Kode9 - Biography
In past interviews Kode9 has said that the most important musical event in his life was hearing jungle, or drum and bass music, for the first time. His own music has been lumped into the ever-growing dubstep scene out of London. As with many media-driven genre names, the definition of dubstep was always vague and it continues to become even more blurred. Kode9’s dislike of the term and in particular its application to his music is well known. Hearing singles like “Sign of the Dub” and “Portal,” it’s easy to understand why. It's not surprising to find that the most ardent practitioners of a genre are the ones who feel compelled to stop it from ossifying through over-used signifiers. Kode9 may love jungle, and he certainly was integral in the birth of what people have termed dubstep, but as evidenced by his own hyper-creative music and the constantly fresh output of the label he curates, he is consciously battling against his work dying a slow death in the overly defined arms of the genre name game.
Kode9 was born Steve Goodman in Glasgow, Scotland. He started DJ-ing in 1990 at the age of sixteen, playing a mix of reggae, breaks, hip-hop and house, but it would be the rise of breakbeat culture and jungle that would steer him in his current direction. Before moving to London in 1997 he studied cybernetics, rave culture and postmodernist philosophy at the University of Warwick, earning his PhD. Arriving in London, Kode9 began frequently DJ-ing in clubs such as FWD>>. From 2000 through 2001 he promoted the Hyperdub sessions in Brixton, founding the first night in London to feature what would come to be called dubstep.
Dubstep is a hybrid music born out of UK garage and jungle, with influences from grime and 2-step. It has evolved from garage into a dark, sparse extremely bass heavy sound. In the late 90’s producers like El-B, Zed Bias and Steve Gurley often featured early experiments with this form on the B-sides of commercial UK garage singles. The sound evolved into its current darker form after 2002 through producers like Digital Mystikz, Loefah, Benga and Skream. In 2004, the record label run by Aphex Twin released Grime and Grime 2 (2004 Rephlex Records), two compilations featuring dubstep tracks. These were the most prominent records released outside the insular scene at the time, with Kode9 contributing four tracks to the second record.
Kode9’s contributions on Grime 2 begin to show his production creativity. All four tracks are more in line with grime or dark garage than dubstep, sounding punchier and faster. The standout tracks are the final two — “Dislokated” is just that, loping around on a broken beat while claustrophobic whorls of sound drift in and out of the mix; “Ping” is even more adventurous in structure, utilizing backwards middle eastern sounding samples and frequent drops leaving only the hollow beat to trudge forward.
2004 also saw the first releases on Kode9’s own label, Hyperdub. Sign of the Dub / Stalker (2004 Hyperdub) was an intense debut, to say the least, and immediately defined the forward thinking direction of the label. A minimal sub-bass pattern circles with chiming, endlessly echoing reggae guitar strikes ringing out. A lone ride cymbal keeps an intermittent pulse while dubbed-out percussion weaves through. This record also marks the beginning of the vital relationship between Kode9 and MC Stephen Samuel Gordon aka The Spaceape, here going under his early Daddi Gee moniker. His delivery here is style defining and marks him as one of the most original MC’s around. With a deep and slow, dread-infused vocal his lyrics are vaguely political, combining classic Jamaican toasting with street poetry. On the flipside, “Stalker” is much more up-tempo, employing a broken garage beat, killer bass and eerie drones. Daddi Gee offers up a very skewed psychosexual drama for maximum poetic uneasiness. It’s a massive first release for the label. Spit (2004 Hyperdub) was released that same year and features a track similar in feel to “Stalker” with a more energetic Daddi Gee vocal and a synth heavy dub version of the B-side.
The next several singles released in 2005 witness the growth of Kode9’s production style with tracks becoming increasingly melodic yet remaining minimal and focused. Daddi Gee becomes The Spaceape at this time and his lyrics become more complex, grappling with themes both surreal and overtly political. All three singles end up collected with eleven new tracks for the first Kode9 full length, Memories of the Future (2006 Hyperdub). Sharing billing for the record with The Spaceape, the MC features on almost every track. The album’s production is almost flawless. Kode9 manages to reference dubstep’s stylistic trappings without falling into its expected traps. The albums floating, ghostly dub-inspired rhythms are rounded out with alien synth melodies and disembodied samples. There is certainly a sense of dread present, but it’s not the dark, dank overly macho simplistic beats of many of dubstep’s generic practitioners. Instead, the arrangements are minimal and sparse but more creative than most, with flourishes and changes popping up in unexpected places and a strong sense of slightly off-key melody that is signature Kode9.
In 2006, international interest in dubstep was growing, with many radio shows and websites appearing all over the globe. The mighty Soul Jazz Records released two compilations of the music, Box of Dub and Box of Dub 2 (2007 Soul Jazz), with Kode9 appearing on both. Continuing to curate his own label, Kode9 released work by other artist further mutating the dubstep sound. Searching out innovators in the genre, Hyperdub has released work by The Bug, Burial, Zomby, Ikonika, even spreading out to incorporate the broken hip-hop beats of US producer Samiyam. In 2008, Kode9 and The Spaceape reappeared with their latest single, Konfusion (2008 Hyperdub). A killer dubbed-out garage rhythm and an amazingly fat synth bass line make the track an instant classic.
Through his refusal to adopt ready-made dubstep signifiers, Kode9 has managed to keep each of his releases fresh and forward thinking. Incorporating elements from other genres and developing a unique take on melody, his work with The Spaceape exists outside of genre constraints, forging a sound all its own. Through his selection of artists on Hyperdub, Kode9 is taking his statement of intent further. The diversity of approaches to beat-music evident on the label is the most progressive of its kind. Kode9’s work is a beacon of innovation in a genre that is in danger of classifying itself too quickly.