God Save the Queen from Electro

A few months back, the owner of the business I work for walked in whilst I was working, completely unannounced, for a random inspection. I had Triple J playing in the store. The acute hearing of said owner soon picked up on Peter, Bjorn and John calling for a boy to shut the fuck up. Long story short, 'Indie' radio stations were banned henceforth. Now I am stuck with Nova. All the new music their playing though... they're pretty indie, right?

I have to listen to commercial radio now at work, and as many of you have noticed, electro pop is really having an impact on the Top 40.

If you think back, lets say 3-4 years, electro was very underground. I used to work for a DJ company that did weddings and 21st birthdays when I was 18. If I even hinted at playing any form of electro, the dance floor would empty faster than Britney's Perth show when people worked out she was lip-syncing (freaking retards).

But now, Dave Guetta is the new Akon. Ministry Annuals are the staple diet for teen parties. Even Will.I.Am (sorry - Zuper Blahq) is in da house with Steve "I raped the Bloody Beetroots of their talent and now they're shit" Aoki. On that note, remember when the Black Eyed Peas weren't shit? Before Fergie? Before Boom Boom Pow? Yeah... so... electro's kinda big now.

So what is the emerging underground for today? For me, it is Dubstep slash Brit-Fidget. There are a select group of British DJs and producers who are leading this movement, many interchanging from Dubstep to fidget depending on their mood.

To start, depending on your download limit, I invite you to listen to this mix by Foamo for Chew the Fat. It is a brilliantly tight, well-constructed and banging mix of purely Fidget and Dupstep. And it is freakin awesome.

Foamo's Mixtape for Chew the Fat


Specific tracks however paint a picture of the future of 'underground' - or perhaps 'commercial' beats. This Jack Beats remix has certain elements of dupstep, particularly the drops, whilst retaining a constant 126bpm...

I Got You Dancing (Jack Beats Remix) - Lady Sovereign

... whilst this little edit bumps up to around 140bpm and illustrates the Dubstep/Fidget Hybrid.

Where's My Money? (Casper Remix - Jack Beats Edit) - TC

As does this little gem...

What (Foamo Edit) - Jack Beats

NB: For all you little kiddies venturing to Field Day, if you haven't worked out how amazing Jack Beats are by now and would rather see the Presets, please sell your ticket.

This track by Jak-Z and friend is very British. Scott Cooper and Foamo (from above) apparently produce each others stuff - like you can't tell.

Move Ya - Jak-Z & Scott Cooper

Finally, Harmonic 313. Apparently Harmonic 313 is a Sydney-based producer, but I can't put him in a genre. I wanna say Dubstep but it's so much more! But if you do find yourself battling after a night out, listen to their album 'When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence'. It is an absolute ear-fuck. This is the second track of the album.

Cyclotron - Harmonic 313

Peace and Love.