This piece was originally published at THUMP in January 2016.
For a time in the mid-2000s, dubstep was the most exciting scene in electronic music. In a relatively short period of time, emerging producers from the UK like Digital Mystikz, Kode 9, and Skream took a nascent form to new creative places, taking full advantage of its relative lack of formal limitations compared to what preceded it. All wobbly vibrations and halved breaks, the fresh sound took hold in places like London and Bristol, before exploding abroad.
London producer Roly Porter remembers the days before dubstep was a dirty word, before it became so stilted and commodified that it sent Skrillex himself into the toned arms of pop prince Justin Bieber. As part of the noisy duo Vex'd, both Porter and his cohort Jamie Teasdale brought a metallic glint and industrial strength to the music. This attracted the attention of Planet Mu label owner Mike Paradinas, who released their debut album Degenerate in 2005.
Since Vex'd called it quits in the late 2000s, Porter's musical journey has taken him far away from the terrestrial club scenes of his youth and deeper into a kind of world-building by way of sound design. Those eager for his return to the dancefloor will not find it amid the densely-packed soundscapes of Third Law, his third solo studio album.