Friday, August 11

Beta Lounge 7.4.00

The hi-hats are like house, the drums remind you of jungle, the basslines are extra-funky... hey, why is her voice pitched up so high? If you noticed a different momentum behind the rhythms at tonight's Beta Lounge it's because you're hearing an entirely new vibe coming outta London: the sound of two-step garage, courtesy of the Justice League Sound System's Monty Luke. Monty Luke describes two-step as an alternative to "a typical house track; it changes the mood and vibe up a bit. The rhythms take syncopation and the fusion of jazz and electronica to a new level, and for that reason I think it can be an important new form." Judging by the in-house reactions at the studio tonight, and hundreds of cheers for his 4th of July set on a beach in Bolinas, CA, people are ready for this descendant of house and drum and bass.

If you like what you hear and want more, the bad news is that it isn't easy to find. Monty was exposed to it via a Canadian mix tape and it took a trip to London for him to hear it broadcast by pirate stations like Upfront and Freek FM. The majority of the music comes out on unlabeled 12" vinyl that circulates through the DJ community, on labels like Public Demand, Locked On, Sidestepper, DJ's for Life and Talking Loud. But because a lot of two-step can be driven by samples of R&B vocals from popular American artists like Sisquo and Mary J. Blige, it might just blow up amid new controversy between major labels and underground music producers.

Post rave, 21st century British soul.... in the States it's only on the net, and the best is only on the Beta Lounge.