The Dissensus Album Canon

[padraig (u.s.)]

Ragga Twins, Reggae Owes Me Money.

I'd prefer Shut Up + Dance - Dance Until the Police Come, but I like your thinking there

 

[version]

maybe the first Horsepower Productions LP? Is it an album or more of a glorified singles compilation? idk

if only El-B had made an LP. or Dem 2.

did Todd Edwards ever put an out album? he seems like he might have.

There's an El-B comp, but no album.

 

[version]

There's a Riot Goin' On. Illmatic's probably in there too.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

This Heat's debut.

runs into the same problem as its RIO companion, Henry Cow, of being too self-consciously outre

PiL already covers that territory better, in dissensus terms

ideal dissensus music is fwd and possibly (tho not necessarily) outre but still pop music at its heart, even if that heart is well obscured

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

There's a Riot Goin' On. Illmatic's probably in there too.

There's a Riot Goin' On, yes. more dissensus than James Brown (Funkadelic has is too much heavy guitars).

Illmatic is too regular canonical to be dissensus canonical, which is why I wouldn't include it tho barty did

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

I'm pretty inclined to say compilations are automatically disqualified

unless they're so unique and seminal that they define an entire moment/movement/era. and preferably have tunes that weren't released in a million other places.

 

[version]

Keith Hudson, Playing It Cool.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

I was thinking about the first Run the Road, even though it came out after grime's true creative peak

but then for all the great tunes it also has Lady Sovereign, "Fit But She Knows It", etc and it's just like, idk

I guess if you can look past that maybe

true grime is pirate radio sets obv

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

LFO, Frequencies.

is bleep techno really that much of a dissensus touchstone? or Warp in general, come to that?

 

[version]

The first Suicide LP strikes me as quite Dissensus.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

Omni Trio is such a huge dissensus touchstone that I'd like to cheat and include The Deepest Cut even tho it's really a compilation/remixes

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

Steve Gurley is another person where it's like, if only he had made an LP (there is a Foul Play LP but it's not a patch on their actual canonical work)

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

The first Suicide LP strikes me as quite Dissensus

hmm kinda borderline but maybe. like a cooler version of Bowie's Berlin years. I can see it.

dissensus is kind of an awkward mix the nerdy and the, if not hip, then fwd.

 

[version]

There perhaps should be one proper dubstep album in there.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

There perhaps should be one proper dubstep album in there.

unfortunately, yes. too bad blackdown's not around to pick it for us.

if only the Digital Mystikz output ca. 2003-2005 (or 2006? idk where the cutoff is) was an LP

 

[version]

If we're talking strictly albums then the next best thing is probably the first Skream album.

 

[version]

OB4CL.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

that's the only proper dubstep I can imagine listening to

actually no

Skull Disco - Soundboy Punishments

albeit it's a compilation, but also kind of a summation of the entire label's output in one record

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

OB4CL.

yeah definitely

also Liquid Swords

OB4CL and Liquid Swords as co-standins for the more obvious pick of Enter the 36 Chambers

dissensus canon isn't about the non-obvious or obscure, but it's also not about the obvious

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

If we're talking strictly albums then the next best thing is probably the first Skream album.

gross but if that's the only choice then so be it

tho even that is basically a glorified singles compilation

so in that case I'm still voting for Soundboy Punishments.