In case you missed the memo, dubstep is happening in America. Proper dubstep: deep, dark, creepy dubstep – aggressive, violent dubstep – meditative dubstep – headbanging dubstep – and even grime. The 140 sound may be a UK tradition, but in the aftermath of the commercial EDM explosion, it is no longer a geographically confined phenomenon. The American sound and scene is boiling with freshly brewed enthusiasm for system music and underground styles. The landscape has shifted. And rather than a few celebrity names and a generous handful of cash, the recent momentum is fueled by a passionate creative community.
Durandal is not only a sophisticated and imaginative musical talent. The Utah-based producer is a community leader and trailblazer for the stateside sound. Durandal’s unadulterated energy for dubstep is audible in his productions. His tracks are always deep, and his sound creeps toward the genre’s spookiest threshold – often taking the sonic silhouette of a bad trip. His musical maturity manifests in a touch for tension, as well as imaginative composition. As an experienced producer, Durandal is a master of patience and pacing. The result is an immersively textured, system-ready signature sound consistent across his entire track collection – and an exceptionally seductive presence on the decks.
With a steadily strengthening stateside scene and international ears tuning into US talent, Durandal’s productions rumble viscerally on the genre’s radar – as they ought to. As an integral leader of today’s generation of dubsteppers, Durandal plays a key role in the community himself. An original member of The Widdler’s highly influential Twitch community, Durandal is an understated innovator of the American sound. His impact on the community reaches well beyond the studio. The artist has curated his own parties in Salt Lake City. The region seems an unexpected breeding ground for the scene, but America is a big country – our music landscape stretches beyond the borders of Los Angeles, Denver, and New York. As an artist and a cultural conductor, Durandal’s influence is a testament to the pervasive power of genuine music and ever-expanding underground potential.
The artist’s mounting exposure and growing fan base also speaks to the optimistic possibilities presented by digital technology. Durandal’s collaboration with The Widdler, “Space Cruisin’”, was recently featured as a free download by London-based 140 curators FatKidOnFire; he was showcased among a slew of emerging US producers (including Myxed Up, Thanom, Ether, and Yukona) on a charting compilation from Rebel Traxx. Together, artistic talent and technology are actively dissolving geographic boundaries to unite a worldwide community around one universal cause: the music. In a time of endless turmoil and viral existential anxiety, such positive unity contains the human connection that the world desperately needs.
Follow Durandal on Facebook, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp to stay tuned into the artist’s sonic endeavors. For booking information and tour dates, check out his agency page. Denver dubsteppers are in for a treat on December 20, when Durandal returns to Electronic Tuesdays for his Black Box debut alongside Saule and Joe Nice.
Amye Koziel