RE: Will this break 2 step in the US?

From: Dirk van den Heuvel (dirkv@groovedis.com)
Date: Thu May 10 2001 - 19:26:42 CEST

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    RE: Will this break 2 step in the US?Philip,
    I forgot to mention Shelf Life but I agree with you they seem to be pretty
    consistent. I think people who liked nu skool breaks might really enjoy some
    of the "breaks-steps" sounds coming from Zinc, Hype and the like, but if you
    hated nu skool breaks you probably won't like those guys releases either.
    Anyway while I find myself standing up for 2-step here I do agree there is
    not as much innovation going on in 2-step as there is in say nu jazz but
    there's still some nice things coming out.
    Dirk van den Heuvel
    President/GM, Groove Distribution
    "Your Guide To The Underground"
    http://www.groovedis.com

      -----Original Message-----
      From: Philip Sherburne [mailto:philip@askjeeves.com]
      Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 9:04 PM
      To: 'Dirk van den Heuvel '; 'Leslie N. Shill '; 'Mark Turner '
      Cc: 'Erik Boralv '
      Subject: RE: Will this break 2 step in the US?

      I'll second the Locked On recommendation - I've got four of their records,
    and they haven't me disappointed yet. Really tough, breaky stuff in the vein
    of Landslide, but more straightforwardly garagey.

      Also check out anything on Shelf Life - I believe there are 4 records so
    far, of which I've found 3 (one is purportedly Blaze, but I have a hard time
    believing it's the same as the US Garage Blaze), and they're all hella
    tight: clipped and dubby and spacious, with some cheeky basslines.

      I was really excited after hearing the Lina single, which was choppy R&B
    inna garage style, that there'd be some good remixes of it... unfortunately,
    the doublepack I got (rmxs by Architects, Transformerz, et al) doesn't
    improve upon the original at all.

      And don't forget Julie Dexter's "The Plan" on Main Squeeze - IG gets nice
    w/ a 2step mix... in a similar vein, keep your eyes peeled for some broken
    2step mixes of Beatless coming out sometime this summer from Ubiquity.

      Cheers
      Philip

      -----Original Message-----
      From: Dirk van den Heuvel
      To: Leslie N. Shill; Mark Turner
      Cc: Erik Boralv
      Sent: 5/9/01 6:05 PM
      Subject: RE: Will this break 2 step in the US?

      A couple of points...

      first off, it's hard to pin down the sound of 2-step right now as many
      people/labels are combining it with other sounds and creating these new
      hybrids. Whether it's 2-step mixed with breaks and drum & bass or 2-step
      that veers over to broken beat or 2-step mixed liberally with r&b. The
      genre
      we get the most calls about right now is hands down 2-step and whether
      you've gotten a chance to hear or not, or whether you're a fan or not,
      there
      simply is no denying now that there are some execellent 2-step records
      out
      there.

      Here's an off the cuff list of 2-step artists/singles well worth
      tracking
      down:

      1. Wookie (his own stuff plus his tons of remixes)
      2. Landslide
      3. MJ Cole (his own stuff plus his tons of remixes)
      4. Horsepower Prods
      5. Gush Collective
      6. 2-step remix of Outkast's Miss Jackson
      7. DJ Zinc- 138 Trek
      8. Jammin
      9. Kosheen-Hide U Garage Remix
      10. So Solid Crew (for so more poppy 2-step)
      11. most of the stuff on Locked On

      Dirk van den Heuvel
      President/GM, Groove Distribution
      "Your Guide To The Underground"
      http://www.groovedis.com

      -----Original Message-----
      From: Leslie N. Shill [mailto:icehouse@redshift.com]
      Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 6:57 PM
      To: Mark Turner
      Cc: Erik Boralv
      Subject: Re: Will this break 2 step in the US?

      Mark,

      It is true, I am a very open minded when it comes to music but so far
      there
      has been very little that raises my thermometer when it comes to 2-step.
      I
      am hopeful that, as you point out, some truly good and valid music will
      emerge from what we are now hearing but, quite frankly, there is little
      here
      in the 2-step thing that gets my full interest. I try to be as accepting
      as
      possible of all kinds of music and in particular of the music that
      people on
      this list tend to be positive about but 2-step just doesn't do it for me
      I
      am afraid. As a live DJ I find only a smattering of tracks that i can
      work
      into my dance sets and, as a radio DJ, there is almost nothing that I
      have
      found to be worth layering into my sets!

      You are right about Drum and Bass and where it emerged from and to take
      it
      one step further, there is much that qualifies as DnB that I find to be
      unmitigated drivel but there is a whole lot that I love. I hope that you
      are
      right and that some classic thing emerges out of what is currently
      2-step
      and I would be more than happy to find that music and to air it on the
      radio
      and the dancefloor.

      It is interesting to note that no well known DnB producer has produced
      tracks for any group with the sort of profile that Nsync has. I am
      prepared
      to give it time to develop and to see what emerges out of it but I am
      going
      to take some convincing because i find the rhythms not to my taste,
      there is
      so much more that is a lot more danceable and also listenable.

      If there is anyone out there who wants to put up a list of their top 10
      or
      even 5 of absolutely MUST listen 2-step, I am open enough to give that a
      listen, if I can find the stuff! Bring it on, my thing is music and if
      you
      and the others on this list whose opinions I respect really find
      something
      to LOVE about 2-step, then I owe it to myself to listen some more!

      leslie/The Power of Sound
      ----- Original Message -----
      From: "Mark Turner" <nugroove@pacbell.net>
      To: <acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>
      Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 3:38 PM
      Subject: RE: Will this break 2 step in the US?

    > Leslie Shill said:
    > --
    > So Dave, I just can't agree with you about 2-step, there will probably
    > eventually be a handful of tracks that bear mentioning but I am unable
      to
    > see this form even become a genre in its own right and quite frankly,
      give
    > me some good downtempo stuff any time of the day if I am just
      listening
      and
    > some good solid beats if I am dancing but, as a DJ who likes to think
      of
    > himself as being somewhat eclectic, 2-step is a short-lived
      phenomenon.
      Who
    > will produce or remix the Britney Spears 2-step track? Once a form
      makes
      the
    > crossover to artists like Nsync then, musical snob that I admittedly
      am,
      it
    > goes into my out box faster than you can say 2-step!
    > --
    >
    > Leslie, I'm surprised to hear an open-minded DJ such as yourself
      writing
      off
    > 2-step so quickly. Don't forget that the drum'n'bass music which you
    > obviously cherish had its origins in the hardcore rave scene, a scene
      that
    > gave us MUCH forgettable music!
    >
    > At this point, I'm not sure whether I consider 2-step a genre or
      simply a
    > rhythm. But I've heard enough to know that it can encompass many
      styles of
    > music, from house to soul to jazz, dub, and beyond. Recently I've been
      VERY
    > impressed by the work of Horsepower Productions, who seem to be all
      over
      the
    > musical map with their 2-step experiments. I say give it time to
      develop,
    > and before long, some truly awesome 2-step tracks will be hitting you
      right
    > between the ears. :-)
    >
    > _____________________
    > Mark Turner
    > nugroove@pacbell.net
    > www.jazzadelica.com
    > _____________________
    >
    >
    >



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