5 Years Of Hyperdub, V.A.
Posted on 13th Oct 09 by Liam Griffin | 
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Every now and then a record label will come along that revolutionises a music genre and inspires a new generation of musicians. Hyperdub, now in it’s fifth year of existence, joins Rough Trade, 4AD and Warp as one of those labels that represents all that is good about a specific style of music- in this [...]
Every now and then a record label will come along that revolutionises a music genre and inspires a new generation of musicians. Hyperdub, now in it’s fifth year of existence, joins Rough Trade, 4AD and Warp as one of those labels that represents all that is good about a specific style of music- in this case, Dubstep. To celebrate their fifth anniversary the label has released a two disk compilation which showcases the vibrancy of their brand of electronic music.
5 Years of Hyperdub
Hyperdub began as a webzine in 2001 but it wasn’t until 2004 that its debut Sine of the Dub by label boss Kode 9 was released. During the past five years Hyperdub’s releases have covered dubstep, jungle, grime, reggae, hip hop, house and techno always with an innovative perspective.
This heavyweight LP has one foot in the not so distant past and another in the present with one disk of previously unreleased old tracks and a second disk of exclusive new tracks. Artists from the whole spectrum of dubstep feature here with tracks from Burial, Zomby, Joker and Mala.
One of the most anticipated tracks is Burial’s Fostercare, which sees Burial develop his nostalgic garage sound around a rolling bass line and a signature processed vocal sample. The atmosphere from his older tracks- South London Burroughs and Distant Lights summon up the a similar groove and melancholy that has made him such a reputable artist.
Another highlight is Stash by Joker and Ginz, a bouncy tongue-in-cheek dubstep track with tones of G-funk. Joker also appears with his classic track Digidesign. Experimental hip hop practitioners are also present with excellent tracks from Samiyam, 2000F and Flying Lotus who was recently described by BBC presenter Mary Anne Hobbs as electronic music’s Jimi Hendrix.
Label boss Kode 9 features heavily on this compilation with five appearances, But it is his cover of The Specials Ghost Town which stands out the most. Kode 9 turns the original track on its head with a slowed down beat and sinister subbass breathing throughout the track while The Spaceape provides a frightening vocal performance. He also collaborates with The Spaceape on the more upbeat Time Patrol a tense track with hypnotic vocals and strings.
When he isn’t changing the world with music Kode 9 aka Dr. Stephen Goodman keeps himself busy lecturing on Sonic Culture in the University of East London and his book Sonic Warfare is published by MIT Press next month.
What is clear from this album is that there is no filler and the claim that “all dubstep sounds the same” is shattered. Each artist has his or her own unique style, from Martyn’s lush Berlin inspired dub techno to Ikonika’s spooky 8 Bit grooves and Zomby’s playful and disjointed beats. Most importantly what this compilation represents is that many dubstep artists have avoided building the musical cul-de-sac in which Drum N’ Bass producers have been driving donuts in for the past decade. Innovation, experimentation and forward thinking have been the philosophies of Hyperdub- not churning out half baked releases as quickly as possible. This is why it is such a great time to be a dubstep fan, the tunes are evolving and the dancefloor has never been this fun.
Drop-d Rating 8.7/10
Tags: 2000F, Burial, dubstep, electronic, Flying Lotus, Hyperdub, Joker, Kode 9, label, Mala, Samiyam, The Spaceape, Zomby