As we embark upon the new year, dubstep is bigger than it has ever been and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. As both the bastion of the underground and the darling of the mainstream it continues to take hold of a new generation of music fans.
‘This is Dubstep 2012’ brings with it an upfront and varied selection of forty tracks that span the length and breadth of the scene. From verified figureheads such as Skream, Mala and Distance to nu-skool leaders like Gemini, Flux Pavilion and Benton, the double CD pack twists and morphs through innumerable different visions of dubstep and its possibilities.
From skittering 2-step to cavernous half-step, deep, dubby riddims to explosive, technicolour anthems, each addition to the compilation brings with it a unique viewpoint and sonic stamp. Distance's trademark metal influence can be heard on ‘Drawn’ while the jazz-inflections of ‘Turn’ reveal the smokier resonance of Author's sound, 16Bit bring their neck snapping beats on ‘Boston Cream’ while Synkro's scattershot drum lines and cut up vocals pour through his remix of ‘Love Is Not Enough’ by Above and Beyond ft. Zoe Johnston.
Pulling these and a whole lot more together, connections are drawn across the spectrum and the immense impact of what's on offer is indisputable. Moving from the wall of sound on Flux Pavilion's growling ‘Meathead’ straight in to the dubbed out, rolling classic ‘Babylon Fall’ by Japanese producer Goth-Trad or from Cutline's shimmering synth strokes on ‘Runnin’ ft. Belle Humble straight into the deadly sub manipulations of Kromestar and Dark Tantrums on ‘Circles’, the vitality and visceral force of the music is in abundance.
‘This Is Dubstep 2012’ is the definitive sound of a genre that continues to defy critics and become more innovative, diverse and massive than ever.