Three postdubstep essentials

Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo (Hotflush, 2009)

A hard track to pigeonhole at the time, but one which makes even more sense as time goes by. Originally filed under dubstep, Hyph

Mngo is a joyous technicolour dancefloor weapon. A hell of a debut release for an artist who has gone on to sustained success.

Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers (Hotflush, 2010)

Pairing beautiful sound design with field recordings and live instrumentation, Mount Kimbie’s first studio album felt unlike anything else at the time. Bringing ambient music influences into the world of post-dubstep experimentation, Dominic Maker and Kai Campos established their singular sound as one of the most exciting things to come from the dubstep scene.

James Blake – self-titled (ATLAS, 2011)

Not as directly influenced by dubstep as his early releases like CMYK and The Bells Sketch, but Blake’s eponymous debut album showcased how elements of dubstep influences – drum production, synth design, sub-bass – could work in a more mature, vocal-driven context. Witness the wobble bassline on Limit To Your Love or the freaky percussion on Unluck.