Dubstep was born in London in the 1990’s, but it took time to grow into its sound and gather a following. When it exploded in popularity in the United States, around 2010, it was with the sounds of Skrillex, which really irked many underground dubstep artists in the UK. British founders of the movement were protective of dubstep. This fits with the pervasive stereotype of Europe and the US’ standoffish relationship when it comes to dance music culture.
Fast-forward a few years from 2010: we are in Seattle, sitting in the low-ceilinged green room at Foundation with Doctor P, renowned dubstep producer and co-founder of dubstep label Circus Records (with business partner Flux Pavillion). The 28-year-old, known to his family has Shaun Brockhurst, shared his thoughts on what’s happening in the dubstep scene as well as the wider dance music scene, and his thoughts on what is next.
[quote author=”Doctor P”] The scene in the UK used to be so exciting. You could go to a basement club anywhere in the UK and play to a crowd of 200 people and they’d be loving it. Now, not so much. I think it’s because it’s blown up in America. People feel like ‘It’s big in America now, we can’t like it.’ [/quote]
Doctor P was born and raised, both literally and as an artist, in the UK. If you are a serious fan, you probably know that Doctor P and Flux Pavillion were in a band together in high school. However, the band just didn’t work out. Eventually Brockhurst tried his hand at DJing and producing and found his niche in the world of dubstep, in the midst of a burgeoning scene.
Knowing Brockhurst had taken started out in the world of real instruments, and because the Arcade Fire-Deadmau5 feud was fresh in our minds, we asked him what he thought about the persistent conversation about the value of playing real instruments as compared with producing electronic music.
[quote author=”Doctor P”] It’s like apples and oranges. You can’t really compare it. [/quote]
Shaun diplomatically pointed out that Arcade Fire could have just as easily been a producer instead of a band, looking somewhat nostalgic as he reminded us of his and Flux’s band days that didn’t work out. In his mind, it seems, artists go where their skills and interests take them. If you want to make it in the music world, sometimes you have to be flexible, and explore paths you didn’t start out on.
The flexibility to change form, as Doctor P did from a bandmate to a dubstep producer, is a less-recognized tenant of the music world. Brockhurst insists that he listens to and makes many different kinds of music. He talked to us about the evolution of dance music as the world gravitates to one genre or another, sometimes attracted to music with instruments, sometimes preferring a purely electronic flavor.
[quote author=”Doctor P”] Electronic music always seems to go round in cycles. People start to introduce instruments to it, that’s the way it seems to progress. [/quote]
He said this somewhat slowly, as if recalling a myriad of different artists and sounds that he has heard of the years. He then pointed out the renewed notoriety for several artists over ten years after their original explosion on the scene such as Eric Prydz and BT. “That’s really what you want,” he said, thinking surely of the longevity of his own career, which is already far more successful than he ever dreamed.
Despite the cycling and return to notoriety for some artists, it’s quite impossible to predict accurately what will be the next big thing, or who will return to take the dance music world by storm a second or third time. Doctor P took a chance and shared that he thinks glitch hop may be the next genre to have its day in the sun.
[quote author=”Doctor P”] Glitch hop has always been there but it’s never had its time. There hasn’t been that one big track yet to popularize that music. [/quote]
When asked if he might be the one to make the glitch hop track that blows up the genre, Shaun seemed willing to try his hand at it, as someone not afraid to limit himself to just one genre. In a movement towards evolving his sound, 2014 promises to be a year packed with new releases.
Although the dubstep scene in the UK has moved from a boil to a simmer, it is still alive and well, and Doctor P is certainly taking advantage of the move stateside, having visited for shows ten times in 2013, including a recent visit for Resolution in January. And dance music has proved to be more than just a passing phase; it’s everwhere. In Doctor P’s opinion, this has some far-reaching effects.
[quote author=”Doctor P”] It’s not going to go away. EDM is getting big, it’s having a big impact. People have grown up through their teenage years with it. That stays with you. [/quote]
The muffled roar from the main room rose sharply to a cheer, seemingly in confirmation of the truth that Doctor P stated, though they couldn’t possibly have heard his words. The phrase “It’s not going to go away” sunk in, followed by an unexpected sensation of calm that contrasted sharply with the dubstep show we were there to see. The music we love is taking root, growing deep, and making an impact. Doctor P, who’s been around the block and truly knows his element, reminds us that the staying power of this music movement is just as exciting as the next big thing.
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