Photo: Henrik Fjoord Photography
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that the scene is in pretty good health at the moment. With this is mind, were kicking off a new semi-regular feature shedding some light on people currently doing bits for the scene.
This week we have 10 solid producers for you guys to check out. Wiley may have eaten all the pies back in 2004*, but if he tried it now I can guarantee this lot would have had their fingers in them first. Everyone featured on this list is not only skilled on the buttons, but active in all other areas of the scene. I tried counting all the labels and nights affiliated with them all, but I ran out of fingers, toes and other bodily appendages.
In alphabetical order cos Juan ain’t got favourites:
Arta
A guy with a serious musical Midas touch, everything he touches turns to pure gold. Not one to restrict himself, his tracks range from Chord Marauder-esque chilled-out 140 to experimental hip hop inspired 160bpm. Check out this untainted madness from the Shitty Wardub series:
Oh yeah, hes also a sick artist! Go cop some prints or originals from:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ArtaArtwork?ref=l2-shopheader-name
https://soundcloud.com/artamusikuk https://www.facebook.com/ArtaMusikUK/
The Cosmos
This guy has a serious work-rate. Not even joking, every time I flick onto his Insta story he’s cooking up some fresh heat in his musical laboratory. His productions always capture the bass heavy essence of 140, propelling it down new avenues for exploration:
https://soundcloud.com/user-454586621 (Low figures: Cosmos x Grundy)
https://soundcloud.com/canopusrecordsuk
Daseplate
All producers on this list have that wow-factor, but only Daseplate has that wowsmash-factor. Proficient at both remixing and producing original tracks, Daseplate isn’t too concerned with sticking to a bpm. Greeze binds his tracks when BPMS don’t:
Emti
Badman producer and part of the wider Juandem, Emti doesn’t pigeonhole himself in one style. Whether he’s producing tearout heaters or cooking up some experimental flavours in his studio (okay, it’s actually a laptop and broken headphones), his music is linked in its forward-thinking nature, tying all aspects of the dubstep continuum into single bodies of work:
Grundy
State-side producer. I did say that everyone on this list has a mad work rate, but trust me this guy is on another level. The amount of Grundy dubs sent through to Juan is insane and all hit harder than Mike Tyson after you stole his tiger. This Eazy E refix is huuuge:
If you like new music then keep your eyes out for the latest release on Grundy’s Subdamage Audio imprint. Tearout heaters from RASCAL on the Raggatalk EP:
https://www.junodownload.com/products/rascal-raggatalk/3702691-02/
Katch
Katch first came into Juan’s sights way back in 2017 when we clashed the Pond Life guys in Loughborough. Most of his output hinges around Riddim, but he seems to be cooking up fresh experimentations with sound and bpm on the daily. The thing that connects these experiments is insane sound design, guy produces some of the most crystalline sounding tracks out there. Check out this free download entitled ‘Celestial’ to see what I mean:
Major Oak
3 blokes makin’ beats in a shed n that, Major Oak is the collaborative output of Bentronix, Anex and Stankov. With three proficient producers forming its ranks, it’s no surprise that Major Oak puts out heat on the regular. Productions that span all styles creating different grooves, definitely have these guys on your radar:
Nova
The work rate this guy has is incredible. You only need a quick scroll through his soundcloud to see that he posts the equivalent of a tune a week. This ain’t a simple swap between quality and quantity though. All productions come through strong, definitely one of the most exciting guys out there at the moment:
SDLR
Essex based badman, Juan first started working with SDLR around the time of his self-titled debut release. Capable at flexing any style at 140 BPM, his productions span from murky dubstep to glacial grime. His E.P. still gets played on the regular over at Juan HQ:
https://soundcloud.com/downlowmovement
Skintdisco
Another Nottingham based producer with a ridiculous work rate, Skintdisco is one you need to be watching. With another stateside tour in the works, Skintdisco has a solid back catalogue coupled with an insane pile of dubs. Check out his VIP of 'Type Zero’:
*for all you young gunners who have no idea what I’m on about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LP_IopkDEA