Make sure that at some point you check out the audio supplement to the article (coming soon). Catch a few of the tunes these guys are making, and turn up the bassí¢â‚¬ ¦

On the periphery of Vancouverí¢â‚¬â„¢s music scene, a tight community can be found rallying around a truly new sound that - if you know the whens and wheres - can be found rinsiní¢â‚¬â„¢ out of various non-descript locations í¢â‚¬Ëœtill the wee hours of the morning. Though the sound is being labeled digital dub, in reality it is truly a confluence of styles, and a meeting point of a multiplicity of musical influences.

Leading the creative charge are a tight knit handful of dedicated DJí¢â‚¬â„¢s, producers and promoters not afraid to defy musical genres in the quest for a new sound. Michael Red, Taal Mala, Max Ulis, Calamalka, Kuma, Jacob Cino, Sirbassa, and Prince Sho are among those on the forefront of the scene, but far from an exhaustive list of those helping to push the boundaries forward in search of new sound. Traversing through everything from dub, reggae, dubstep, and dancehall to hip hop, jungle/drum ní¢â‚¬â„¢ bass, glitch and minimal techno, those driving the scene forward are far from afraid to place divergent styles together in order to create a distinctive new way to bob your head. And for those who have had exposure to the scene, the response has been that of amazement.

Jacob Cino (Third Eye Tribe), who others in the scene credit with being the longest standing dub head, offers this explanation of Vancouverí¢â‚¬â„¢s rawest and most innovative new genre: í¢â‚¬Å“Within the scene, whatí¢â‚¬â„¢s going on is a whole lot of progression of various genres being mixed over a dub influenced beatí¢â‚¬ ¦[we are] taking different styles, mashing them together, and seeing where they intersect.í¢â‚¬ 

Michael Campitelli (Calamalka), who with arguably some of the most experience in the world of dub also gets recognized as having the grittiest and weirdest sounds, says of the collective vision, í¢â‚¬Å“Weí¢â‚¬â„¢re mashing up all those styles to try and make something a little more hyperí¢â‚¬ ¦a new mashed up dub track and original sound.í¢â‚¬ 

í¢â‚¬Å“[We] want to create sounds that you would never expect to hear,í¢â‚¬  Max Ulis furthers, í¢â‚¬Å“[sounds] that take you somewhere new, and hit you over the head.í¢â‚¬  And hit over the head it has done. Those who have attended the handful of low key events have responded strongly to the sound and innovation coming out from behind the decks and from the studios.

í¢â‚¬Å“There used to be a lot of parties happening in the early 90í¢â‚¬â„¢s that were all about the music, and ití¢â‚¬â„¢s like thatí¢â‚¬â„¢s happening again,í¢â‚¬  Max says with noticeable excitement. í¢â‚¬Å“Ií¢â‚¬â„¢ve been totally blown away by the response of the crowdsí¢â‚¬  echoes Calamalka, citing a recent show that kept a seething (though relatively drug free) crowd rockiní¢â‚¬â„¢í¢â‚¬Ëœtill the sun began to creep upwards. í¢â‚¬Å“Ití¢â‚¬â„¢s a bit nostalgic,í¢â‚¬  Michael Red manages with a smirk.

Living through whatí¢â‚¬â„¢s been a bit of a drought for an innovative subculture, the digital dub sound í¢â‚¬“ at least here in Vancouver í¢â‚¬“ has been able to carve out a niche for people starved for a unique sound and eager to spend a night not worrying about anything else beyond enjoying finding a way to groove to some fucked up, funky beats. Look around at 4 am at any of these shows and you doní¢â‚¬â„¢t see mangled eyes, embarrassingly drunk maneuvers or other sketchiness all too common to the late night venues that dot the city: you see smiles and people stoked to spend a night freely expressing themselves.

Michael Red continues: í¢â‚¬Å“Whatí¢â‚¬â„¢s unique to Vancouver is definitely the crowd we are moving amongst. People are as much a part of the vibe as we areí¢â‚¬ ¦and ití¢â‚¬â„¢s totally inspiring to see a crowd going off, cuz ití¢â‚¬â„¢s obvious that people are really into it.í¢â‚¬ 

This, the general consensus claims, is due at least in part to the fact that thus far, they have been able to keep the scene out of the clubs. í¢â‚¬Å“We doní¢â‚¬â„¢t want to move into the clubs. The people doní¢â‚¬â„¢t want to move into the clubs,í¢â‚¬  says Max with assurance. í¢â‚¬Å“Small venues keep the music more pure and true,í¢â‚¬  says Jacob Cino - something the Vancouver Police department has yet to show much understanding for. But a significant element of the originality endemic to the scene has been the ability to stay in smaller low key venues. Michael Red emphasizes that í¢â‚¬Å“thereí¢â‚¬â„¢s an opposition [in the scene] to the club aesthetic that represents surrender to all these major corporate forcesí¢â‚¬ ¦ but also ití¢â‚¬â„¢s just about people coming together and sharing alternative culture with each other [on their terms].í¢â‚¬ 

Calamalka provides an optimistic outlook that seems to embody the general feeling of those involved in the scene. í¢â‚¬Å“We all have a unique understanding of the music, and of each otherí¢â‚¬ ¦and that rarely happensí¢â‚¬ ¦Plus, weí¢â‚¬â„¢re all really future heads. Weí¢â‚¬â„¢re in [to the music] so deep into it that I know weí¢â‚¬â„¢ll be doing fresh stuff.í¢â‚¬  So keep a keen eye out for these bass heavy tunes, as Vancouverí¢â‚¬â„¢s digital dub scene continues to push the sound forward through the late nights.

Make sure you check out the audio supplement to this article. More importantly, keep your ears and eyes open for these guys, and the rest of those involved in the scene, and try and find a place where you can hear these hard bass lines rinse out on a good set of subs.

Also, if you are making experimental dub in Vancouver, and would like to get a track listed on the site, please send an email to editor@capitalmag.com with your name, the track name and any info, and weí¢â‚¬â„¢ll give it a listen, and hopefully get it up on the site.