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 Click for music events Step Up Witness the rise of dubstep
Does dubstep stand a chance in America? A small, devoted group of fans and producers are eager to find out, as they attempt to bring the largely British genre to the Windy City.
Dubstep is something of a musical mutt, with roots in the British electronic scenes of garage, drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, techno and trace amounts of several other genres that never quite made it across the pond. Its sound is just as diverse as its lineage with one feature carrying through all its strains: teeth-rattling bass. It’s the kind of music subwoofer enthusiasts drool over and angst-ridden teens were born to blast from their rooms in defiance of their uncool parents.
"You just can't get the whole picture when you hear it on computer speakers," asserts Tim Arendt who, along with Mike Brunner and the Bass By the Pound crew, has sought to spread dubstep to Chicago. "Dubstep is music you’re meant to experience and actually feel the bass."
Dubstep first flourished in London’s underground in 2004 and spread like smallpox, first gaining national attention in 2006 after its all-stars were featured on Mary Anne Hobbs’ BBC Radio 1 show. That, combined with the scene’s heavy Internet presence, garnered an international following and inspired hundreds of bedroom producers to try their hand at the genre. Others wished dubstep scenes would bloom in their own cities.
Like many around the world who have latched on to dubstep, Brunner and Arendt first experienced the music through the Internet on Web sites like Dubstepforum.com and Internet radio station Rinse FM. There, producers and fans alike aggressively spread the music they were enjoying so much.
Brunner was fortunate enough to witness a Forward>> dubstep night in London in 2004. "Seeing and feeling it live in front of me was a turning point," he says. He and Bass By the Pound tried to recreate that intensity in Chicago by putting on dubstep parties at Café Lula in Logan Square.
"They weren’t well attended," Brunner admits, but was confident enough in the music to keep trying. Tim Arendt’s frequent attendance and boundless enthusiasm lead Brunner to include him in planning the next night at Sonotheque. Headlined by Baltimore producer Joe Nice, widely considered to be America’s dubstep ambassador, the night found the audience for dubstep to be quickly expanding, drawing in techno heads, club kids and some of Chicago’s reputed drum ‘n’ bass scene.
The next BassGoesBoom event expands the venture into a monthly night at the recently reopened Lava in Wicker Park. The club, which regularly hosts many of the city’s drum ‘n’ bass nights, seems like a natural choice to host a dubstep night, using its booming soundsystem, sizzling atmosphere (designed by Suhail, the brains behind Sonotheque’s sleek interior and exterior) and intimate size. "It helps that the owner [Phil McFarlane] wants to hear the music," Brunner says.
For its inaugural night in its permanent location on July 6, BassGoesBoom brings renowned San Francisco DJ/producer Juju to kick off the low-end onslaught. The Colombian-born Juju, known to his mother as Neil Zarama, first gained prominence as a drum ‘n’ bass DJ in the early 1990s. In recent years he’s shifted his focus to dubstep, offering a buoyant strain heavily influenced by dub reggae and dancehall aesthetics. Opening for him is local talents Jeekoos (a member of the Part Time Suckers crew) and DJ Four4 (aka Brunner himself).
Though Brunner was tight-lipped about plans for future BassGoesBoom events, he mentioned efforts to bring over a "seminal UK dubstep duo" in October, with more information available as contracts are settled.
So what does this mean for the future of dubstep in Chicago? As the rest of America sees dubstep nights and producers springing up like weeds, it’s possible our musical forecast will include a sonic boom. Street Beat, an electronic-focused radio show at Northwestern’s WNUR, has focused lately on dubstep, even inviting Arendt to spin in studio. The number of local producers such as Jeekoos, Cringer and Searchl1ght has grown—as has their stature in the dubstep scene.
"There’s always been some kind of electronic music emerging in Chicago," Brunner attests. "Dubstep will be the same kind of thing."
Juju spins at BassGoesBoom at Lava, 1270 North Milwaukee, (773)342-5282, on July 6, 10pm-2am.
Also by Steve Mizek Every Little Thing
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