UKF15: Our First Dubstep Upload

Yesterday we reminisced over our first ever drum and bass upload. Today we’re looking back on our the first upload on our Dubstep YouTube channel- Black Sun Empire’s ‘Hyper Sun’.

As we continue to gear up for the grand finale of our UKF15 celebrations, a sold-out show at the mighty Drumsheds on December 13 – we want to catch up with Black Sun Empire. They reflect on what “that blue logo” means to fans, talk about what UKF means to them and, of course, their favourite-ever UKF upload.

Your track ‘Hyper Sun’ was our first ever dubstep upload 14 years ago, what have been some of the highlights of your musical journey since then?

Well we have moved house a million times since then, but now we finally bought our own place with three studios in there! That was a big change. We played so many incredible festivals and clubs. Not to mention some strange webcam spots during the pandemic, don’t ask. 

A highlight was working with several vocalists like Foreign Beggars, Virus Syndicate, Amatorski, Thomas Oliver, Youthstar, PNC. Hearing crowds sing and shout the words to some well-known tunes is a great feeling. Watching our label and events BLACKOUT MUSIC grow and see the artists on it grow with it is incredibly rewarding too!

How has the dance music scene changed in the last 15 years?

It hasn’t. I guess tracks are now a bit shorter because everyone is used to quicker switches, but that is about it. Genres come and go, come back, evolve.

What does UKF represent to you?

I think for a lot of people seeing that blue logo pop up in your feed meant you got to hear the best new music in the world! So many exciting memories about the stuff that came out first on there, goosebumps.

What’s your favourite upload from the UKF Dubstep YouTube channel

Sorry can’t do one!

We’re going to go for a Bar9 track first, because they had such a groove. I remember we always tried to do something similar but failed. It sounds so easy but it isn’t. And somehow the sounds they choose, when you played it out, it was just like everything exploded. Too many to choose from, so gonna go with ‘Piano Tune Vip’, but could have been anything by them really.

Flux Pavilion – ‘Bass Cannon’. Could have chosen any of his classics. None of his tunes need more awareness as they are such hits, but they do really define the genre. Somehow it’s a bridge between early UK sounds and the sound that became so huge in the States and worldwide. The first time we heard some of these played out it was that feeling of WTF is this?!

Skrillex, PEEKABOO, Flowdan, G-Rex – ‘Badders’. Flowdan is the man of the hour of course. His work with Skrillex is just so sick. All these guys have done an incredible job. So dark, so simple, so good…love it! I was going to pick something by Hamdi, the other man of the hour it would seem. It’s great how all these sounds never really went away.