Crack

The Donuts boys are known for putting on some of the best nights Bristol has to offer. In the past, the likes of Four Tet, Roska and Joy Orbison have taken to the decks. So it comes as no surprise they managed to book dubstep icon Kode 9 for a night at Basement 45.

Founder of Hyperdub records, Kode 9 has given birth to some of dubstep's most influential artists (remember that Burial bloke?). He's also pretty clever and likes to share his knowledge with the students of East London university; something I know would make me get up in time for my lectures.

On Friday 11th June, Basement 45 was buzzing at Kode 9's imminent arrival. Not only was he headlining, but he was playing for three solid hours; that's enough to make even the most K'd up newbie stand to attention. With my ticket in tow and earplugs at the ready, I was game for a night of good vibes. After the intense heat had smacked me in the face, the back room opened its arms to me, with the crowd bobbing in unison.

Now, we all know that dubstep has been making quite a stir on the music scene for sometime, but it's becoming difficult to differentiate between the various sub-strands of the genre that have appeared over the last year or so. It seems every one wants a slice of the dub in its various guises and it is testament to Kode 9's versatility, that in his set tonight he manages to effectively represent what is happening in dub music today. Starting off with a solid track from Floating Points, a deep dubby house number was perfect to whet the punter's appetites. Arms in the air and heads nodding, you could tell the crowd were in for a treat.

Moving from deep 'dubby' house to the newer brand of dub, Kode 9 had kept his set fairly safe for the first hour and a-half. The bass was there, the crowd were there, but you could tell people wanted more. After a quick trip to the bar, I came back to a room with grime bursting at the seams, with lyrics and beats aggressive enough to turn this crowd into beat hungry whores. And if that wasn't grimey enough for you, Kode 9 polished off his set with a few jungle numbers, much to the delight of the Basement crew.

After a set like that, I'll have my dub cake and eat it.



Words: Samantha Maine

Tune: Curious

http://www.myspace.com/kode9

http://www.donutsthestore.co.uk/

Photo: Chris Cooper

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