst the influx of new names, but most importantly, UKG, what I’d consider the “parent” genre of Grime, Dubstep, UK Funky, and Bassline, had been listening in on what its “children” were up to and took some of those cues and put them into new production.

While some debate whether this UKG revival will be short lived, given the opportunity to repeat the same mistakes the original boom in the late 90’s/early 00’s, the significance cannot be denied. While the UKG sound will always be associated with its almost mainstream past, I believe it will more importantly go down in history as one of the most significant genres as far as the development of the UK and Worldwide dance music scenes.

With that said, the following is my Best of 2011 (in no particular order). Since I’ve been messing with a bit more “open genre” mixing the past few years, there are likely releases that fall outside of the “UKG norm.” There were so many great UKG tunes this past year, it was incredibly difficult to compile this list, so everything you see here I either play regularly or has a great significance (in my opinion) to the UKG scene as a whole.

Para & Robbie Craig bring the oldskool UKG vibes on this hit. If you haven’t checked out Para’s new material, be sure to keep an eye on his Soundcloud (here). Para’s been working with Scott Garcia this year, putting out big tunes and remixes, such as the one for Jammer’s “Back to the 90’s,” so we’ll definitely be seeing some big new releases in 2012.

Easily one of the most recognized tunes of the year, Artful (Mark Hill from the legendary Artful Dodger) keeps the production top notch, as clean and crisp as the tracks on the classic Artful Dodger album “It’s All About the Stragglers.” The original may not the most dancefloor friendly tune, but the release contains a few remixes sure to keep the crowd moving. I’m hoping some of the tunes he’s been sharing with some of us this past year, such as the remix of Metals “Like Unlike” and “Wasteman” (featuring Donae’o) will get a proper release in 2012!

Another veteran returning to the scene with some big tunes this year is Wookie (if you don’t know or haven’t figured it out yet, “Exemen” is one of his aliases) with this big remix! I also featured his remix of Duchess’ “All the Boyz” (featuring Scorcher) on my “Phoenix” UKG mix (available for free download on my website). I admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of Wookie during the first “wave” of UKG, but his production this year has been growing on me.

What is there that I can say about The Mike Delinquent Project that hasn’t been said already? As if his contribution to UKG as part of Delinquent in the earlier part of the decade wasn’t significant enough, Mike has gone on to completely murder the UKG scene with his remixes this year. Now, having moved onto working on his album, it’s pretty much a sure thing that we’ll be hearing more from Mike in 2012!

Dubstep has had a big year, no matter how frustrated some people may be regarding its mainstream success. I rarely play Dubstep tunes, however, having played a significant role in the development of the genre (read: the North American underground garage scene were receiving/rinsing “dubstep” tunes before the term had even been coined), I still support the artists involved in the sound from the start. With that said, coupled with my renewed interest in 4/4 music, this Cassius remix of Skream’s “Anticipate” (featuring Sam Frank) was a must for this year.

Though Todd never stopped producing after the first wave of UKG lost its momentum earlier in the decade, “Head Held High” was probably his biggest tune of the year (considering it was released as a “name your own price” release on Bandcamp, I’m sure that didn’t hurt, either). You may also want to check out Todd’s foray into broken beat with his late 2010 remix of Toni Toni Lee’s “Last Love.”

Rack N Ruin ft. P Money & Koast - Signal (The Mike Delinquent Project Remix)

The Grime sound has always been a big part of my DJ career. Not only did I push the sound in the States, but it was also my favorite “battle” genre, since I always was able to give Grime the “Hip-Hop twist” it deserved in DJ battles and wasn’t as constrained with the vocals as I was with UKG. In any event, I still have a lot of respect for this genre, since there’s always something fresh going on with the lyrics or production. This Mike Delinquent Project remix of “Signal” is a must for UKG DJ’s looking for that extra edge that MDP always brings.

This really isn’t in the realm of UKG, but this tune has been fitting in nicely in both my UKG sets and in my Top 40 sets, as well (yes, I play “radio music,” too). First heard the original/instrumental on Rossi B & Luca’s “Springalingaling” mix from last year, but this track and the whole “dirty house” movement has definitely been making an impact on dance music, in general. Definitely will be keeping my eye out for more production from Vato in 2012, but Foreign Beggars brings the fire on the “finalized version” of Badman Riddim!

Lethal B ft. Grime Allstars (JME, Wiley, Chipmunk, Face, P Money, Ghetts & Kano) - Pow 2011

POW! Not much I need to say about this tune except that it’s nice to see all the Grime MC’s I used to watch on poor quality internet videos and DVD’s in HD! Silencer/Teddy on production, some of the wickedest MC’s ever involved in the Grime scene, and Wiley another no-show for a video shoot?—All the makings for a hit. For a more dancefloor friendly vibe, check out the Bee Q & Unique mashup of Pow 2011 with Dexplicit’s “Bullacake,” aka “Pow Cake 2011.”

ANTHEM! Since the release of the original produced by Ill Blu, this track has been getting MASSIVE airplay. As if the song wasn’t a sell enough itself with the catchy lyrics and production, The Mike Delinquent Project also did a remix of this tune with a great hybrid oldskool/nuskool 2-Step vibe! MUST HAVE FOR 2011 AND INTO 2012.

I hope you all enjoyed (or at least got something) out of my “Best of 2011.” If you haven’t checked out Tornado’s “Best of 2011,” be sure to check that out. Also, keep an eye out for Whoa-B’s list, which will be up by the end of the year.

Musicwise, I’m definitely looking forward to 2012 and you know if it has to do with UK BASS, Brüt Force will be bringin’ it! :)

Dec 07

Tornado’s Best of 2011

2011 saw dubstep become the favored sound of everyone from music journalists to candy-clad ravers. With such a wide variety of sounds represented under the ‘dubstep’ umbrella, a major split has occurred. When a scene represents everyone from Mount Kimbie to Mt Eden, it’s hard to please everybody. For those that don’t know the history of the scene, it started in south London as a response to the poppy, vocalized UK garage tunes that were getting major play in clubs. Producers like Horsepower Productions, El-B, and Zed Bias began making darker, moodier tunes that emulated the funkiness of breaks and encorporated the darker elements of drum & bass at a garage tempo. Eventually, the sound became even more minimal with half-step 70/140 BPM beats largely replacing the 2-step rhythm. Crews such as Digital Mystikz (DMZ) began throwing their own parties with an emphasis on sound system and dub culture.

The sounds of producers like Skrillex, Flux Pavilion, and Doctor P have come synonymous with ‘dubstep,’ however one could argue that their productions are the furthest thing from the roots of the sound. This debate rages daily on websites like dubstepforum.com with some attributing the change in sound to ‘evolution’ while others suggesting that the dub and atmospheric elements from classics like Skream’s “Midnight Request Line,” Loefah’s “Goat Stare,” and Mala’s “Anti War Dub” have been lost on mainstream listeners. In other words, many veteran dubsteppers feel their tight-knit scene has been infected by corporate influences due to its growing popularity - much like hip-hop when it first started receiving major label support. Additionally, dubstep has been harder to classify this year because it has taken so many hints from other scenes. More and more producers are making beats at 140 without any classifiable genre attached to them.

Regardless, there is great music being made that is true to the foundation sound of dubstep yet is still forward thinking and progressive. Below is my list of favorite tunes released this year, and the ones that have been staples in my sets.

Starting off this list with an OG who has made plenty of classics (“28 Grams” with Skream, “Qawwali”) and runs one of the best labels in the game (Tectonic) is a good way to begin. To be honest, I could have chosen from many tunes - the 12” featuring “Broken” (w/ Loefah) and “Paranormal Activity” (w/ Roska), or any number of tracks off his LP with Shackleton. Simply put, I chose “Swish” because it is an absolute dancefloor killer. Standard 16 bar intro and then pure bass weight and atmosphere. Watch this space, as I’m sure the Distance remix will be on here next year - unless it suffers the same fate as his “Changes” remix.

Biome has been one of the best up and coming producers, and it’s only fitting that this release come on Chemical Records in-house label Black Box, which is one of the best up and coming labels in the scene. This single-sided 12” is worth the purchase as it will be in many DJ’s record boxes for years to come. Starting off with a beautiful piano melody, it then drops into a half-step monster that progresses nicely until that piano returns again - after which, you are brought back into the darkness of “Space”.

One of two longtime Youngsta dubplates on this year’s list, “Ruffhouse” is an absolute smasher. Featuring dubstep veteran MC Rod Azlan on the vocal, “Ruffhouse” is J Kenzo’s best tune this year. That is saying something, as “The Roteks,” “Protected,” and “Nocturnal Feelings” were all released this year. A personal favorite of mine this year, as it possesses not only an insane amount of weight but features hard-hitting 808 drums as well.

Girl Unit is a future bass hit factory. His debut release “Wut” on Night Slugs sounded like trap music meets Rustie, and became an anthem for the Boiler Room set. Although he has released a few remixes this year, his “RDI” re-rub is by far my favorite. It features “Percolator” style pops, sirens, a Lex Luger styled watermark and an insane bass line. With the rise in popularity of US hip-hop producers Clams Casino and AraabMuzik, Girl Unit productions would not sound out of place on a Lil’ B or A$AP Rocky mixtape.

Aside from releasing one of the best dubstep albums this year with “City Limits vol. 2,” Silkie also released one of the best singles with “It’s Late”. Taking a cue from dubstep’s garage roots, Silkie comes with a slice of funky two-step goodness that goes down well on any dance floor.

Formerly known to the drum & bass world as Clipz, Redlight shifted directions in 2009 and released the ”Lobster Boy” EP, followed up by one of the biggest bass music anthems of 2010 with “What U Talking About!?” which helped reignite Ms. Dynamite’s career. “Source 16” sees Redlight at his best, releasing a 4x4 no-nonsense stormer that is simply infectious.

2011 was quite the year for Caspa’s Dub Police imprint. It saw the release of Emalkay’s first artist album, as well as new EPs from Matty G and The Others. The majority of Sub Scape’s “Universal” EP saw him doing his best tearout, though to me he is at his best when he is producing melodic tunes like “Midnight”. “Apple Candy” is a gorgeous tune that incorporates the “Think” break, piano, and trance synths in the best way.

New Zealand’s Truth come with a perfect example of how to make anthemic tearout dubstep while still maintaining integrity. Released on N-Type’s buy on sight label Wheel & Deal, the tune builds to an arena rock guitar lead before descending into madness. It sounds like what Chasing Shadows would be making had they not gone the route of KillSonik.

Joker - Back In The Days (feat. Buggzy, Shads, Scarz, & Double) (Kahn Remix) - 4AD

Joker released his much anticipated debut album “The Vision” to little fanfare. Although it contained hits like the title track and last year’s “Tron,” much of the album saw Joker travelling into pop R&B territory to mixed results from fans and critics alike. “Back In The Days” features an ensemble cast of Bristolian MC’s spitting their hardest bars over a catchy, surprisingly non-Purple beat. As if releasing singles and an album wasn’t enough, Joker linked fans to a free EP of instrumentals and remixes on his Facebook page - and vowed to guest list as many fans as possible to his upcoming gigs. One of the tunes featured on the free EP was a remix of the album’s best track remixed by diverse up and comer Kahn (“Way Mi Defend,” “Illy”). Kahn’s remix just edges out the original and is one of my favorite tunes this year.

Sub Scape’s second appearance on this list comes due to Santa Cruz-based Matty G, famous for 808 bangers like “50,000 Watts” and “Turf Warz”. Matty provides an exemplary remix, taking the original tearout tune and transforming it into his own sub-bass hip-hop/dubstep monster hybrid. This tune is beastly on a system.

2011 saw both of dubstep’s predecessors, UK garage and grime, become reinvigorated. DJs like Plastician regularly play grime on Rinse, and veteran grime producer J Sweet is part of N-Type’s Wheel & Deal family. This is without a doubt the “Spartan” of 2011 - an anthem that has been vocalled by every MC, both professional and otherwise, but the instrumental remains the best.

Former drum & bass producers Kryptic Minds released their second album, “Can’t Sleep,” on Black Box this year. While any number of tunes from the album could have made this list, “Time Flies” takes the title for it’s pure amount of bass weight and it’s musicality. This is an example of dubstep that could easily be played on the radio - if radio frequencies could broadcast really bass heavy tunes - and still be true to the roots of the sound.

Benton released an incredible amount of music this year, and it was difficult to choose which of his productions to feature on this list. Quickly becoming one of my favorite producers whether he’s doing tearout (“Smash That Badger”/”New-Ro-Phen”) or deeper tunes (“Necromancy”/”Sinners”), “20/20” is one of the best releases this year. Clever sample, brooding atmospherics, and killer drums make this my favorite tune of his for 2011.

Similar to Benton and Biome, Lurka has emerged as one to watch for 2012. Releasing a killer 12” on Black Box with Commodo, the VIP version of “Prophet” is an amazing bit of music that sets the pace for any of my sets. The intro consists of a chanting vocal sample before becoming a half-stepping roller with enough subtle changes that you can drop it in the middle of a set as well.

Another one of Youngsta’s dubplates to be released this year is SP & LX One’s “Hunted”. MCs by trade, SP and LX collaborate on one of the hardest hitting beats this year. Beginning with a 16-bar intro and a “Dexter” sample, the drums then give way to a rattling synth that shakes any woofer worth it’s weight. Essential tune for any set.

This receives my “honorable mention” this year as it was technically out around 2007 - though only a select few had it. It is a dubstep rework of Minnie Ripperton’s anthem “Loving You”. I first heard it on N-Type’s “Dubstep Allstars” some years ago and, like many dubsteppers, wanted to get my hands on it. As is the case with many tunes, I was resigned to thinking this would be forever a dubplate. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Coki announced he would be doing a limited 12” white label pressing in advance of his upcoming DMZ EP. Luckily, I snagged two copies and this will remain in my collection forever.

Sep 27

Sep 22

Sep 09

140 Podcast + Intro

Before I get to the business at hand I should introduce myself. Sushi and Bill have been in the game for a long time so I thought I should let people know why I was asked to join the crew. I’ve been DJing for 10 years, but seeing as I’m only 24, I wasn’t even DJing when Brut Force was started back in 2000. But, when I was growing up, I was listening to house and hip-hop alongside tape packs and rips of pirate radio sessions. I got into drum & bass, and still play it, but eventually gravitated towards dubstep and grime. As a DJ, I push 360 degrees of the 140 sound with an emphasis on dubstep. I was asked to join after both Sushi and Whoa-B played at my “Bassweight” monthly which focused on dubstep, grime, and UK garage. I’m very excited to be a part of the crew and push 140 UK bass music as I believe it is the most exciting scene in all of music at the moment.

On to the main point of the post - I’m starting a monthly 140 BPM podcast. The first edition will be up on Monday. It will be featured on my Soundcloud (linked below) and Mixcloud and will feature the latest dubstep, grime and UKG beats - along with some older percies. If you have any tunes you want to be featured make sure you send them along to adler.stephen.j@gmail.com

1. The Others - Planet X - Dub Police
2. Downlink - Deep Space (Blackheart Remix) - MalLabel
3. The Others - Break Your Neck (feat. Trolley Snatcha & Dread MC) - Dub Police
4. Roksonix - 2 Bad - Circus
5. Emalkay - The World (Trolley Snatcha Remix) - Dub Police
6. Benny Page - Take You Back - Subway
7. El-B - Romp - Ghost
8. Squarewave - Tribesman (feat. Sukh Knight & Mr. K) - New World Audio
9. DJ Madd - Blank Space - Blackbox
10. Kryptic Minds - Time Flies (feat. Alys Be) - Osiris Music
11. Seven & Elvee - Crime Doesn’t Pay - Subway
12. Truth - Puppet Master (Tunnidge Remix) - Origin Audio UK
13. Camo & Krooked feat. Shaz Sparks - All Fall Down - Hospital
14. Skream - Heavy Hitter - Disfigured Dubz
15. The Others - Skynet - Dub Police
16. DOK & Spyro - Missing Step - Hardrive
17. 16bit - Skullcrack - MTA
18. Eddie K & Minus - Activate (feat. Beezy) - HENCH
19. Doctor P - Watch Out - Circus
20. Emalkay - Transpose - Dub Police
21. Joker - The Vision (Let Me Breathe) (feat. Jessie Ware) - 4AD
22. Commodo vs. Lurka - Airtight - Black Box
23. Cyrus - Soul Seeker - Chestplate
24. Crushington & BSE - Wolf Moon - Shadows Of The Empire
25. Pinch - Swish - Deep Medi Musik
26. Benny Page - Original Killa - Subway
27. No-Lay & Silkie - It’s A Lie - AWAL
28. DJ Madd - Murder 96 - Blackbox
29. Emalkay - Crusader (Levels) - Dub Police
30. Donae’o - Check My Swagga Out (Skreamix) - My-ish Music/Zephron
31. Royal-T - Orangeade (Mr. Miff Remix) - Butterz
32. Tornado - Look At The Source - No Label
33. Plastician - Retro - AEI
34. Silkie - It’s Late - Deep Medi Musik
35. Marxmen - No Dream - Admantium
36. Kozzie - Spartan Remix (feat. Merger, Merky Ace, Rival, Ego, & Scufizzer) - No Hats No Hoods
37. Marxmen - Spartan (Remix) - Adamantium
38. D Double E & Dizzee Rascal - Bluku! Bluku! - Dirtee Stank
39. Girl Unit - Showstoppa - Night Slugs
40. The Others - Say To You - Dub Police

Aug 31

Want to be on the next DJ mix by Sushi?

Hello to all you UK Garage producers out there, from legends to those who have recently gotten into the sound!

I will be back in the studio in about a week to begin work on a new UK Garage (2-Step and 4x4) mix. The sound has definitely been making its way back in a big way, thanks to the likes of Control-S, The Mike Delinquent Project, Wideboys, and so many more. This new mix will the one of the first (if not the first) contribution by a Stateside DJ toward this revival.

Let this be a personal invitation from myself to every UK Garage producer out there for the opportunity to be heard — I will be accepting track submissions until 12:00 AM CST on August 7th, 2011. Please send your submissions (preferably, 320k bitrate mp3) as attachments or links to my direct e-mail, sushi@brut-force.com.

(Some of you may be wondering why you should care to have your track on my mix. Instead of trying to convince you within this post, please see my bio on my website, theSUSH.com, and I believe my career and accomplishments as a UK Garage DJ will speak for itself.)

Thanks in advance for all submissions I receive! If your track does not make it on this mix, it does not mean it isn’t worthy — it just means I did not feel it fit with the rest of the mix. All submissions will be put to good use and shared with other Brüt Force DJ’s for club play (unless you specify otherwise).

Aug 25

Oldskool revival!

The last few non-Top 40 bookings I’ve started going back to playing more Oldskool UK Garage. Subconsciously, it might be to battle against the increasing agony of “Brostep” and Dutch House. (NOTE: To my musician friends who work with these sounds, please don’t misunderstand — I feel there is a time and a place for these genres of music, but in Chicago, especially event-wise, I feel like these sounds are being force fed to us and, because of this, there are increasingly less avenues to listen to deeper, smoother styles of music other than Chicago House.)

The past week, I discovered a few hard drives from my old computers. On one of the drives, I found a little folder named “mp3” (well, if you consider 13.9 GB as “little”), and after digging further, I found a folder of around 150 unmixed Oldskool UK Garage tunes! Well, it seems like the more I sift through the folder, the more Oldskool I find!

So, while in this process of listening to all these tracks to see if the quality is acceptable to play on Serato, I created this little “Top 10” of my favorite found tracks, complete with YouTube playlist link! Hopefully you’ll see something on the list that you haven’t heard before, but otherwise, enjoy reliving living the 1999 - 2004ish era. Enjoy!

SUSHI’S TOP 10 TRACKS HE FOUND IN SOME RANDOM MP3 FOLDER ON SOME OLD HARD DRIVE

8.30.11 - THE DEEP END @ Morseland w/ SUSHI

So, I guess this is the first post on here of value (unless you loved the “bling bling” version of our logo enough to save it, for some reason).

Unfortunately, this post is void of any real discussion and you don’t get anything cool to listen to. But hopefully, a post of value will appear later today! I’m on a “work ditch day” from my day job, so I’ll be spending today in Brüt Force Studio in the lovely La Casa de Sush today! :)

THE DEEP END @ Morseland
1218 W. Morse (1 block east of the Morse redline stop)
morseland.com

Anyway, with that said, please attend this weekly at Morseland! Not just for me — when I lay down (spoiler alert!) some Oldskool UK Garage, “Nu-Skool” Breaks (in quotations because they’ll probably be circa 2000), and possibly some recent 2-Step UKG releases — but also because one of our own, Whoa-B, is one of the organizers of the night!