Dubstep — a subgenre of electronic music — has only been around for a few years, but its DJs, promoters and fans are spreading at an exponential pace. Previously only found in places like London and Manchester, England, dubstep nights are now common in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. And on the first Tuesday of each month, the local dubstep community gathers at the River Street Jazz Cafe; in Plains for Rooted, a monthly dubstep showcase.
On April 1, Rooted will host Baltimore DJ Joe Nice, credited with bringing dubstep to the U.S. Also performing on Tuesday at the Jazz Cafe3; will be Rooted resident DJs Gaje, Guerilla, Kai-Lo and Conscious Pilot.
Rooted was launched last year by Conscious Pilot — Pat Forster — and Brian Williams, who DJs as Guerilla. The event has gained grassroots momentum; last month’s Rooted drew more than 80 people, Williams said.
“It’s on a Tuesday night, so there’s not a lot of the foot traffic you’d get on a weekend,” said Williams, of Nanticoke. “People that are out are out for this event.”
Despite dubstep’s growing popularity, it’s still a close-knit society. This enables Rooted to book the genre’s top acts, such as Nice.
“The cool part about dubstep is that it’s such an underground thing,” Williams said. “It’s like a counterculture movement. There’s a small number in the states, and when there’s weeklies or monthlies thriving, just by us having it, people definitely want to be a part of it.”
Previous Rooted acts include Moldy, from Maine; Juakali, of New York; M.R.K. 1, of Manchester; Secret Agent Gel, of New York; Sharmaji, of New York; ABZ, of Pittsburgh; Claw, of New York; and Dore and Nebulla, of New York. Additionally, Conscious Pilot and Guerilla have played in New York twice, and all four Rooted DJs played a show together in Philly.
Dubstep, a style of music which has a heavy emphasis on bass, sprung from London’s garage scene in the early 2000s.
Nice, who was born in England and moved to the U.S. as a baby, was a club DJ in Baltimore before he became disillusioned with the scene and discovered dubstep. He has since been credited as an ambassador of dubstep to the U.S., and in an article last year, EARWAKS.com said Nice “has played a key role in helping the genre reach critical mass on a global scale.”
“He’s the top DJ for dubstep in the USA,” Williams said. “He’s been the champion of the sound, he’s really pushed it here.”
Williams said Nice is noted for his use of dubplates, acetate vinyl records he has made of songs that have yet to be released as vinyl albums and singles. These are limited in life — about 20 plays — and Nice uses the dubplates as well as vinyl records instead of digital tracks on a laptop. Some of the songs are never officially released, so the only way to here them is when Nice spins them live.
This practice, Williams explained, has roots in the Jamaican reggae tradition, where roots reggae artists would record songs in the morning, cut them to acetates, and give them to DJs to play in the clubs that night.
A wide variety of performers and fans have been drawn to the dubstep movement. Williams, for example, was a jam band and rock fan who followed the Grateful Dead and Phish. The diversity has been represented in the Rooted crowds thus far, he said.
“It’s something you really have to experience,” he said. “It’s not like a rave, it’s not like there’s going to be drugs there. It’s not about popularity, it’s about the sound. …
“It’s really been everybody. You have some of the roller derby people, you have the hipsters, scenesters, skaters, the backpack kids. Some of the alternative countercultures. It’s a really open, friendly environment. If you like dub reggae and you like good bass and you like good vibes, it’s the place to be.”
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go:
What: Rooted
Who: Joe Nice w/ Gaje, Guerilla, Kai-Lo and Conscious Pilot
Where: River Street Jazz Cafe;, 665 N. River St., Plains
When: Tuesday, April 1, 10 p.m.
Cost: $3, 21+