Amoeba Music

2562 - Biography

Dave Huismans has produced electronic music under a variety of monikers since the middle part of the ‘00s. Starting out with breakbeat infused minimal techno as Dogdaze and A Made Up Sound, Huismans shook up the dubstep community in 2007 with his 2562 project. Merging dubstep’s slowed down breaks with Berlin-style dub techno on a pair of early singles marked a new strain of dance music mutation. This style was cemented on the debut 2562 full-length the following year marking Huismans as a pioneer in the ever-growing stylistic trade between Berlin techno and the British dance continuum.

Based in The Hague, Netherlands, Huismans inaugurated the 2562 project with two singles from 2007 on the mighty Tectonic label. Channel Two / Circulate and Kameleon / Chanel One rank as some of the first tracks to link British dubstep’s stark echo with the longstanding tradition of minimal techno from Berlin. Developing a sound that focused on the swirling echo of Basic Channel style dance reductionism as well as the heavy bass weight and off-kilter rhythms of dubstep, the 2562 project illuminated similar traits between the two scenes.

2008 brought the release of the first 2562 full-length. Aerial arrived as an instant classic and continue to rank as one of the most innovative and exciting dubstep albums produced to date. Again recording for the Tectonic label, Huismans has created a stunningly original blend of swung 2-step beats, post-jungle breaks, propulsive minimal techno, swirling dub ambience and massive bass. The results are simply superb. Locking into Basic Channel’s hypnotic lock grooves and cavernous echo, these tracks add the brittle 2-step drum programming of Burial for a truly original sound. Tough, uptempo steppers like “Redux” and “Greyscale” pave entirely new terrain for both techno and dubstep. Aerial alone cements Huismans’ place as a visionary producer in the dance music canon.

2562 dropped two other singles that same year. Embrace / Hijack for Martyn’s 3024 label and Techno Dread / Enforcers for Tectonic are both killer vamps on the style laid out on Aerial. Both singles set forth a strong focus on 2-step garages syncopations, adding lush synth pads, cracking beats and some seriously heavy bass.

After a spate of remixes including work for Martyn and TRG, Huismans returns in ’09 with the Love In Outer Space / Third Wave single. A lead off for his forthcoming second full-length, these two tracks shock with a new sense of melody. “Love In Outer Space” is particularly colorful, featuring thick, bright synth lines over a woozy beat. “Third Wave” exhibits that awesome middle space between 4/4 drive and swung beats that defines the 2562 sound.

Unbalance arrived in October of ’09. The second full-length is just as much of a stunner as 2562’s debut. Beefing up his highly original techno-dubstep hybrid aesthetic with a greater concentration on melodic writing, these tracks not only boast Huismans’ trademark drum programming but also some pretty catchy hooks. His excellent production skills are polished to the max here, with tracks like “Like A Dream” and “Flashback” displaying some of the deepest production around. With Unbalance Huismans proves that the crossroads of future-garage, minimal techno and dubstep are extremely fertile ground.

By locking onto the rhythmic traits that define the genres of techno, 2-step garage and dubstep and then bending them to his needs Dave Huismans has created one of the most singular styles in modern dance music. Working within the vast traditions of Detroit, Berlin and the UK, he has taken the 2562 sound into the future. His records mark trends to come and pave the way for other producers. Truly a visionary body of work, the 2562 discography should be explored by anyone interested in the history of dance music.