Smog is a direct reference to the city of Los Angeles. So its quite fitting that a London underground music that was created in dark, smokey and grimey venues, has been embraced and championed by a group who call themselves SMOG. Reminding us that even though the movies and tv portray LA a certain way, its still a dirty place. They do that by delivering that low down dirty bass while staying true to how the music should be presented. In essence, keeping it real.

We had a chance to bounce a few questions off of SMOG boss man, Drew Best, who recently celebrated two years of SMOG dubstep events in Los Angeles. Earlier this year he launched SMOG as a record label with 12th Planet, and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Best and his crew have managed to build a brand with integrity in a city where bullshit walks, red carpets line the streets, and cameras flash. No smoking mirrors here, just pure bass and vibes. If you haven’t been to a SMOG dubstep event, all you have to do is put your ear to the ground.

Media Contender:
I have known you for a long time now and am quite familiar with your contributions to the American electronic music movement. You’re from Chicago and moved here several years ago. Tell us a little bit about that and give us a brief summary of your background in the rave scene.
Drew Best:
I guess you could say Ive been involved in electronic music for about half my life now. I grew up in Chicago, a city that thrives on dance music. The underground dance music scene in that city was strong throughout the 90s. At a young age I was inspired to get involved as a dj playing house, techno, or jungle. By the time I was 16 I had organized my first rave. This went on til about ‘99 when I took a break to focus on a computer graphics career. I moved to LA in 2002 to find work, and found myself back in the club world again. I helped brands like Droid Behavior start the techno scene in LA, and worked with Bassrush on some of the biggest drum n bass events in the US. Early in ‘06 a freind of mine introduced me to dubstep and we decided to create a home for it in LA.
Media Contender:
You produced the first all dubstep event in Los Angeles and just had your 2 year party. What did you set out to accomplish then and how has that original ideal developed or changed since?
Drew Best:
Well, when Smog started out – it began with a few of us. We were hard pressed to find enough dj’s in LA to do an all-dubstep event. We arranged for Nick Argon and Matty G from San Francisco to help us start things off, and that was the night that sneezed out the dubstep scene in LA. We now have dj’s, producers, mc’s, record labels, club nights, sound systems, and party goers dedicated to the dubstep sound. We shared a vision to build a community for this music in LA, and we took baby steps to get there. Now, after our 2 Year event, it’s amazing to see how the scene has progressed. It’s like one big family.
Media Contender:
The sound of dubstep has broadened over the last couple years. What do you think defines dubstep today?
Drew Best:
The fine line of “dubstep” is becoming more and more blurred – to the point where it has become just a phrase that identifies the music that we enjoy. Initially you could have said “this BPM, this style of bass, putting that snare right here” could sum up a dubstep track. Eventually a lot of styles and personality came out from the different producers. It became “anything goes” and if it made sense it was welcomed by the scene. You can identify certain trends, where some tracks sound more like reggae, or others sound more like techno, but it all fits underneath the dubstep umbrella. It seems like the dubstep scene wants to keep it that way, rather than splintering off into sub-genre’s.
Media Contender:
Los Angeles dubstep events are becoming quite notorious, between SMOG and the Pure Filth events, I would say we have a pretty healthy scene, give us some insight to some of your future plans and how you see the dubstep scene developing or expanding in the next couple years?
Drew Best:
I think dubstep will only continue to grow. It has already spread like wildfire and I think it’s still only it its early stages and potential. As for SMOG, we plan to continue to produce the best events we can, each with a tone or vibe that sets them apart. We’ve nurtured a lot of our own talent, and many of them now receive bookings out of state and out of country. We know that LA has something very special happening with dubstep, so it’s our goal to share that with the rest of the world through records, mixes, radio, video, and beyond.
Media Contender:
Your SMOG record label has just recently launched. Give us a brief rundown on what the label is about, what artists are you working with on this, and what kind of goodies should we expect forthcoming?
Drew Best:
The label part of SMOG was started by 12th Planet and myself. John (12th Planet) has a long history of releasing records and running labels, so he’s been a great person to launch it with. To date we have two different 12″ vinyls out. The first being a single by 12th Planet and Dj Evol called the Smokescreen EP. The second by 12th Planet titled Ptera Patrick EP. We’ve expanded into the digital realm within the last month and put out the Periscope EP by our own Pawn and EMU. Most exciting is our next release which is DLX’s “Matter of Fact” with a remix by Breakage that has been tearing apart dance floors worldwide. It was most recently featured on Skream’s “Watch the Ride” mix compilation, and has got heavy rotation from artists like Benga, Youngsta, Headhunter, Appleblim and so on. I believe it should be out by the first week of November so look for SMOG003 in shops very soon.
Media Contender:
On behalf of Media Contender, it is my pleasure to have had this back and forth. Much respect for your contributions to underground music and culture. Are there any last words?
Drew Best:
I wanna big up Media Contender for putting together this article! Check out SMOG SESSIONS Saturday Oct 25th with Headhunter, DJG, Pablo Hassan, Tony K, and Kemst at The Echo. (1822 W. Sunset Blvd, LA, CA 90026)

The boys were kind enough to give us a few bits for the Media Contender massive. Get yer dl on.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD 12TH PLANET “SHADOW SELF”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD DLX “DIRTY LITTLE MARTINI”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD EMU “WANGSTAS (THROW SOME DUBS)

Photos: REGAL D, HERA

Website: SMOG LA, DLX MYSPACE, KNIFEDREAMS MYSPACE, 12TH PLANET MYSPACE