Last week audiophiles and DJ’s from around the world were left in shock as rumours spread that Panasonic had made the decision to stop producing their legendary Technics 1210 turntables. The humble 1210 record deck could reasonably be argued to be one of, if not the, most important instrument of the last 30 years– having a defining role in the development of disco, hip-hop and dance music since the ‘70’s. An increase in the popularity of digital technology has pushed Technics slightly out of the picture in recent years; however, the 1210 is still the preferred tool of the world’s top DJ’s such as Ricardo Villalobos, Andy C and Grandmaster Flash. The 1210 even has a place in London’s Science Museum as one of the pieces of technology that shaped the world we live in. Thankfully, after a week of speculation, Panasonic have now quashed rumours they will discontinue the deck with this statement.
“As a major global business, Panasonic keeps all of its operations under constant review. However, there are no current plans to discontinue the Technics brand and the production of Technics turntables.”
And good thing as well, Despite CDJ’s and Laptops being more convenient and arguably easier to use, you will never be able to do anything anywhere near as cool as this on them:
Sub Focus may be a new name to grace commercial radio but he’s been grafting away on the underground Drum & Bass scene for some time. Early tracks like ‘X-Ray’ and ‘Strobe’ won Sub Focus accolades from Andy C, the boss of the hugely successful Ram Records and a man who is widely regarded as the best D&B DJ in the world. This helped the young producer muscle in to the notoriously tight-knit higher echelons of the Drum & Bass world; which in turn helped him gain the attention of Radio 1 tastemakers Annie Mac and Zane Lowe.
Last year Sub Focus gained his first taste of mainstream success with ‘Timewarp’, a Pendulum-esque stormer that brightened up daytime schedules on Radio 1 and late night sessions at The End. His latest track, ‘Rock It’, takes elements of Daft Punk’s ‘Robot Rock’ and fuses it to a stomping jungle break-beat and stomach churning doses of growling sub-bass. Like ‘Timewarp’, the record has a crossover appeal without being overtly cheesy or calculated. Of course, cynical D&B fans have already accused Sub Focus of selling out. However anyone who’s seen his recent sets at Matter would be able to testify that he’s very much in touch with the club rocking sensibilities that made his early records the toast of the Dee & Bee scene. If Sub Focus can continue to produce tracks that are capable of delivering a slice of lairy 180BPM spice amongst the swathes of faceless indie and R&B on daytime radio, it is something the music buying public in general should be thankful for.
This Friday sees Sub Focus take to the decks at Matter, as Ram once again take over one of London’s largest clubs for the evening. Headlining the night will be the aforementioned Andy C alongside a host of the genre’s premier DJs and MC talent including Goldie, DJ EZ and Chase & Status to name a few. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the night has now sold out. As the above video shows Ram’s line ups at Matter justifiably attract fever like levels of anticipation from the labels die hard following. While many have written off the genre in the past, the continued success of Sub Focus and Ram Records proves that interest in Drum & Bass is far from waning.
