Live Review: Dub War at LOVE, NYC (09/18/09)

Dub War is known for bringing the good times to New Yorkers seeking the dubby sounds of the underground, and last Friday was no different. It was the Dub War debut of two very important DJs in the dubstep community: Mary Anne Hobbs (the lady ambassador of experimental sound) and Pinch (Mr. Tectonic)...and damn, did they rip Dub War a new one.


I stepped into LOVE at around 12:15 AM just when Mary Anne Hobbs started up on the decks; the room was dark, sweaty and packed. There was barely room to move around in any single spot of the room and everyone was bumpin'. The scene was definitely much more focused on crowd energy instead of flashing lights and fashionistas doing this classic giddy-up. People were there to solely do one thing: bug out. Everyone was doing their own thing; doing the wave, half-stepping to wobbles, jumping up to two-step rhythms and getting down to sub-bass all night. Mary Anne Hobbs provided nothing but the best with her set, playing a set similar to her weekly show on Radio 1, showcasing all sounds from the hard banger dubstep sound from labels like Hench and Dub Police to the sneaky garage-esque sound coming out from labels like Hemlock, Hyperdub and Hotflush. Her set was nothing short of spectacular and all the patrons wanted more...but unfortunately her time was up.

Pinch came on and straight-up crushed it. Dropping his patented Tectonic 'plates, he made the room shift and shake with thunder and bass. He definitely supplied his best tonight, dropping dubplates that I was losing my mind to (as well as the Dub War residents and crowd). Overall, the residents, the guest DJs and even the lighting tech was awesome.

Here's a recap of last night's event, courtesy of the Dub War crew (note: Joe Nice, kazoos are always a nice touch!)


...and there's more Dub War to come...every month, y'all!

See ya next month.