Life, many would argue, is much like a Dubstep night. It’s good for a while but then they start playing Old Skool Garage. Nevertheless, Dubstep has become the scene in which to be seen in 2006, being hailed as “the most exciting dance music of the new millennium” (Mixmag), “the most infectious sound ever” (Touch) and “better than sex on coke” (Michael Parkinson). Here at Ruffhousing, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of “the now” – check last week’s review of new US indie flick “Napoleon Dynamite” – and being that our devotion to our readers is so strong that we even follow many of them home after work, we felt we owed it to them to get to the bottom of the Dubstep phenomenon.
“Dubstep” as we know it now, was created by Vauxhall resident Charles Jones (real name, Lil’ Danger) back in 2001. Jones’ state of mind was deeply fragile and, for reasons known only to himself, he kept Dubstep under wraps until his death in early 2004. The circumstances surrounding Jones’ demise are extremely mysterious and remain unexplained to this day; friends say he went to sleep on 2nd February 2004 – just two days before his 93rd birthday - and simply never woke up. A fierce campaigner for – and against – racial equality, Jones was interviewed about ethnic diversity in his local paper, the South London Gazette, just months before he died. While the interview itself focuses mainly on race relations in the Vauxhall area, Jones does let slip one comment at the end of the feature which some experts have suggested hints – very subtly - at his discovery of this new music. What follows is taken from the final page of the article:
Charles Jones: Look, we can talk about this all we want, but you and I both know that the only way to strengthen the pound on the international markets is to get the Portuguese out. It’s a simple question of mathematics.
South London Gazette: Mr Jones, you’ve made these opinions clear in previous interviews but have failed to back them up with any real evidence.
CJ: Regardless of evidence, this is the way that I feel and I stick by it.
SLG: Well, quite frankly, we could debate this until the cows come home.
CJ: Which is in itself a fallacy as the cows won’t come home because there’s no room for them what with all the Portuguese.
SLG: I really think that the type of attitude that you display is extremely ignorant and almost fanatically xenophobic.
CJ: Thank you very much.
SLG: If you don’t mind me asking, Mr Jones, where do you stand politically?
CJ: I’m a pisces.
SLG: Well that just about wraps things up. Charles Jones, thank you for talking to us today. Is there anything you would like to add?
CJ: I have created a new kind of music. It’s called Dubstep.
SLG: Thank you for your time.
CHARLES JONES
Whether or not Jones is hinting at his creation in this interview is, of course, unclear. Certainly, Jones’ son Donnelly has claimed on many occasions to have discovered the music at the bottom of an old Sea Monkeys tank while going through his father’s possessions for loose change shortly after the old man’s demise. However, given that Donnelly Jones has been proven to be a horrifically compulsive liar - he once claimed that he designed the majority of the architecture in the Basque region and has even been heard to remark not only that “the Holocaust was a myth” but also, “ I quite like Jo Whiley, I don't know why everyone is so down on her all the time” – his contribution must be taken with a pinch of salt.
Myths and rumours aside, Dubstep first breached popular consciousness in 2004 with South London DJ/Producer Martin Darkness’ single, “Jus Fi Deh Boyz”. “…Boyz” was played throughout London on pirate stations and was, at one point, even featured in the music round on University Challenge. Darkness looked set for stardom until, in early 2005, he found out that a girl had bought a copy of the song, and he quit Dubstep production altogether. He now works at Whittard’s in Putney, and we were lucky enough to catch up with him to get his recollections on the beginning of the Dubstep movement.
MARTIN DARKNESS
Ruffhousing: Firstly, thank you for agreeing to meet us today. We appreciate how busy your schedule is.
Martin Darkness: It’s just that I’m on a double shift today. That’s all.
Ruffhousing: Right. So Jacob – can I call you Jacob?
MD: Well, my name’s Martin.
Ruffhousing: So Martin. You were there at the forefront of the scene we know now as Dubstep. What was it like at the very beginning?
MD: I suppose it was the same as any other movement in its early years; very uncertain and very exciting. It was like anything was possible, you know? I’ve talked to Malcolm McLaren about it and he said it sounded very similar to the beginnings of the punk scene, only a lot less interesting. I mean it was on that level, you know? Myself, Ian Screecha and Crazy Norman began playing out at clubs in Stockwell and Brixton and people just couldn’t believe what they were hearing. No-one had ever heard bass that low before. We played one gig in early 2004 and the bass was so low that a man actually died. He was stabbed repeatedly in the chest just beforehand, but we all knew it was the bass that killed him. It was like that in the scene in the early days; there was a kind of unspoken telepathy.
Ruffhousing: How do you feel Dubstep has evolved over the years?
MD: I suppose I feel glad that it has hustled its way into the mainstream. I mean, I have to since I pioneered it. But I would be lying if I said its success didn’t trigger an acidic, hate-fuelled bitterness deep in my heart. It’s like bumping into an old flame you haven’t seen for years and finding out that he – or she – is doing much better than you. That he’s successful, you know. And you say, “isn’t it strange that we went through so much together and now you’d walk past me in the street without even acknowledging me?” and he doesn’t even look you in the eye. He just smiles and moves on. But you know things about him that no-one else could ever know. How many sugars he likes in his tea; his favourite musical; his date of birth… you know, his dark secrets. And then suddenly he’s gone, and you read the note over and over again but you still can’t work out why. I’m not necessarily talking about Dubstep here.
Ruffhousing: OK. Finally Martin, tell us about your decisions to quit the game back in January 2005?
MD: Well after we released “Just Fi Deh Boyz” we started receiving a lot of press attention and, consequentially, a few girls began calling. One was from Heat Magazine, I think, the other from the Observer's Music Supplement. I asked the first girl how she had managed to hear Dubstep and she said her boyfriend had played it to her. Something in me just snapped, I suppose. I felt... let down. Downhearted. Suddenly girls started appearing at our live gigs, radio performances... Crazy Norman started seeing girls everywhere, in the street, the park, the girls lavatories. He became a danger to himself and to others and we had no choice but to commit him. After that... the scene sort of died, I suppose.
Ruffhousing: Crazy Norman himself died soon after, of course.
MD: Yes, the doctors said it was kidney failure but we all knew the truth.
Ruffhousing: Broken heart.
MD: No, syphilis. Crazy Norman was an extremely promiscuous and deeply unintelligent man.
Ruffhousing: Martin, thank you.
Since Martin's departure, the Dubstep movement has gone from strength to strength. Producers like Oliver Gunsmoke and Siameasle have enjoyed top ten chart hits, national radio daytime playlisting and have even been celebrated at award ceremonies (Racing Post Awards - “Best Folk Rock”). While its roots may lie deep in the underground, the music has blossomed into a fine commercially viable flower that major labels are looking desperately to pick.
For more on Dubstep music, check out www.esure.co.uk
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