- Dubstep and UK garage past, present and future.
- Last year, when we wrote that "the best UK garage is coming out of Los Angeles," we were talking about Introspekt. The US DJ, who has since moved to New York, really understands the genre—its appeal, swing and unique, bassy whomp. Listen to any of her tracks, like last year's "Forlorn," and you'll hear someone who produces like she's been making UKG all her life. This is probably partly because she comes from a dubstep background, but either way, if you're looking for new UK garage beats, Introspekt is one of the best going right now.
Her DJing also hits a distinct sweet spot, zeroing in on the proto-dubstep, dark UK garage days when producers like El-B were making the hottest shit around. Her sound is both retro and forward-looking, as you'll hear on her RA Podcast, which balances vintage Big Apple cuts from Skream & Benga with new-school tunes from Amaliah and Surusinghe. It's not so much a throwback as it is a rejuvenation of an old sound—a new way to look at it and a new way to make it. If hindsight is 20/20, then Introspekt has perfect vision, and mixes like this are the perfect way to educate listeners, make them move and innovate a little in the process.
What have you been up to recently?
I've been on tour in Europe since the beginning of this month. On my off days I've been catching up on sleep, record shopping, writing new music and yearning in a very lesbian way.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
This mix was recorded at my buddy Ollie Rant's studio in London. I was going for something a bit moody and at times trippy, contrasted with a few sexy, playful and hard-hitting cuts sprinkled throughout. I approached it as a sort of Part 2 to my Dubstep Is A Feeling mix for NTS but with a wider selection of newer and older sounds. Anyone familiar with recent mixes of mine might recognise a few routines that I've been working out in my sets. When selecting the tracks I was thinking about the foundations for what I'd describe as the "dark(er)" side of my sound.
Though you make and play plenty of styles, you're known primarily as a UK garage DJ. What's it like being part of a scene mostly based halfway around the world?
That's totally correct that I play plenty of styles but I do also think it fair to say that UK garage—and its unique skippy swing—has a particularly significant influence on my work. This is especially true of my original productions and remixes. In terms of being part of a scene, I often see myself moving between several scenes, especially when I'm in the US. While I say this, it's also been really touching to see the way certain artists within the UK garage scene have supported me. I find that I often underestimate the degree to which people associate me with the UK garage scene. I come to appreciate that more while I'm actively touring in the UK.
When I'm home, however, I often feel as though I'm in my own echo chamber just kinda doing my own thing as far as garage is concerned. These days I tend to think of myself more in relation to the queer dance music scene in the US. But that's the beauty of where I'm at right now. I feel like I can dance back and forth and in between the various musical communities that have influenced me so much.
How did you get so into UK garage to begin with? What's your story?
I first got into UK garage about a decade ago through my love of dubstep. I was pretty active in the LA dubstep scene and picked up a taste for rare UK records. As I kept digging further and further back through the label discographies I found those early records that were more dubstep in the sense of "dub-2step." The tracks were more swung and to my ears more rhythmically interesting, even a bit more seductive in some ways. So my first love affair with UK garage was through that turn of the millennium dark garage and proto-dubstep sound. The first record I found that introduced me to this sound was The Roots of Dubstep sampler curated by Blackdown on Ammunition/Tempa. I still play that record to this day.
Listening to records like "Poison" by Benny Ill & Hatcha or El-B's remix of Brandy, I connected with the moody productions that were juxtaposed by these feminine kinda vocal samples and such. I later got into the more classic era of mid-to-late '90s 4x4 UK garage around the same time I was diving deep into New York garage house and ballroom beats.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
There are many that have had an impact on me but one that immediately comes to mind was a renegade in an undisclosed location in Oakland, California, thrown by the Envelope Soundsystem crew. This was 2022 (I think), we were surrounded by these gorgeous redwoods and BEIGE played an amazing, trippy set before me that I think really set the tone masterfully. I think that was one of the first raves in recent years where I opened my set with dubstep—"Elephant Dub" by Mark Pritchard was the first tune and it was absolute pressure on that sound system! After I played, Eris Drew and Octo Octa spun an all-breakbeat hardcore set around 140 BPM that completely rewired my brain and how I think about the art of DJing. Then finally Bored Lord closed out the early morning hours with a set that I can only describe as transsexual spiritual resistance.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
This is a tough question for me to answer as my political convictions aren't necessarily issue-based and as such, there are many things coming to mind. That being said, I think one of the major tragedies that I think is really defining of the political movements going on in the world right now is the ongoing genocide happening in occupied Palestine. I think it's very important to push back against the right-liberal framing of this issue as some two-sided "conflict" and call it what it is: a genocide and a Western-backed movement toward the consolidation of imperial power in South West Asia. Of course, where there is repression there will always be resistance...
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my sister Bored Lord this week after our show in Glasgow on the 23rd. Also looking forward to returning home to NYC and going on fun dates with my girlfriend.
TracklistHigh Plains Drifter - Somewhere [Goldspot Imternational]
Nude - Digitize [Shelflife]
Menta - Snakecharmer [Road]
Surusinghe - hoohoohoo [TraTraTrax]
Mala - Eyez [DMZ]
Mia Koden - Racket [Ilian Tape]
Plex - Afro Breaks [Particle Music]
Benga v Skream - The Judgement [Big Apple]
Introspekt - Afro Bass [Forthcoming]
Introspekt - Like That? [Forthcoming]
J. Sparrow - The Chase VIP [Tectonic]
Main Phase - Reefer Man [self-release]
Amaliah - Mespo Dance [Black Artist Database]
INVT - Tobogan [INVT]
DJ Hatcha - Dub Express [Tempa]
Fixate - Ruminate (Cimm Remix)[unreleased]
Mantra - Damage [Sneaker Social Club]
INVT x Logan_olm - We Inside (Culebra VIP)
Introspekt - Pain [Forthcoming]
Axle - Incident VIP [unreleased]
Soul Mass Transit System - Birds of A Feather [unreleased]
INVT - ??? [unreleased]
L-Vis 1990 - Video Drone (OSSX Remix) [Nightslugs]
Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal - B.O.T.A (Introspekt Remix) [unreleased]
INVT - Dassit [Omni Disc]
Loefah - Mud VIP feat. Sgt Pokes [Planet Mu]
Benga - Walkin Bass [Big Apple]
Hyper Hypa feat Julius - Congo Fever [Shelflife]
Mala - Blue Notes [DMZ]
Coki - The End [DMZ]
Menta - The Soul [self-released 12-inch]
INVT x Introspekt - ME PRENDI Forthcoming ec2a]
Plasticman - The Rush (2nd II None Refix) [A.R.M.Y]
French Fries - Champagne [ClekClekBoom]
Bakongo - Grind [Quadrants]
Diamond K - Put Your Leg Up (Acapella)[not on label]
MMM - Dex [MMM]
Benny Ill & DJ Hatcha - Crazy Intro [Tempa]
Dub War - Murderous Sound [Tempa]
INVT x Introspekt - Seismic Activity [Forthcoming ec2a]