Kek-W reviews the "Roots Of Dubstep" doublepack 12", which precedes the immanent release of a CD compiled by Ammunition and Blackdown. My copy of the 12" arrived this morning, so haven't had chance to write a report yet, but no need cos Kek pretty much nails it. But here's an excerpt from the press release to wet your appetites...
The very first of its kind, "Ammunition & Blackdown Present The Roots Of Dubstep" is the only compilation to definitively document the early years of dubstep. Lost white labels and overlooked gems, dusty dubplates and unreleased underground classics have been tracked down and put together into the definitive early dubstep document.
It doesn't give an exact date of release for the full compilation, but I think its tied-in with the big FWD>> night at The End next Friday. In the meantime, there's still a few promos of the 12" doublepack in stock at Rooted. Go get 'em. The only track I already had was Artwork's "Red", from the first Big Apple EP, although before it had to share groove-space with "Rolex Riddim", so this reissue actually has a superior sound. The original EP is still worth tracking down, though - "Round Sound" is amazing! The ultra-rare Hatcha mix of Benga's "Star Wars" sounds like it's been mastered from a crackly old dubplate, presumably because the digital master was lost when Benga's harddrive crashed!
It's great to finally have "Sholay" on vinyl, and El-B's "Buck & Bury" is of course a shining example of those 'cold drums' that Burial is so in awe of. Speaking of which, Doppelganger (not usually known for his music critique) comes out with his personal reaction to Burial's album here. Glad you're feeling it, mate...
Oh yeah, check out the new-look Riddim.Ca, too. Good work, Paul!
