Dubble Helping

I've just hit a massive backlog of work that should keep me occupied for the next two months or so, but I'll endeavour to keep the blog going just to remind people I'm still alive.

A quick couple of dub/dubstep tracks for today then (hence the clever pun in the post title). First up... The Widdler is someone I came across recently on the Data Sapiens blog, and his track 'Sensi Samurai' is the first thing I've listened to every morning since Saturday. (It actually gave me a slight headache this morning, but in a good way. Because it is immense.) Like all the best songs, it samples a martial arts film (a la the mighty Wu Tang Clan), and uses it to fuel a track that feels like a full-frontal ninja beatdown. Atmospherically, it's sinister and spooky, and very japanese. And if you turn it up high enough, that atmosphere is filled with a huge bass sound which takes it to intense new levels. It's almost High Rankinish, but slightly less demonic.

As for my second song of the day (night, really): it's experimental, if nothing else. The other day, I randomly came across a group called Jah Wobble and The Chinese Dub Orchestra, who are all about fusing traditional Eastern and oriental sounds with modern Western influences and dub/dubstep. In many ways, 'L1' parallels 'Sensi Samurai' in terms of concept, although the execution is less club-oriented. The actual result is fairly good, mostly because I've always had an abiding affection for Japanese sounds (some of the electro coming from Japan at the moment is awesome), but also because of the drums - which seem fairly DJ Shadow inspired, and which set the track off nicely and give it enough pace and variety to keep it interesting. Worth a listen, although most of their stuff is less successful - the concept becomes a little exhausted and forced at times.

The Widdler - Sensi Samurai Buy
Jah Wobble and The Chinese Dub Orchestra - L1 Buy