Dub's firstborn

The third Dubway Session tomorrow features the Bangkok debut of Alpha Steppa, the “child protege” of celebrated British dub duo Alpha and Omega.
Alpha Steppa grew up with this music thanks to his father (Alpha) and aunt (Omega), whose own brand of dub would ultimately shape his sound and style.
On its launch in 2010, his Steppas Records offered fresh dub and sound-system mixes by his mentors as well as one of the final releases by the late reggae icon Gregory Isaacs.
Alpha Steppa went on to collaborate with Rob Smith of the famed duo Smith and Mighty.
Alpha Steppa produces music that’s aware of its roots heritage but becomes some of the most innovative dub being made today. Currently based in Seoul, he’s begun integrating authentic oriental sounds as well.
And the other day he dubbed us an e-mail interview.

Whatcha doin’?
I’m working on a few future releases. We’ve just finished putting together the “Alpha Steppa Meets JahYu” EP, which will be out this month. I’m very excited about it because it’s a good representation of the Steppas Records sound – East meets West roots-based dubstep combined with traditional oriental sounds.
The next record will focus on Radikal Guru, a driving force in the new roots and dubstep scene. I’ve also been working with local producers and singers here in Korea, so there are some very new and exciting releases to come!
 
What’s your latest release?
The Goli & Ashburner “Get Up” EP, which features versions of an original Goli & Ashburner track from Bristol’s RSD (also known as Rob Smith) and myself. Mixmag describes the sound as “West Country Rootical Righteousness”, which I like!
The record was a move more towards deeper and darker dubstep, although the dub vibe is ever present.
 
How important was your family in fashioning your style?
My family was definitely my biggest influence for a long time. My dad taught me about producing and dub mixing at a young age. Dub mixing is what I admire most about dub music, because when a dub is mixed, it gains personality.
I also learned a lot from my Aunt Christine, who, along with my dad, I have a lot of respect for – they were among the first non-Jamaican dub producers.

How did you get started professionally?
As Alpha Steppa, my first gig was in France. At the time I was dub-mixing tracks live and a friend of mine would play instruments. I began playing mostly my own music since it was possible to mix the bass, drums and other elements independently.
The interesting thing about dubstep is that many people from various musical backgrounds are creating it, so the sound is really varied and can lend itself to a whole range of genres.

Do you think dub still belongs to the Jamaican artists?
These days I don’t think dub is dominated by Jamaican artists. Jamaica is where it all began, but when the sound moved to the UK it evolved and spread across Europe and the world. These days dub is global.
There is still a lot of good music coming out of Jamaica, but not exclusively dub.

What are you listening to lately?
I’m really enjoying the Greensleeves dubstep release! I’m a big fan of Greensleeves because my dad was signed to them and I was exposed to their releases at a young age. It’s nice to see Greensleeves getting involved in dubstep, and this release works very well.
What’s the dub scene like in South Korea?
I love it here. It’s been very inspirational for me. The K-dub-and-bass music scene is a lot larger and stronger than I first imagined. The scene seems to be thriving. There are many talented producers and musicians, and I see exponential growth for the future. My plan is to help expose the talent here to the international market.

If dub didn’t exist, what kind of music would you choose to DJ?
I’d probably just play anything bass-driven!
 
What’s the plan for tonight?
I have a lot of new dubs and dubplates to play, so expect a very bass-heavy, roots-based dubstep set!
I’m very excited because Bangkok will be the first stop on my Asian tour. I can’t wait to see a session in a Bangkok style!
 
MURDER!
Alpha Steppa is at Cafe Democ on Rajdamnoen Klang Road tomorrow night.
Admission with a beer is Bt400. Call (02) 622 2572 or visit www.CafeDemoc.com.