Beats It

Beats Special on RBMA Radio

The history of modern music is littered with writers trying to keep up with free-wheelin' artists – the young, the bold, and the creative, all blazing individual trails in the name of a good party. We've seen a fair few walk through the Academy corridors – out-of-time individuals forever cursed to be ahead of the years they're in. This week we take a look at those future-looking beat makers that are pushing time signatures and tonalities in search of the spangled dance floor experience.

Currently leading the charge and causing a flurry around the world are producers Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohawke. Both signed to Warp records, from LA and Glasgow respectively, these two producers are re-writing the rule book when it comes to the bass-heavy, electronic hip hop ish of tomorrow. But the west coast of the states and west(ish) coast of Scotland aren't the only places where the woozy sound of 2109 is being made. The UK's capital is renowned for bringing its own twisted style to the dance – just check the low-end theory behind Kode9’s string of releases on his Hyperdub label, or Digital Mystikz' shamen of dub Mala. There's a new London school emerging too, with One-Handed's beat-miner Bullion bringing stacks of b-lines atop a drum roll, while Lukid goes deep with his Foma LP, full of low-slung crunchy grooves on Werk.

There's also been plenty of OGs at the Academy when it comes to inspiring those off-key, other-worldly soundscapes. Among those who can take some credit for the sound of today’s melting pot of riddim is Dabrye, a sonic craftsman who goes way beyond the call of duty, as well as the man who's a whole load of trouble, Mark Pritchard, also known as Harmonic 313, and original cosmic love child Om'Mas Keith and those Sa-Ra Creative Partners, whose astrological odes to romance have seduced music lovers all over the planet.

Just a couple of weeks ago the very fine edge of these musical movements was being tripped over at Sónar, where the French new wave got vague in Barcelona. Electro cruncher Débruit set the arpeggiator to stun, while Parisien resident Onra chopped his way through exotic samples from around the world, and microKORG king kong Dorian Concept also unveiled a whole new set of uptempo cone-rockers.

This list doesn't even scratch the surface, and there's plenty of others. So take a few hours and enjoy getting lost in the radio labyrinth, where the criss-cross path of new music can only lead to a woozy dance somewhere unfamiliar.

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Beats It
Beats Special on RBMA Radio

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