Horsepower Productions
| Horsepower Productions | |
|---|---|
| Genres | 2-step garage Dubstep Dub |
| Years active | 2000-present |
| Labels | Tempa, Turn U On, On-U Sound |
| Associated acts | Bill & Ben Goldspot Productions High Plains Drifter |
| Members | |
| Benny Ill Jay King |
|
| Past members | |
| Nasis (until 2002) Lev Jnr (until 2002) |
|
Horsepower Productions are an electronic music duo, initially a trio, who released experimental garage recordings, and helped pioneer the dubstep genre.
Contents |
[edit] Lineup
The group was initially composed of Benny Ill (born Ben Garner), Lev Jnr, and Nasis,[1] who left in late 2002, leaving Horsepower Productions to operate as a duo.[2]
The trio was closely associated with the influential Drum & Bass record label No U Turn, and its UK garage-oriented sister label Turn U On.
Garner has since collaborated on the seminal Fat Larry's Skank track, which has been remixed and reversioned many times by producers including Kode9,[3] as well as collaborating with Hatcha on a number of tracks, DJing at FWD>>, and releasing more straightforward dub as part of the duo Bill & Ben.
After a five year hiatus Garner returned to Horsepower with new collaborator Jay King, with a 12" Kingstep/Damn It in 2009 and an LP in November 2010 entitled Quest for the Sonic Bounty, both on Tempa.[4]
[edit] Sound
Early Horsepower releases were resolutely UK garage in sound, but the mainly instrumental, dub versions which were often B-sides of these releases proved to be extremely influential; stripped-down, minimal re-versions, with the emphasis on shuffled, intricate, crisp percussion and subbass.[5]
Meanwhile, Horsepower Productions 12"s and other similarly minded music experimenting with the garage archetype were staples in Croydon's Big Apple Records, a record shop staffed and frequented by many artists later to become extremely influential in the dubstep and grime genres. In 2002, as interest in the dubstep genre grew, Horsepower Productions released In Fine Style,[6] a collection of earlier 12" releases on compact disc accompanied by six new tracks in a double twelve-inch pack. The LP has been described as the "origin" or "birth" of dubstep.[6][7]
The duo's influence was acknowledged by the inclusion of several Horsepower Productions tracks on Tempa's 2006 Roots of Dubstep compilation.[6]
[edit] Discography
Studio albums
- In Fine Style (2002)
- To the Rescue (2004)
- Quest for the Sonic Bounty (2010)
[edit] References
- ^ Cyclic Defrost - Issue #002 (December 2002) - Horsepower Productions – In Fine Style (Tempa)
- ^ Tempa
- ^ Clark, Martin (25 January 2006). "The Month In: Grime/Dubstep". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/10336-column-the-month-in-grime-dubstep. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ "Horsepower Productions on a Quest for the Sonic Bounty". Resident Advisor. 18 October 2010. http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=12999.
- ^ "The Primer: Dubstep". The Wire (279). http://www.thewire.co.uk/current/index.php.
- ^ a b c Various Artists: The Roots of Dubstep: Pitchfork Record Review
- ^ RA: Dubstep 101 - Feature / Interview
