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 The dubstep scene in Britain, and in fact all over the world, has exploded in the last few years. Just like any other underground scene that goes global, there's a wealth of media cropping up that's helping to define and promote the genre. There are influential blogs, documentaries on London and Bristol, club nights and labels galore and interviews here, there and everywhere.
One of the most interesting things I've heard about recently is that Kode 9, aka media lecturer Steve Goodman, will be releasing a book soon - and were not talking fiction either. Mr Goodman has a PhD in Philosophy and is the course tutor for post graduate studies in Sonic Culture at the University of East London.
The book is entitled "Sonic Culture: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear", so from the get go you know its not going to be a light read. It's also being released on MIT press, which is a publishing house associated with the University of Massachusetts in America. It's a serious old label is MIT and for anyone who has ever walked into an academic library you'll probably recognise the name.
Call me sad, call me a geek, but I'm looking forward to this book a lot. The dubstep scene itself has got some pretty strong philosophical and moral outlook as it is. What Kode 9 may be doing here is adding to the intellectual weight of the scene and opening the floodgates on the cultural and philosophical debates surrounding dubstep. The DJs, the ravers, the MCs - we aren't a stupid breed of people. Many of the people I've met involved in the scene are clever people, they're not rudeboys or chavs. They're intelligent, music appreciating people and they're aware of social issues. Perhaps Mr Goodman's book will get a few more people inspired to write about dubstep: academic or otherwise.
The book is scheduled for release early December, so hopefully it will be released in time for Christmas. Instead of watching a Christmas version of 'Strictly x-factor, get me out of here', I can instead learn a little more about the thing I love. Loud music. Nice.
Links:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11890v
http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7718-kode9/
http://www.myspace.com/kode9
http://www.hyperdub.net/
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