For our final night in London, we couldn’t help but return to Fabric for one last dose of bass. Featuring Oris Jay, Scratch Perverts & AD, Horsepower, Benga & MC Youngman, El-B, Dom & Roland.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

This summer, Hard is going bigger than ever, with not one, but TWO New York City visits from the LA-based party machine.

On July 24, Hard will carry on one of NYC’s favorite summer pastimes with an outdoor concert at Governor’s Island. Headliner M.I.A. will be joined by fellow Creators Project alums Die Antwoord and Sleigh Bells, along with Skream, Benga, Rye Rye, Theophilus London, Borgore, Destructo, 12th Planet, Nguzunguze and Ninjasonik, all coming together for an evening of music you won’t want to miss. [tickets + info]

This August, Hard will also hit the road for their first tour, stopping in 12 cities across the US and Canada. Crystal Castles, Sinden and Destructo will take over NYC’s Terminal 5 on August 21, with more performers to be announced at a later date. [tickets + info]

To prepare you for the madness, the good folks at Hard released a promotional mix featuring artists that will perform at Hard this summer. Though the mix is geared towards the L.A. events, the mix is not only free, but also good, so who are we to complain? Listen to the mix below, or CLICK HERE download. Peep the tracklist after the jump…

Hard Promo Mix (Produced by Nitrus)

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It was a day that Webster Hall faced destruction. Armed with the heavy artillery of dubstep, Hudson Mohawke, Caspa and Benga came prepared for a battle in sound this past Friday. Facing complete annihilation, the audience surrendered to the takeover by the musical madmen who came for carnage.

Hudson Mohawke, the youngest UK DMC finalist at the age of 15 (under DJ Itchy), showcased the skills that make the 23-year-old Glasgow native a prodigy. His beats and twisted warps behind his Serato and Ableton set inspired hands and cell phones in the air. When he played his dub-step rendition of Ludacris’ “How Low” the floors rumbled with bass and movement from an audience who responded. The beacon of the night, the young producer shook the halls with a thunderous roar – leaving the audience without a moment to spare. In battle, a general never sends the entire army all at once; he delivers his blow in calculated waves. Just when the audience thought they’d had enough, Caspa emerged.

Every army has its knight in shining armor, and in this battle his name is Caspa. With a name that is synonymous with the dubstep genre, his work moves and inspires other producers. When he’s not running three labels and releasing some of the tastiest remixes, he’s producing and churning out albums. Introduced by Rod Azlan, the crowd went crazy as he took the stage. At the height of the night’s madness, he dropped a dubstep version of deadmau5 and Kaskade’s “I Remember” and La Roux’s “Bulletproof” that sent the audience into frenzy. In a finishing move, he played his remix of Rusko’s  “Cockney Thug, ” making way for the general of the night, Benga.

Dropping monster “chunes” and pushing the speakers to the max, Benga caused some uncontrollable head bops worthy of thrashings. His select tunes not only shake frames, but they can also make the heart tremble. Like a rush of adrenaline, his baselines are not for the faint hearted. An artist on the stage, he took presence in front and behind the decks to the delight of the crowd.  Like a conductor, he kept the audience and swung them back and forth as he transitioned to heavy “grime” that contorted faces. This fight was clearly won, but what good is a victory without the rest of the troops to celebrate? To close the night, Caspa joined Benga for turns as they transitioned to drum and bass. Till the lights went out, no life was spared at this Friday’s installation of  GBH and Meanred‘s Boys & Girls party.

Check out photos from the mayhem by Kenroy George and yours truly. For your enjoyment, check out tracks by the artists below.

Tweet – Oooops! (Hudson Mohawke Remix)

Rusko – Cockney Thug (Caspa Remix)

Prodigy – Warriors Dance (Benga Remix)

Hudson Mohawke – Joy Fantastic (ft. Oliver Daysoul)

Last Saturday, the Trouble and Bass crew got down and dirty for their epic three-year anniversary celebration at Le Poisson Rouge. The night was off to a great start, with Drop the Lime, AC Slater, Star Eyes and The Captain alternating on the decks for the ultimate tag team set. The party heated up when 77Klash (whom we last saw with Major Lazer in June) jumped on the mic for a live performance, which included a version of Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor” and a few songs from his upcoming EP, which will be released on T&B’s label.

The club was packed to capacity by the time Skream and Benga came on at 1:30. They kept their energy-packed set decidedly old-school, opting for CDJs and vinyl instead of a laptop. Highlights included Skream’s version of “In For The Kill” by La Roux and his official remix of Chromeo’s “Night by Night”. Ever the rock stars, Skream and Benga capped off the night by jumping into the audience for some crowd surfing.

Click here to check out Oliver Correa’s photos from the night. If you missed out on the party on Saturday, fret not – you can get your fill of dubstep when Caspa takes over Le Poisson Rouge this Wednesday.

When I first arrived on dubstep’s doorstep, two names stood out amongst those forging bass drenched rhythm in South London… Skream and Benga. Both began producing music at an early age with Benga (Beni Uthman) pumping out lo-fi goodies from his Playstation at the age of 12 and Skream (Oliver Jones) crafting his wobble with Fruity Loops by age 15. Once they started pressing dubplates (a vinyl release for those not familiar), both shared the “do-it-yourself” philosophy which allowed them to shape their sonority as they saw fit.

These two are now the rudeboys of the dubstep scene, an honor that seems stronger than ever, so it’s no surprise they’ve teamed up to serve their dubby gospel worldwide. Benga has only this request of your speakers: “To preach this music, which is bassline music, you need a good system. Hook me up with that and I’m happy.” Of course, a worldwide jaunt would not be complete without a stop in the Big Apple, so be sure to catch them drop the heavy at Le Poisson Rouge next Saturday for Trouble & Bass’ anniversary party. And who knows, we might let you in for free.

Few Tracks for your aural pleasure, please listen with a bit of sub bass.

La Roux – In For The Kill (Last Japan Skream Re-Edit)

Benga – Crunked Up

Last.fm interview with Benga & Skream on the jump.

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