- (Very) seriously good dubstep.
- SICARIA is one of the coolest dubstep DJs around. She captures the cold concrete feel of "dungeon sound" revivalist (and revisionist) strains of the genre with more modern touches, effortlessly folding in new rhythms and influences along the way. Once part of the duo Sicaria Sound, earlier this month she dropped her first solo EP, Blood, Sweat & Self, featuring four canny dubstep fusions—including the delightfully off-kilter "Still Swingin," which kind of sounds like what Silkie might have made if he grew up on Afro house and amapiano.
The EP's clear highlight, to me, is the self-deprecatingly titled "(Not So) Serious Ting," which represents the mixture of heaviness and levity that makes SICARIA such a compelling DJ. Framed by a surprisingly level-headed kick drum pattern and plucked strings, it has early dubstep-style lilt and a midrange wobble that calls back to the days of FruityLoops and DubLoaded at The Croft in Bristol. It's a little menacing, but also light on its feet, and the jello-jiggling bassline is 3D textured without feeling over the top, holding everything in balance as usual.