- How to make orthodox dubstep sound exciting in 2011? Rinse FM DJ Youngsta tries to answer that question on the newest addition to the radio station's mix series. After a number of increasingly house-oriented excursions, Youngsta brings Rinse back to brooding halfstep. The thing that sticks out about his entry is how predictable it is. Whereas others have loaded their mixes with exclusives and genre-defying selections, Rinse:14 is pure dubstep: no diversions, no tangents and maybe even—depending on your perspective—no fun.
It's certainly less exciting than his lauded Rinse FM shows. Without the proper two hours to build and release tension, the disc sticks low to the ground for most of its duration, showcasing a new wave of producers who make somewhat tasteful red-eyed halfstep like SP:MC, Verse (of Pendulum notoriety), DJ Madd and especially Kryptic Minds. The latter's tracks—"Can't Sleep," "Secrets," "Empty Inside"—are precise and razor sharp, substituting techno-inspired gloss, sheen and steady momentum for the genre's usual jagged swing.
That means that the drops are less central on Rinse:14, as the halftime skank turns equally robotic and hypnotic, with the primary bassweight shifted from bubbling basslines to storming percussion. Some of the tunes do pack quite a wallop like Youngsta's own collaboration with Icicle "Momentum," or the almost off-puttingly thrashing Verse tune "Wilderness" that ends the disc, but for the most part it's a steadily pulsating 70 minutes circling in studied regularity.
As dubstep's "mainstream" moves into midrangey, single-minded territory, there's a distinct sense of community and urgency surrounding the heads-down halfstep sound that feels more relevant than ever. But there's also something very conservative going on here as well. You'll have that on a mix that values consistency over all else. Youngsta's been this way since the beginning, and he's probably not going to change anytime soon. If someone is going to turn in a mix of classicist dubstep in 2011 ("there's no respect for the old school" complains one of the tunes here), it might as well be him.
Tracklist 01. SP:MC & LX ONE - Down
02. Freeze & LX ONE - Foreseen VIP
03. SP:MC & LX ONE - Judgement
04. Icicle - Xylophobia VIP
05. Matt U - Hidden
06. Icicle - Organic Step
07. Cyrus - Manhattan Blues
08. Icicle & Youngsta - Momentum
09. Verse - Venom
10. DJ Madd & Chris SU - No Respect
11. Verse - Dark Star
12. Kryptic Minds feat. Alys Be - Can't Sleep
13. DJ Madd - Secrets
14. Kryptic Minds & Youngsta - Arcane
15. DJ Madd - Pitch Black
16. LX ONE - Give It Up
17. DJ Madd - New Reality
18. Matt U - Empty Inside
19. Distance - Mind Control
20. Verse - Wilderness (Youngsta Special)