As a DJ, dubstep is lots of fun to play, but as a listener, it very certainly shakes, rattles and subtly floats you to the highest highs while letting the lowest lows creep out from the subwoofers of the dance floor. My prediction for the coming summer is that dubstep will be hitting harder and much heavier. Although quite a few labels have been dominating the scene, Play Me Too Records is one of the most dominating forces in the game today. This week we’ll take a look at three tracks from a four different artists on the Play Me Too label—mmm, bass-y.
Dubsidia – “Ganja Monsta”
An incredibly swirling all-jive intro kicks this one off to get you into the mood for shaking your moneymaker. A killer bass lead kicks in a few bars after the initial intro, getting the track from 0–60 mph very quickly. A high-filter sweep rolls for a short while, a quick sample of a shriek pops off and then BLA-DOW, heavy bass and whipping drums. The drums really start pounding in at full force by now, then right before the minute and a half mark they pick up quite a bit with a wicked awesome, very electro feel. At about two minutes and twenty seconds, the break kicks in with almost no warning, which is actually quite a bit relaxing. The track gives you just enough time to let your hair down before an extremely fierce drop. The beat returns full on to play out the rest of the track for almost another two minutes of radical enjoyment. A nice long and high filter sweep backed by an awesome UFO landing styled sound closes this delightful bass number.
4:50, 69 BPM, Play Me Too Records, 2011
Vaski – “Blackout”
Vaski’s “Time to Blackout” EP is a hyper-threaded release of sheer awesomeness. The original mix of the track “Blackout” is easily one of the shiniest gems on the whole record. It’s got tons of elements crammed into a four and a half minute timeslot. The intro plucks off some string sounds that give way to a rising tone prepping you for the bass drop. The bass line drops in with some steady long sweeps; all of a sudden it snaps off in trade for some rapid-fire bass stabs while a heavy pad sound starts to lead in from the background. The strings pluck off again at around two minutes and twenty seconds, and the ever-rising tone once again readies you for a bass drop that is soaking wet with an acid-like feel. Wet. The last twenty seconds or so of the track ride out a really nice whistling lead with a steady drum loop, giving the whole song a very nice feel of completion.
4:38, 70 BPM, Play Me Too Records, 2011
Total Recall & Ntrld – “Rail Gun”
An arpeggiated lead almost instantly drops in with a heavy filter slowly sweeping from high to low. The bass teases in and out. The lead and bass echo back and forth for a short bit while the track continues to build up, a short drum roll snaps nicely, then a gritty 8-bit crash fades to near soundlessness. You can anticipate the bass drop on this one, but cannot prepare for its overall heaviness. Bass drums and a tightly layered snare and clap are popping off under the heavy fire of drippy resonant bass. This one is aptly named, for you can almost truly feel the sense of blasting aliens away in space with a futuristic weapon. Right around two minutes and twenty seconds (sense a theme here?) a very arpeggiated lead takes the forefront, putting the bass on the back burner only to let it warm back up. After a nice bass burp or two, the track really begins to growl off with bass and claps. The last minute or so of the track really growls off with bass squelches, saving the last ten seconds or so for just bass and drums that would be great for an extended loop to lead into any track.
4:43, 70 BPM, Play Me Too Records, 2011?