Loefah flipped dubstep on it’s head in 2004. With seminal productions such as Horror Show and 28g, he presaged the genre’s predilection for the halfstep sound which would dominate the next two years of the dubstep. In contrast to the lively percussion of garage and breakstep, Loefah is known his sparse, low-slung transmissions. Stripping dubstep to a bare palette of 808 drums, FX and wallowing sub-bass, he’s the genre’s archetypal minimalist. Yet it is his mastery of the lowest of low frequencies that has become his calling card, as bass fetishists are left reeling in the wake of yet another of his fabled sound system work-outs.
Along with cohorts Mala and Coki, Loefah forms one third of the esteemed collective and record label DMZ – responsible for dubstep’s biggest monthly event of the same name. For the dubstep faithful, DMZ is Mecca, with thousands making cross-country and international pilgrimages to Brixton to hear the genre in its native environment. Fortunately the local dubstep contingent don’t have to rack up quite as many frequent flyer points, as the South London native touches down on our shores in August. ITM’s Citizen talks to Loefah about his forthcoming tour of Australia.
Before you got caught up in this dubstep caper, what were the records and DJs that were critical in shaping the path you have followed as an artist?
Before dubstep I was heavily into the originality of the London rave scene of the nineties. So it started off as hardcore, which I followed into jungle and eventually into drum n’ bass. At that time I listened to a little bit of hip hop, but mainly it was pirate radio or rave tapes in my walkman. I liked most styles within this period, though the sound that always felt closest to was that of Reinforced Records and eventually Metalheadz. I stopped enjoying drum n’ bass roughly around 2000. After that and before dubstep I wasn’t really into anything new so I ended up listening to a lot of old dub, rare groove, (true) soul, hip hop. Basically I started listening to the originals of the tracks jungle tunes had previously sampled.
Back in the nineties when you were going to events such as Metalheadz at the Blue Note, how did the vibe of that time compare to the vibes going down in dubstep at the moment?
The Blue Note was special. In my opinion the sound hasn’t matured enough for it to have reached a Blue Note vibe. Dubstep dances at their best are like a good jungle rave around 1994. Something like Roast at the Paradise Club or Jungle Fever at the Lazerdrome. At their worst they’re like any other generic rave where there’s loads of kids off their heads on drugs.
What were the changes in drum n’ bass that were the cause for your eventual disinterest in the genre?
It became too formulaic. The things that excited me about had pretty much gone and what remained was in virtually every other tune.
I understand that this was a period before the term dubstep had entered your vocabulary. Can you give a rundown on “138 shit”, and what that time was all about?
Mala, Coki, Pokes and myself were writing beats for fun, just ‘cos we could. I was writing a lot of jungle, trying to right what I thought was wrong with the music. At some point I realized that what I was trying to recreate was gone, it had its time. I started to write beats at 138bpm (beats per minute), inspired by what Mala was doing at the time, which was dubby house, he called broken dub house, also at 138. So the term ‘138 shit’ was what we called the music we wrote at 138.
Tell us a little bit about the first time that you went to Forward with Mala. What were your impressions of the sounds that you heard that night? About what time was this?
It was like my first rave, not knowing what to expect, not knowing any of the music or anything about the culture, just wide eyed and open eared. At those early FWDs we rarely spoke in there when there was a DJ we liked playing. You’d just find your spot in the dark, light your zoot and let the sound do its thing.
How steep has the learning curve been as you have honed your production skills over the years?
Stupidly steep. I cant listen to my early stuff now cos it’s so apparent I didn’t have a clue what I was doing! And I honestly didn’t!
How do you counter writer’s block or periods in which you are uncertain of the direction a track is taking?
I usually scrap it and start a new one. This is however extremely counter productive.
I understand that you studied a fine art degree and have a deep interest in documentary photography. In what ways does your visual sensibility inform your musical processes and vice versa?
I just think that the thought processes are very similar. I draw a tenuous parallel between documentary and underground music in the way that underground music truly reflects a part of the world at a certain point in time.
There is a real sense of negative space in your productions which allows each element its own place to breathe. In an interview a few years ago, you even said “space is just as much an instrument as a kick or a snare”. How do you get from being an ardent fan of the manic percussion of jungle and drum and bass to making some of the most rhythmically reduced music within dubstep?
Good question. I think the answer is Photek.
The energy of dubstep is distinct to most traditional dancefloor music, with sparse productions such as your own Horror Show, Mud and Ruffage displaying a dynamic which is almost the antithesis of the bulk of club music. Being that you are effectively working at half the tempo, how do you maintain a sense of momentum and energy in your tracks?
If there’s a groove people will dance. I think pace and energy always come second to groove. Often, if not always, my beats are produced at 70bpm, but the bass groove is hopefully at 140. I like to see the beat almost as a pacemaker, and the let the interest come from the bass and space. It’s kind of flipping what I got from jungle on its head. I mean the beats in jungle were definitely intricate and very busy, though often the bass groove was halftime to that of the beat. I think that crossing full time with half time creates a great groove.
The success of the DMZ night has brought increased attention from the media, and subsequently more crowds with many traveling from across the country and from overseas. What is it about your night that exerts such a magnetic force?
I think its honesty. It’s strictly about music. You can be yourself and just enjoy a good dance.
What are you packing in your crate at the moment that Australian audiences are not likely to have heard before?
I’ve got some new Mala bits, some Bug tracks, a couple of Distance bits, some Skream, some LD, Cluekid, Luke Envoy amongst others. One or two of mine too!
Catch the Loefah experience at the following shows…
1st Aug – Phoenix Bar, Sydney
2nd Aug – Step Inn, Brisbane
7th Aug – Rhino Room, Adelaide
8th Aug – Perth
9th Aug – Melbourne
And check out a bit of DMZ madness…
