Magnch Man
ste eond
‘WE'RE LIKE
THE DUBSTEP
KRAFTWERK'
David Pollock talks dubstep with the folk behind Fortified Sessions as they reach their second birthday
t’s great how fast dubstep has grown in the last couple of years,‘ says Arthur ‘Artwork’ Smith, ‘but people don’t realise that it’s been going
since 2001, and that lots of people have been making this music for that long. Every so often someone will y come up to me and say “have you heard this new
thing. dubstep?“ And I’ll say,’ at which point Smith
lets out an exasperated sigh, “‘yeah’".
For Smith, dubstep is simultaneously old news and the musical love of his life. One of the men behind Croydon’s Big Apple Records, he was there when it all
began. working with DJ Hatcha, for whose set at the i r Forward> night in Soho an array of young producers I
would supply a steady flow of music. Where Smith
produces both dubstep and poppier material under a
variety of aliases, his live laptop set as Magnetic Man
alongside Benga and Skream — sometime regulars in ‘
Big Apple. two of the scene’s biggest names and. in
the former‘s case, a Mercury Prize nominee this year — ,
should thrust him towards the limelight. It’s also a coup for Glasgow’s Fortified Sessions to
get Magnetic Man for their second birthday party, to f , add to other guests they’ve brought north like big names in dubstep Shackleton, Appleblim, Kode‘).
Pinch and Peverlist. as well as Benga and Skream
playing out in their solo guises.
“I first started becoming aware of dubstep in 2002.’
1 says Gost Wan of Fortified’s DJ and promotion trio. ; the Electric Eliminators. ‘I knew someone at the Art
School way back then, who asked my friends and l to put a night on during the quiet summer months, which was the first time I played it out. It wasn’t ‘dubstep’ at
36 THE LIST 16—30 Oct 2008
that point, though, [just saw it as less cheesy garage »
music.’
Gost Wan emphasises the fact that Fortified isn’t
specifically a dubstep night either, taking in elements
of hip hop, skweee and dub reggae itself. ‘Anything
with a really good bassline.’ he emphasises, bearing in j mind that every edition of Fortified makes use of the ’
Mungo’s Hi-Fi sound system, with this party adding
fellow Glasgow night Bass Warriors as a one-off. The j club actually lost Blackfriars, their first home (their first legitimate one, not including the underground 2 nights they held), when the owner apparently became '
scared that the bass would break the windows.
‘You can become jaded with music.’ says Gost Wan, j
‘but when we discovered dubstep, we knew we had
found something that no-one else in Glasgow was playing. aside from maybe the odd record at ’
somewhere like Numbers. So we wanted to bring this to a club with a really powerful soundsystem.’
This birthday party will be held upstairs in the GSA '
union, mostly in order to accommodate the Magnetic Man live show. complete with minimalist visual projections. ‘Yeah. people have said we’re kind of like
the dubstep Kraftwerk.’ says Smith of his Arts Council 2 funded project, which incorporates new material I alongside live versions of Benga and Skream tracks. ‘I ' know it’s going to look like we’re just staring at '
screens up there. but we are busy.’
Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Fri 17 Oct. Benga and Skream will also be DJlng at the Courtyard, Glasgow, Thu 16 Oct.
www.list.co.uk/clubs
LIST
THE BEST DANCEFLOOR ACTION
* Fortified Sessions Dubstep supergroup Magnetic Man guest at Fortified’s second birthday party at the GSA, with Skream and Benga playing up close DJ sets the night before. The Courtyard, Glasgow, Thu 16 Oct; Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Fn‘ 77 Oct.
* Ghakra The eighth birthday party and a new venue for the popular house/techno theme night. Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Sat 78 Oct.
* We Are . . . Electric Showcasing the sound of the Zurich underground with Zwicker and Kalabrese (22 Oct) and a live set from Get Physical’s Lopazz (29 Oct). Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Wed 22 & 29 Oct
>l= Balkanarama An explosion of Eastern European vibes with riotous gypsy brass from Orkestra del Sol. Studio 24, Edinburgh, Fri 24 Oct.
* Therapy Sessions Scottish debut of the hardcore drum & bass night with Dylan and Robyn Chaos (pictured). ‘Get ready for the slaughter’. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Fri 24 Oct. =l< Men 1. Machines DFA affiliated producer Gavin Russom, aka Black Meteoric Star, plays a guest set at the Ieftfield techno night. Stereo, Glasgow, Sat 25 Oct.
* Muslim It Stereotype Big, big, big house party with Dubfire (Deep Dish). Popof, K08 and Tokyoblu. Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Oct.
* Optimo (Espooklo!) The scariest fancy dress party in town. courtesy of the ever- mighty Optimo. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Oct; Sub Club, Glasgow, Sun 26 Oct.
=l< Big Tee’s iii-Fl More spooky goings on at Big Toe's Halloween party of deep dub. reggae and special guests (LuckyMe and The Blessings). Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, Thu 30 Oct.
>l<