I don’t like dancing in public. It usually takes some persuading and a fair bit of Jaeger before I can let loose on the floor. But Friday’s headliner Cotti and the resident Void Dj’s had me doing moves reminiscent of Kevin Bacon in his footloose heyday. On ketamine. There is just something about this monthly night that gets even the most cynical people gyrating.
Cotti represents that intangible aspect of dubstep, that dirty, throbbing bass, distilled and purified by the Hijack sound system. More and more I can appreciate minimalist dubstep; dark, eerie and using beats that are completely necessary, haunting, gut churning waves of sound. But it was Cotti’s style that first drew me into dubstep, grimy but uplifting.
Cotti; producer, DJ and MC is undoubtedly at the forefront of the dubstep/grime scene, responsible for two of the biggest selling Dubstep releases of 2007. Hailing from Brixton, South London, the birthplace of the intense bassy sound that mirrors its industrial roots, he has made a name for himself through complex production and sound innovation.
One half of the Minus 30 record label, Cotti is also owner and founder of Bassface Records, launched in 2007. He has already released a grime EP in London, another with Souljazz records and three separate twelve step Dubstep vinyls, spinning tracks like Sensi Dub and I Don’t Give A Dub that have left crowds all over the world clambering to sit on the bass.
The Void crowd enjoyed its’ monthly dub/reggae infused narcotic stupor, coupled with pulsating two step rhythms which left you free to unleash your footloose moves on an unsuspecting, yet very chilled crowd.
Spinning tracks from Fabriclive37, an amazing showcase of top dubstep Dj’s mixing beats dirtier than my favourite baby in the microwave joke. The album features dubstep aficionado’s Caspa, Rusko, Cotti, Skream and Digital Mystik. With each artist mixing variations on each other’s beats with mad samples dropped in, and a showcase of dubstep influences throbs through each track: grime, dub/reggae, dance hall, two sep, electro… and Cotti did not disappoint delivering album tracks Jahova and Legacy live.
Keep an eye out for a new night the Void crew are starting up. This one just keeps getting better and better.
