The Medium is the message- an article about Dubstep Forum's legacy

A big thanks to Richard Akingbehin who wrote this really well researched and thoughtful feature about the Dubstep forum and its impact on the evolution of Dubstep. It’s illustrated with 5 of my photos of the early Dubstep scene, from my Drumz Of The South series.

I was happy to be mentioned in the feature for my contributions to Dubstep Forum in the form of links to my Flickr Albums of events like DMZ, FWD>> and Skull Disco.

I was an active user of the forum from 2004 onwards and it was very important in building my network and growing an audience for my music photography. I made friends through the forum that I am still in touch with today and while as Richard points out, the forum went from being something fairly intimate to an absolute beast, it’s still very close to my heart!

“The Medium is The Message”
- Marshall McLuhen

I wrote in a recent blog post about Boiler Room that the medium is the message (a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhen). This was also echoed in my Twitter thread about Richard’s article. The idea that media and content are co-dependent is strong when you think that the online communication of WEB 2.0, such as the Dubstep Forum, very much enabled Dubstep and Grime to be shared and therefore to grow.

This is something I’ve talked about in more details in my talks and lectures and something I’m thinking about even more this year, in light of the pandemic! If you have any thoughts about it, please drop me a line or leave a comment.