brixton to brooklyn

the first time i'd travelled to NY in pursuit of music, was to see rage against the machine and beastie boys in concert up state. unfortunately that gig was cancelled, my mission failed. i returned feeling glum and in light of the strange upstate folks i met and the intensely materialistic culture, unsure that i'd ever return to america again. however, i heard through the dubstepforum grapevine that there were a couple of parties going down and deciding i couldnt miss out, booked a flight the day before i left.

this time round, my mission was successful and on saturday, i was at dmz meets dubwar downtown, shocking out with global dubsteppa's and public enemy's hank shocklee, experiencing a dancefloor of exploding hands and feet. having a snowball fight to a NYC backdrop in between dancing to dub, techno and soul at sunday night's pubwarz session at the box car lounge was like a dream come true. experiencing the sound through Cielo's amazingly crisp sound system on monday proved that promoters from outside of the inner scene are finally taking it seriously. to more 'tin pan sound'. really and truly, i could write a essay about the events that occurred in NYC over the last few days. but y'know, i like to let photos do most of the talking.

typically, if u were there, u know what i'm talking about. if u weren't but have been with the sound in ur town- producers, dj's, promoters, journalists, bloggers, photographers, skankers, u were there in spirit. what really hit home is that dubstep, or whatever u wish to call it, is indeed a global movement; one that is powered from within by above mentioned people who have a real and genuine love for an uncompromising sound that penetrates every part of the body, mind and soul.

i've often been asked why it is that people get hooked on dubstep to the extent that they let everything else in they're lives fall by the wayside. my answer? it's more than music, it's an international community made strong by the fact that it's an international community. if you're in it, you're in it deep. stuck in the bass, stuck in the mud. i know of no other scene that has managed to get this far without major label help. i know of no other current sound that has the ability to bring people from all over the world together purely for music. okay, so we hit the dancefloors hard but as loefah and mala highlighted in the bbc collective dubstep documentary last year, it's not about drugs and going out on the pull. it's about peaceful partying and survival in a world ruled by the man without getting help from the man; it's about love for our brothers and sisters regardless of colour, creed, class and status. it's about roots and culture and it's about the next generation of real music lovers. dubstep aint a genre. it's a revolution. truth. photos on the way.