[Tempa]

When I tried to introduce a friend of mine to dubstep awhile back, he found it didn’t sound very much like dub at all. Considering the vast majority of current dubstep out there, that’s pretty accurate. The deep reverb and cascading melodies of classic dubstep has largely been replaced by tweaked synths and titanic buzzing, wobbling bass lines, a far cry from the early days of Digital Mystikz, Zed Bias, and El-B. However, some labels including Tectonic, Hyperdub, and Tempa still champion the echoing caverns of the old style. A group well known for traditional dub leanings, Horsepower Productions, is a loose confederation of “selectors, vibesmen, and producers,” as the credits to their most recent album indicate. Their third album, Quest for the Sonic Bounty, is a layered and cavernous update of the early days of dubstep, which finds Benny Ill and his motley crew stretching and fading riddims across nine cinematic tracks.

One telltale element of Horsepower Productions’ style has the potential to be divisive, the frequent use of vocal samples from films, such as on “22” or “Mexican Slayride.” Back in the days of Metalheadz, this was a common tactic of DnB producers in giving their dark tracks an element of mystery and sometimes menace. In DnB’s wake, some early dubstep continued this tradition but it largely fell by the wayside due to the sometimes false importance it tried to imply. On Quest For The Sonic Bounty the enduring presence of sampled movie dialogue seems like an attempt to convey some sense of narrative that might go unnoticed without words to articulate it. That being said, they can seem somewhat intrusive to those unaccustomed, putting a literal spin on what otherwise might be left up to listeners’ own interpretations.

There’s a murky, apocalyptic quality to many of the tracks, in particular the similarly named “Rain” and “Water.” The crackling vibes and quiet spoken word that open “Rain” give off the impression that this might be Burial coming through, but there are altogether more dub than garage influences happening here. The snares stutter and echo across the slow bass line like half-speed dancehall funeral marchers. “Water” eschews this sound for thick laser blasts of bass and pummeling drums. Another dark track, “22,” comes on like a horror show remix of a popular wobble number, again crawling at a snail’s pace across a bleak aural landscape. It’s not until the skittery “Kingstep” that the deep dub sensibilities return, a warbling vocal cutting through the skipping percussion and snatches of melodic samples.

The true representatives of Jamaican dub styles lie in the closing trilogy, each installment near seven-minutes long. “Damn It” embraces its influences, sirens wailing and loping guitar riffs weaving through the rippling percussion. A playful melody sample circles the chorus of the song while scratches and bass give the impression of a wild soundsystem run amuck. A remix of Lee Perry’s “Exercise” forms the center of this triad and makes the strongest connection with dub. There is a calming, almost spiritual quality to this track, gentle keys and guitars repeating through thick clouds of sampled voices. A dark and menacing synth slices through the peaceful tableau, though, acting like an almost sinister warning. Taking us out on a strangely Eastern bent is “Poison Wine,” making for a wild journey in the theme of the album’s title. Not many producers are quite making 140bpm dubstep like this anymore, delving into the roots of the soundsystem-led music from which it sprang. It’s refreshing and encouraging to see an outfit like Horsepower Productions flying the flag for the history and origins of a splintering style of music.