Many of the artists that originally captivated me into the world of electronic music have slowly diminished into a category of forgotten names or main stage sellouts. Yet, one of the names that originally introduced me to dubstep was Doctor P, who is still shredding synthesizers and redefining what his sound his every day. With establishing a signature sound consisting of his classic Tetris sounding bleeps and bloops, quaking industrial rumbles, exciting high pitched synths, thundering bass, and a touch of metal inspired drums, Doctor P has proven that he is an elemental part of dubstep culture.
While dubstep began peaking as a genre with heavy hitters like Skrillex, Doctor P, Datsik, and 12th Planet seeming to rule the entire industry, it appeared as if it could only go up from there. But as dubstep began settling down a few years ago, it was a crucial time for artists in the genre, facing a survival of the fittest mentality, where music producers either had to change their sound to the trap infused bass music scene or stay true to the womps and wubs. Since Doctor P is still writing weekly prescriptions to neck braces for all his head banging fans with torn neck ligaments, we can all rest assured that dubstep is still as healthy (and filthy) as ever… besides your broken neck, that is. If you’re a longtime Doctor P fan, or just hearing of the godsend for the first time, feast your ears on the exclusive EARMILK playlist he whipped up for us below.
Over the past few years, younger generations of dubstep producers have emerged in the scene, with subgenres such as riddim taking the stage. While comparing the new generation of dub-heads to when he first entered the scene, Doctor P mentioned that “a few years ago dubstep was starting to feel a little stale, but a new generation of producers have been coming out recently that have really reinvigorated the scene. I am personally enjoying listening to dubstep a lot at the moment, which has got to be a good thing. I really like the future bass and riddim vibes that are around at the moment.”
With a new generation to spark the old flames, genres can grow to new lengths, reimagining the landscape of sound but remaining humble in the fact that the sound was grown on the shoulders of giants before them. While Doctor P has undoubtedly innovated his music production over the years while holding onto those original characteristic properties that I initially heard years ago, with an increased quality of production and ingenuity. Paralleled to when he began producing music, he specified, “I've definitely refined my skills. I can make tracks sound good so much more quickly than I could a few years ago. I think musically, my newer tracks are actually very similar to my older tunes; I try and make the music that comes naturally to me, so I've stuck to my own sound consistently.”
With a new age of festivals upon us, Doctor P admires how “people are becoming a lot more accepting of different tempos and styles. Just a few years ago people would get angry if a house DJ played a dubstep track, or a dubstep DJ played a house track etc. nowadays people are a lot more open to hearing whatever a DJ wants to play. There’s a lot less moaning online as a result..” Hard Summer has taken charge as one of the leaders in the diversity of genre, encouraging the collaboration of hip hop, dubstep, techno, and bass all under one happy roof, with Gary Richards clarifying over and over that Hard Summer is a music festival, not a rave. Although Gary Richards has officially bowed out of Hard Fest and passed along the legacy to Live Nation, I trust that that the tradition of genre inclusion will prevail in the years to come. Maybe we'll see some country-tech and opera-step in the future? Although I'm kidding, who am I to discredit genre bending music producing explorers of the future?
Doctor P assured me that his set at Hard Summer this weekend will be covered in ridiculously wompy goodness of secret collaborations and unreleased tracks, as well as playing some tracks produced by Wooli, Doctor P’s favorite dubstep prodigy and overall artist at the moment. The equipment used for the unreleased tracks may consist of "a lot of 80s synths. The minimoog is always fun to use. Obviously, I don't really use it for hard bass sounds, but it's great for adding character to my tracks.” So you can begin imagining the sonic textures before it even reaches your speakers.
Go capture the filth of Doctor P tomorrow, Aug. 5th, at the Glen Helen Amphitheater at 9:30 pm at the Green Stage. Grab your tickets below.
You can grab tickets to Hard Summer HERE
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