Dusk & Blackdown - Margins Music

“Beyond the corporate finance of the City, the anodyne bars of the West End, and the affluent riches out west, there is another London. Head out at sunset to the edges and just watch. Listen. As the sun drops, soon a different city emerges…”

Welcome to ‘Margins Music’, the debut album from London-based production duo Dan Frampton & Martin Clark, aka Dusk & Blackdown. Following a series of 12’s, released on their own Keysound Recordings label, ‘Margins Music’ takes the listener beyond what can be defined as simply Grime or Dubstep – it further pushes their pioneering vision of the genre - whilst at the same time being firmly rooted in their native London sound.

The album is a journey through the outskirts of the real London, the heart of the Capital, exploring its people, its diversity and the aspects of harmony and tension found within the inner city. Margins Music, like London itself, holds within it feelings of both familiarity and uncertainty – try ‘Lata VIP’, for example with its super-minimal arrangement; its sparse 2-step break and distant female Asian vocals, its intimidating bassline and Eastern violin line, comparable at times to the murky sound of Burial. Then without warning, we’re suddenly thrown into the Bhangra-attack of ‘Kuri Pataka’, with its pummelling dhol drums and seemingly endless male vocal loop. Margins Music goes beyond the expected, familiar ‘old-school’ sounds of dubstep and emerges harnessing new forms and influences; here you’ll find the sound of UK hip-hop, bollywood, desi beats, ragga, grime, garage and 2-step, you’ll hear Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu voices, and much more. And there’s enough knowledge of the street to satisfy fans of Roll Deep, Kode9, Skream, and Pinch. The album also features guest appearances from Target and the Roll Deep Entourage, Farrah, Trim, Durrty Goodz and more.

Martin Clark (aka Blackdown), has been a long-standing champion of the UK grime and dubstep scenes. His regular column ‘The Month In: Grime/Dubstep’, for online music publication Pitchfork Media has been instrumental in bringing these movements to a global audience. Finally the wait for a full-length release from Dusk & Blackdown is over - fans are sure to not be disappointed – but the ambition and scope of this widescreen album indicate the duo deserve to reach and captivate a far wider audience.

Track listing:  01. Darker Than East ft. Target (Roll Deep Entourage)  02. Con/Fusion ft. Farrah  03. Lata VIP  04. Kuri Pataka (The  Firecracker Girl) ft. Teji & Farrah  05. Rolling Raj Deep  06. (Keysound Radio)  07. Concrete Streets ft. Durrty Goodz  08. The Bits ft. Trim  09. dis/East  10. This is London 11. (Keysound Rain)  12. Iqbal’s Groove ft. Farrah  13. The Drumz of Nagano  14. Focus

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