As anyone who’s ever been to a Trouble & Bass party will tell you, dubstep is not as London-centric as you might think. In fact, it reaches as far as Philadelphia in the case of Starkey, a T&B associate who also helps run Seclusiasis alongside longtime DJ/producer, Dev79. Since his Ephemeral Exhibits (Planet Mu) record is one of dubstep’s most sorely-overlooked albums–yep, they exist–we asked Starkey to share some of his trusty 12″s at the moment. You can catch him in the cleanup crew slot for Martyn at Le Poisson Rouge tonight.
1. Dev79, “Live N Die 4 Tha Street Bass”
My main man Dev79’s newest tune, which is forthcoming on On the Brink, is hands down one of his best from 2009. The sample cut-ups work so well, and the beat jumps from halftime to 4/4 so seamlessly. You will want this record when it comes out.
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2. BD1982, “Spaceboots (Slugabed remix)”
Best tune of the year for me right now. I was already a fan of Slugabed’s music when I asked him to do a remix for BD1982’s new single on our label, but I was blown away when I got even the demo version of this back from him. It’s got such an infectious synth and bassline and is a dancefloor destroyer.
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3. Dylan & Ink, “Need You (DZ remix)”
This is the cream of the crop of the new DZ dubs. He does some of the best drops of anyone in the dubstep scene, but it’s not a one trick pony. He still writes songs that evolve and take the listener on a journey.
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4. Joker, “Tron”
Joker’s been on fire the past couple years. “Tron,” which should be on his full-length album next year, is one of his best. He’s got a great sense of melody, which is missing in a lot of “dance” music…and his production is top notch.
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5. Eprom, “Shoplifter”
I actually get requests to play this song on the regular. If you’ve heard it, you know why. It’s the type of song that when you hear it for the first time you’re like, “What the hell is this nonsense??!!!”…and you can’t get enough.
