Nobody seems to have informed the upstart UK dubstep imprint Hessle Audio that the genre has been short on new ideas these days. Ramadanman's superb label has shown a hunger for variety and experimentation which have quickly placed it among the most forward-thinking sources for fresh dubstep material. Always minimal and clean, the label's releases have shunned the distortion-prone midrange growlers that have come to dominate much of the scene, instead pushing a sound that focuses on techno minimalism and rhythmic experimentation.
They have not, however, sacrificed the titanic low-end which is dubstep's signature, and Ramadanman's fantastic "Blimey" is a prime example of the continued search for dubstep's soul.
Reminiscent of some of Photek's finest moments circa "Ni Ten Ichiru," "Blimey" delivers an off-kilter rhythm composed of woodblock clicks, pops, and shakers that shift around in a drunken ballet of fits and starts -- punctuated by a sub-laced kick drum that is straight from the classic Photek playbook. Lurking throughout are mournful synths and found-sound recordings of children at play in a distant schoolyard which lend the track a sense of yearning.
I have played this tune in numerous club sets including at the mighty DMZ in London and Dub War in New York City, and it always proves to be an unlikely game-changer in the context of a DJ set. Its minimalism, its emotion, and its rhythmic dexterity (not to mention a massive sub-bass drop during the long ambient breakdown in the middle of the tune which positively vibrates your gut on a big soundsystem) all turn heads and get people's attention when deployed at the right moment in a set.
"Blimey" and the offerings on Ramadanman's great Hessle label are proof that there continues to be room for progression and unpredictability in dubstep. It is a reminder of the importance of re-connecting with the sense of mystery which made the sound so alluring when it first emerged from the soundsystems of darkened rooms in South London.
- David Quintiliani
www.2nddroprecords.com/ www.myspace.com/ramadanman
