BCC radio 1 - the showcase at Sónar
» Published by szola on Aug 09, 2007
Friday the 15th of June, BBC Radio 1 landed at Sónar. They landed in numbers, and they had an agenda to follow. Sónar was given they’re first dose of dubstep.
It was only just that the sonic invasion from beyond the clipps of Albion was headed by the always lovely Mary Ann Hobbs. She is a radio Dj with a fantastic voice that is always delightful to listen to in the late hours. She is a radio Dj with a show that always presents the best and the freshes in quality modern music. (how many times have we heard the words ‘world exclusive’ being uttered?) And the Sónar crowd could also wittness at first hand, how great Dj miss Mary Ann Hobbs is. Her set way an amazing ride through many genres, though never straying to far off the dubstep path. For those you were lucky enough to be present and for those who are curious of how a world class radio programme sounds like, tuning into or listening to her podcasts on BCC radio 1 is recommended.
After the crowd was warmed up by Mary Ann Hobbs, Kode9 and the Spaceape took over. And what a set they delivered! The varied musical styles of the previous set was transformed into a deep-repetitive bass-assault. Kode9 and the Spaceape’s take on dubstep comes from the darkest corner of the genre. Kode9 brings massively heavy dark beats that literally takes hold of your body and pushes you back. A fantastic sensation that can be highly addictive. The Spaceape matches the dark undertones of Kode9’s music with a vocal style that is as deep and dark as the music he rhymes over. This combination delivered one of the best gigs at the Sónar festival. The tracks flowed one after another, spurres on by the energetic stage presence of the Spaceape and the precision of Kode9. A truly fantastic voyage.
The last gig of the BBC radio 1 showcase that Soundscaping attended was Skream. Skream’s dj set seemingly pleased the dancing crowd which had been swelling ever since Mary Ann Hobbs started to spinn the records. The dark bass sound from Kode9 and the Spaceape was substituted by a lighter and more party orientated sound. The dubstep feel was still present, the family remained, but this was a happier cousin. Skream delivered a Dj set without too many surprises, plenty of well-known crowd pleasers and showed the people wise enough to be there, another side of the exciting new genre labelled dubstep.