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Mixed in Edinburgh, June 2010

(72:32, 132.1 MB, V0 VBR MP3)

Zip pack (cut into individual tracks)

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Cue file

Style: Dubstep

Direct link to the mix:

http://sonicrampage.org/mixes/wc2/Pearsall-WobbleCity2.mp3

Tracklisting:

01. Kryptic Minds – The Weeping (Disturbed Dubz)

02. Distance – Clockwork (Tectonic)

03. Emalkay – Solid State (Storming Productions)

04. Jakes – Rhythm (Hench)

05. Fused Forces – Back Fire (Substance Abuse)

06. Reso – Armored Core (Civil Music)

07. Kutz – Grit Your Teeth (Soul Jazz)

08. Zero G – Bass Culture (Liondub International)

09. Instra:Mental – No Future (Skreamix) (NonPlus)

10. F-One – Murder Most Foul (Dubstar)

11. Kromestar – Head No Good (Dubstar)

12. Mistabishi – Printer Jam (Barbarix Remix) (Hospital)

13. Phokus & Mr Boogie – The Infect (Police In Helicopter)

14. Adam F & Horx – Shut The Lights Off feat. Redman (Caspa & Trolley Snatcha’s Dub Police Remix) (Breakbeat Kaos)

15. Rusko – Woo Boost (Mad Decent)

16. Crissy Criss – Blow Your Head Off (Terrorhythm)

17. Datsik – Gizmo (Basshead)

18. Trolley Snatcha – We Rock The Forest (Dub Police)

19. Sub Scape – Let Me Clear My Throat (Milf)

20. Rusko – Go Go Gadget (Dub Police)

21. Digital Mystikz – Earth A Run Red (Soul Jazz)

22. New Blood – Worries In The Dance (Dubstep Re-Rub) (White)

23. Kid Sister – Right Hand Hi (Caspa Remix) (Asylum)

24. The Prodigy – Take Me To The Hospital (Rusko Remix) (Take Me To The Hospital)

25. Mensah – Acid Dub (Hench)

26. Doctor P – Sweet Shop (Circus)

27. Taz Buckfaster – Crusher (Lime Dubs)

28. Foreign Beggars – No Holds Barred ft Noisia (Excision Remix) (Never Say Die)

29. Skream – Guitar Hero (Sin City)

30. Skream – Kinky (Ringo)

31. Tek-One – Broken String (Hench)

32. The Prodigy – Breathe (Numbernin6 Remix) (White)

33. Mavado – Gangsta 4 Life (Coki Remix) (White)

34. Skream & Cluekid – Sandsnake (Goth-Trad Remix) (Disfigured Dubz)

35. Redlight – Feel So Good (Wine Up Yr Body) ft. Dread, Redskin & Zaniah (Run Music)

36. Sully – Living (Urban Graffiti)

37. Skream – Burning Up (Digital Soundboy)

38. DJ Crystl – Warpdrive (Dee Jay Recordings)

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Cover: Taken from my bathroom window, Edinburgh, January 2010

So, twelve months on from the first Wobble City and, well … I’m still listening to lots and lots and lots of dubstep.

I love it!

I love the deep, moody, introspective stuff, and I really love the hard face-shredding bassy stuff, as featured on this mix.

Hard-edged, blocky beats with weighty subs and fierce mid-range action – fantastic.

Maybe it’s not so cool (since the trend-setters seem to have moved on to ‘post-garage’ and UK Funky, both of which are good), but life is too short to worry about that kind of thing. In any case, I’m nearly 30, so it’s well past time to stop worrying about being cool!

Anyways, clearly the moment was ripe for another edition of Wobble City, so a few weeks ago I started digging through the crates for some suitably nasty tunes. Track selection is one of the most entertaining parts of putting together a mix, requiring as it does assembling a selection of tracks to fit a certain mood and vibe. These tracks have to all work together, and provide a coherent sonic narrative (although I put more emphasis on the narrative when I do hard 4/4 mixes than I do with stuff like dubstep or jungle, as I explained in my post for Rampage Audio 6). Working through this process involves figuring out which tracks go well together individually and as part of the overall whole, as well as the optimum way to mix between any two tracks, whether to do a short mix or a long mix, whether to gently slide the new track in, or whether to just slam it straight into the mix. It’s always a bit time-consuming, because some tracks just do not work in the overall context of the mix, and others might fit in the overall vibe, but don’t work in between any individual tracks.

As with the previous mix, I’ve tried to season the new tracks with some older tunes, combining anthems with slightly more obscure tunes, and to take in somewhat different vibes and sounds as I move through the mix. The mix starts with chunky steppers from the likes of Kryptic Minds and Emalkay before hitting some nasty midrange action from F-One and Kromestar, passing through some party tunes from Trolley Snatcha and Rusko, a bit of old skool-influenced tunage from Mensah and Doctor P, some darker beats, before emerging at the other end with a few jungle-influenced tunes. Finally, to close the circle between (really) old and new, I’ve ended the mix by moving from Skream’s jungle tribute ‘Burning Up’ to DJ Crystl’s ’94 ambient jungle anthem ‘Warpdrive’. Along the way I’ve tried to vary the mixing, with some quick mixes, some longer mixes, a bit of trickery in the form of cuts and spinbacks, as well as some nasty double-drops (the mix from ‘Let Me Clear My Throat’ into ‘Go Go Gadget’ works particularly well in that respect).

It was quite a fun challenge putting this mix together, because it is not easy (at least for me!) to fit 38 tracks into only 72 minutes. When I wrote the accompanying essay for the first Wobble City, one of the things I talked about was how using vinyl makes you feel like you are physically interfacing with the sound, that you are controlling the beats with your hands, setting them in place. At times, when doing a mix like this, with so many tracks in such a short amount of time, it feels almost like you have embarked on some kind of weird cross between a juggling competition and mathematical exercise. It’s tricky!

Obviously, for some people this is not so difficult, but I make no pretentions about being the world’s best dj (although I do think I’m pretty good, if that’s not being too big-headed). As an example, check out the Keep Watch mix that Plastician did for Mishka NYC – it’s got like 50 tracks in only an hour! Insane stuff.

Still, though, I enjoy mixing dubstep, even if it is not yet as intuitive for me as mixing those styles like techno or acid that I have been playing for years now. It’s been fun getting into playing a new style of music over the last couple of years now, even if I’ve never actually played it out to a crowd.

One of the weirder aspects of my relationship with dubstep is that for me it’s basically a home listening music, even the ugly, heavy stuff. Which is strange, because there are probably not many styles of music that are so different in the club environment – after all, unless you have unusually tolerant neighbours, you’ll never get the same level of b a s s p r e s s u r e at home as you will in a club. But then again I don’t go clubbing any more, and I only rarely play at parties these days, and I haven’t played in a ‘proper’ club for about six years now … although if anyone wants to book me, please get in touch!

Enjoy!

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