Horsepower Productions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Horsepower Productions | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Uk garage; Dubstep, house, drum and bass |
| Years active | 2000-2004 |
| Label(s) | Tempa, No U Turn, Turn U On |
| Associated acts | Bill & Ben |
| Members | |
| Benny Ill Lev Jnr |
|
| Former members | |
| Nasis (until 2002) | |
Horsepower Productions are an electronic music duo, initially a trio, who released experimental garage recordings, and helped pioneer the dubstep genre.
[edit] Lineup
The group was initially comprised 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 also founded the influential record labels No U Turn (which primarily released UK garage), and Turn U On (which was an outlet for quirkier, more experimental releases).
Benny Ill 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.
[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[4].
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,[5] 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][5]
The duo's influence was acknowledged by the inclusion of several Horsepower Productions tracks on Tempa's 2006 Roots of Dubstep compilation.[5]
[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. Retrieved on 4 July 2007.
- ^ "The Primer: Dubstep" . The Wire (279).
- ^ a b c Various Artists: The Roots of Dubstep: Pitchfork Record Review
- ^ http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature-read.aspx?id=822
