I found myself in the mix the other evening slipping in a couple of Headhunter classics for good measure, when I realised how much I miss this producer’s presence within the dubstep underground. His sound is just as relevant now as it was five years back, which goes to show that he was way ahead of the curve in his Tempa heyday. His attention to percussive arrangements, soundscape melodies and bassline grooves crowned him as one of the leading pioneers of the dubstep sound. Given the many sonic offshoots dubstep has taken, the dubbed out techno route is certainly one of the most popular. He may have disappeared to challenge himself with other projects [Addison Groove], but where we lose one, an exciting few have emerged. The new breed; Killawatt, Ipman, Thelem, Proxima, Sleeper, District and perhaps even Gantz, I believe are now at the same experimental stage where Headhunter once musically flourished. And like Youngsta, his mixes embody a strong and interesting narrative. Tracks flow seamlessly between blends complimenting each other perfectly. For those who might not be familiar with Headhunter, or may have recently discovered the underground sound, I have dug up three essential mixes as an education. By the time you finish them, I hope you’ll be in agreement when I say he is one of the all time greats.
#1 Future Breaks FM – 15/09/2007
Tracklist:
Peverelist – Untitled (dub)
Peverelist – Untitled (dub)
Pinch – Wire (dub)
Fracture – Phone Call (Compound One dub)
Martyn – Suburbia (Revolve:R)
TRG – Decisions (dub)
Headhunter – Eye Spy (dub)
Headhunter – Quanta (dub)
Elemental – Zambal Dub (dub)
Jack Sparrow – Plank Spank (dub)
Jakes – Signal (dub)
Headhunter – Drop the Waste [rmx] (dub)
Headhunter – Tonkin Delight (dub)
Jakes – Lost (dub)
Headhunter – Locus-Lotus (dub)
Headhunter – Sicion (dub)
Jakes – Gate 9 (dub)
#2 Headhunter November 2007 Mix
Tracklist:
Reverberation – Substance & Vainqueur
Infinity Is Now – Peverelist
Airlock – Pinch
Untitled – 2562
Royal Flush- Headhunter
Suberbia – Martyn
Haven – Headhunter
Action Potential – Jus Wan
Eye Spy – Headhunter
BHD – Antix [Headhunter Remix]
Sicon – Headhunter
Spyro – Headhunter
Drop The Waste – Headhunter
MUGEN – Luke Envoy
Sushi Brain – Headhunter
Ares – Tech Itch
#3 Hello World Mix – Mary Anne Hobbs show [BBC Radio One] – 08/05/2008
Tracklist:
Headhunter – Lifeform (Dubplate)
Headhunter – Monochain (Dubplate)
Headhunter – Chemosphere Remix (Dubplate)
Headhunter – Grounded (Dubplate)
Martyn – Vancouver (Apple Pips)
Headhunter – Paradigm Shift (Dubplate)
Komonazmuk – Bad Apple (Hench)
Headhunter – Mint 500 (Dubplate)
Headhunter – Your Say (Dubplate)
Shut Up And Dance – Epileptic – Martyn’s no strobe mix (Dubplate)
Headhunter – Royal Flush (Dubplate)
2562 – Resistance Dub (Tectonic)
Headhunter – Prototype (Dubplate)
Tes La Rok – Samurai Code (Dubplate)
Headhunter – Axis (Dubplate)
