Whilst funky house rots away in a cemetery of similarly deceased genres, a newer and fresher sibling preens its predecessor’s grave with scoops of newfound drum patterns and old school dubstep. Sheffield-based Beneath is one of a handful of producers who have taken the mid-2000 jackpot sound and manipulated it with their own revisions and stimuli.
“My biggest influence is what was happening in the early to mid-Noughties in dubstep I guess, but there’s lots of other influences. Films influence me quite a lot, not necessarily for their sound design but the way they make you think, like any art really,” notes the Stoke native.
Beneath’s sound wallows in the ruggedness of a Plastic People fiesta circa 2002 with heart-thumping sub basses atop spectral soundscapes. Or, as he explains, it has “that darkness that gives it a meditative vibe that allows it to be a soundtrack for your thoughts.”
It’s a revert to the minimalistic artistry that once made early grime so excitingly hostile antagonized against the tribal pulses of UK funky. “It’s like the UK underground is some well oiled machine now. I’d like it if it got a bit more rougher round the edges and things fell apart,” he adds.
This is the sound of the concrete jungle returning to dubstep and it feels good to be home.
ESSENTIALS
‘Send’ (NO SYMBOLS)
‘Still Hurts’ (NO SYMBOLS)
‘Prangin’ (UNRELEASED)