Features

2009 was an incredibly exciting year for dubstep. As the sound has exploded on an international stage, producers coming at the sound from all kinds of different angles have brought their own aesthetic to the sound ensuring its continuing evolution.

The recent convergence of bass music has scene dubstep coalesce with the sounds of everything from house and techno to hip hop and drum and bass and the most exciting music has come from the producers exploring these peripheral mutations.

It is impossible to try and predict where the music will go in 2010, but here are just some of the people that are poised to excite in the coming year...

Deadboy
The enigmatic South-Londoner is most definitely going to be one to watch in 2010. His brilliant debut release on Well Rounded, U Cheated/Heartbreaker/Brock Lee Riddim, gave a tantalizing taste of what this producer is capable of. Melding together elements of classic garage, funky and dubstep, his tunes marry an uncanny ability to get a dancefloor moving with a powerful emotional delicacy. With dubplate If You Want Me currently being caned by DJs everywhere and due to be the first release on the newly formed Numbers label, we will undoubtedly be hearing a lot more from Deadboy in the coming year.

Tracks to check out: U Cheated, If You Want Me

Guido
While much has been said about Guido's friends and counterparts Gemmy and Joker, Guido is undoubtedly the dark horse that you should be certain to keep a close eye on in 2010. Taking his cue as much from RnB slow jams as grime, Guido's productions display a deft melodic touch and ear for an undeniable hook which stay with the listener long after listening. With an album project in the pipeline and an increasing amount of original productions and remixes stacking up, this young producer is clearly only just getting started.

Tracks to check out: Beautiful Complication, Pinch – Get Up (Guido Remix)

Hyetal
A slew of releases towards the end of 2009 on labels like Soul Motive, Reduction and Formant from the young and talented Hyetal have cemented his place as one of the most exciting up and coming talents around. A penchant for old computer games, movie soundtracks and vintage synths have all played a part in helping to form his warm, vibrant and effortlessly soulful sound. With fans that include Starkey and Mary Anne Hobbs, he is undoubtedly set for big things.

Tracks to check out: Gold or Soul, Ice Cream (with Shortstuff)

Hyetal - Gold or Soul by Soul Motive

Ikonika
Hyperdub's first lady, Ikonika, has turned heads ever since her debut Please/Simulacrum release. Characterised by her distinctive wailing synths, bouncing basslines and rhythmic ingenuity, Ikonika's music sounds warped and unstable, yet is underpinned by a sense of fragility and emotion that is strangely hypnotic. Her eagerly anticipated album Contact, Love, Want, Have is due for release on Hyperdub in April and the potential and all the ingredients are certainly there for it to be one of the most exciting and accomplished albums this year.

Tracks to check out: Millie, Smuck

James Blake
From the off, James Blake has shown himself to be a prodigious talent. The some-time Mount Kimbie vocalist's first forays into production have all been outstanding. His debut Air and Lack Thereof/Sparing The Horses release on Untold's Hemlock Recordings was a stunning combination of hazy soul, stuttering rhythms and serious bassweight. His remix of Untold's Stop What You're Doing managed to take things up a notch further with its histrionic crescendos and squeeling synths primed to demolish any dancefloor. With a mature and accomplished sound that belies his youth it will be exciting to see how his sound develops.

Tracks to check out: Air and Lack Thereof, Untold – Stop What You're Doing (James Blake Remix)

Mosca
Tom 'Mosca' Reid has been the focus of a lot of hype recently, with Square One in particular garnering him a lot of attention. His inclusive musical palette incorporates elements of house, garage, grime and dubstep and is representative of everything that is good about UK bass music right now. From the rugged funky of Square One to the broken house of Gold Bricks, I See You or the progressive and chaotic Nike each track is bursting with innovation. Mosca is clearly full of ideas and has only just begun to explore them.

Tracks to check out: Square One, Nike

Jam City
Young South London based producer Jam City has got many people talking without even having a release under his belt yet. Exciting mixes for Fact and Lower End Spasm have worked as a good introduction to Jam City's unique blend of dancefloor ruggedness and emotional pull, which takes in elements of grime, house and garage. With his Endgames remix due out on Night Slugs and it being only a matter of time before more of his tunes see wax, 2010 is set to be a big year for Jam City.

Tracks to check out: In The Park, Cold

SBTRKT
The mysterious, mask-wearing SBTRKT has been turning a lot of heads recently. Stunning re-rubs of Goldie's Timeless and Radiohead's Everything In It's Right Place have drawn people in, and now with a slew of original productions due for release, he is ready to take over. Taking in a variety of influences from 2-step to techno, SBTRKT's music is always intricately rhythmic and propulsive and expansively atmospheric. The increasingly in-demand producer is already being called in to remix the likes of Basement Jaxx and Modeselektor.

Tracks to check out: Laika, Break Off (with Sampha)

SBTRKT -Soundboy Shift by sbtrkt

Shortstuff
Shortstuff has been one of the most exciting producers to emerge this year. He has released a number of top notch tracks that have always managed to find the oft forgotten balance between being progressive and forward-thinking without forgoing their sense of fun or their understanding of the dancefloor. He has a peerless ability to build an infectious groove and melody in unusual places. With each release he has continuing to find and define his sound and new tracks hint encouragingly at what is to come. New track Behave, featured on Fabric's recent Elevator Music Vol 1 compilation, is one of the cheekiest and most exciting tracks you are likely to hear all year.

Tracks to check out: A Rustling, Behave

Untold
Untold has had a massive year. A recent batch of releases on Hessle Audio, Hot Flush and his own Hemlock imprint, amongst others, have tracked the fulfillment of the potential he had showed with his earlier releases. He managed to capture perfectly the current anything-goes innovation that is propelling the scene forward at such a rapid pace with his recent slew of stripped back grime productions. Where his music goes in 2010 is anyone's guess, but you can be certain that it will be some of the most forward-thinking and exciting music that appears all year.

Tracks to check out: Anaconda, Stop What You're Doing