Weird places DJ/producer Shackleton stakes out his own space beyond dubstep

by ERIN MACLEOD Sam Shackleton has been associated with London’s dubstep scene, as the co-founder of now defunct Skull Disco label, and viewed as a producer who pushed the boundaries and expectations of the now international genre. According to the man himself, the form of his work has “elements of dub and techno and maybe a psychedelic quality.” And, by Shackleton’s own admission, it can be “quite demanding for the listener as it tends to go for dramatic mood changes and has some discordant elements.” Shackleton has moved from London to Berlin, but his music stems from a space that is not necessarily affected by location. “The music taps into such a weird place that I am not sure that I can say it’s influenced by my immediate surroundings. I am fairly sure that I would make something similar even if I lived in a beach hut in Hawaii.” But he does know where he’d like his music to be heard. It would need to be “in a small, darkened room of no more than 200 people.” Don’t forget about the sound. “A good sound system that can represent all the frequencies.” And the crowd? “People there for the music rather than to be seen somewhere.” In 2006, writer Martin Clark stated that dubstep “might be narrowing in its diversity as people rush ‘to be dubstep’ and imitate rather than find their own style.” Shackleton feels that this was a “prophetic” statement, and his attitude demonstrates that he’s the furthest from an imitator—definitely someone who is in it for the music. “The thing is that I never felt ‘dubstep’ and always felt totally awkward with the tag. I like music that has its own personality. Martin is right but that applies not just to dubstep but to everything in life. The problem with any genre is that it’s a fine line between identifying a common set of sensibilities which make up a genre and that same identification of sensibilities becoming a dogma to which everyone feels they need to adhere. “I never really felt that need. I just want to get on with my own thing and not worry about other people.” WITH RAZOR REKTA, BUS, KOMODO, HOSTA AND MR. BUMP AT SAT ON SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 10 P.M., $15