The phenomenon that is dubstep has taken over all corners of the globe in recent years. As to prove that point, South African DJ/producer MPI - aka Mike Politis - has just released We Love Bass (Volume 1) on Sony Recordings. Featuring tracks from local and international artists, it is the first-ever dubstep compilation to have emerged from Africa and we caught up with MPI to check out the scene down south...

 

How long have you been working on the new album?

I worked on compiling We Love Bass (Vol 1) for about a year. It's a completely new thing both for South Africa and for Sony Music in this part of the world so it took quite a long time to get everything in order. Once all the licensing was done, the mix came fast and smooth and I was really relieved to finally get it onto shelves in time for Christmas.

 

Mix N Blend - Outta Town [Hyphen & SFR Remix] by africandope

 

Tell us about which type of sound you were trying to achieve?

Because this type of release is very new to our territory, I wanted to have a blend of as many styles within dubstep as possible, including "commercial" remixes so that the everyday Joe could pick up a copy, have a listen, enjoy and open his/her mind to new sounds. I think this was achieved with the album being the number 1 seller out of Sony's catalogue on the day of release.

 

Tell us more about the tracks you have selected release...

I included both local and international content and made sure there a couple of classics thrown in to the mix as well. Some of the International tracks include, Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix), MJ Cole - Be Sincere (Nero Remix), Calvertron & Figure - Bring The Bass Back, and some local by the likes of Mix n' Blend - Out of Town, MPI ft Harry Brooks Jnr  - Creep and EL Phonix ft Je$$ - This Can Be.

 

MPI ft Harry Brooks Jnr - Creep by MPI

 

What is the dubstep scene like in South Africa? Any artists to watch?

The scene is growing daily and is at a really good stage at the moment with a lot of youngsters getting involved as DJs, producers and mainly punters, so the future looks very bright for the SA scene. Drum & Bass is still the predominant sound going down in the Bass Music sector, but dubstep is coming up fast on its heels! Some artists to watch out for would be El Phonix, Mix n Blend, MPI, SFR and Hyphen.

 

Do you have any details about upcoming live performances/releases etc?

We have a full country-wide tour happening over the summer holidays (now) and into the first quarter of 2012 which includes launches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom and Stellenbosch. Other than that, I have been offered launches in Botswana and Zambia which in my opinion is huge and means that the sound is definitely reaching the rest of Africa. Good things for dubstep in deep, dark Africa.

 

Sony Music have also shown interest in more We Love Bass releases in the future and will feature double disk releases instead of a single disk, with the second disk being drum & bass. Exciting times! A few local labels featured on the album also have regular digital releases like, Yucatech Recordings and African Dope. These are available on most major download portals.

 

 

Related Links:

• We Love Bass (Vol 1)
• We Love Bass (Vol 1)
• Label Profile: On A Break
• Label Profile: On A Break
• Introducing: SFR

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