January 2006 is a landmark date for the six-year-old sound of dubstep. In one weekend, through the coincidence of two massive events-- DMZ and Radio 1's Dubstep Warz-- the scene has gone through unprecedented expansion.

If you've followed this column over the past few months you'll have heard about Digital Mystikz and Loefah's DMZ night. Well, it just got better. It's not like it's not been good before: DMZ set the standard for dances last year. But somehow they managed to defy the golden rule of clubs ("you can't have your biggest club night on the first Saturday in January-- in fact, don't even open in January") to leave a venue and a scene on a high for the new year.

The format wasn't structurally different: Two DJs (Pinch and Chef) play blinding warm up sets, raising the energy levels until Mala Digital Mystikz and Loefah come on. For two hours they go back to back, fluctuating between high energy and dread negative sub-bass space. With DJ Distance making a strong DMZ debut, premiering his collaboration with Skream, the night sustained itself far longer than expectations. At its peak, it left a sense of vitriol, an urge to drag dubstep's doubters out from their niche's and place them in that vibe, in front of those speakers with that volume of next-level beats, melodic innovation, and powerful sub-bass. The vibe at DMZ was infallible.

As Saturday night turned into Sunday morning, most headz headed for their beds and you would have thought that would be enough excitement for one month for the scene. But Dubstep Warz was about to ignite Monday night.

Even in the age of mass-market youth culture, MTV, and the internet, BBC Radio 1 has unprecedented reach and influence on UK culture. New styles might not start there, but they sure can spread through it like wildfire.

After the death of John Peel and Jay Da Flex's departure from 1Xtra, there seemed little hope for dubstep at Radio 1. But Mary Anne Hobbs' Breezeblock has stepped up. In a normal show there'd be a few dubstep tunes littered between breakcore, leftfield hip-hop, and a host of other alt.dance subgenres. But for the Dubstep Warz showcase she decided to invite a large chunk of the scene into the BBC and hand them her entire show.

Despite numerous high-profile gigs over the Christmas period, including Rinsessions at Ministry and DMZ, the assembled DJs had managed to keep some dubplate weaponry in reserve. Even for the most dedicated followers of dubstep's micro-details, there were some jaw-dropping revelations. Kode 9's remix of Tempa classic 'Fat Larry's Skank,' ("...this ganja 'ere, is exclusive to I") contained a mesmerising melodies-- not minor, not major, not atonal-- that exemplify the unique sweet spot Kode's best tunes resonate. Spaceape on the Backward riddim, twisting the line outta all recognition, was a revelation as was Burial's super-sharp-snare collaboration with said vocalist, Spaceape.

Then there's Loefah's devastating intro tune "Mud". While many producers cover a variety of textures within a given genre-- Skream being a good example-- Loefah seems to be forging his own specific sound. Ultra dark, minimal, and bassy, his music is pure condensed anger, harnessed negative energy. So powerful, it makes you question-- what is dark music? How do you make dark sound?

If sound waves are like light waves and darkness is an absence of light, then what is dark sound-- an absence of sound? Surely that's silence, and therefore not in the least bit angry.

Sonically, Loefah tunes do sound like an absence of sound, or an absence of form at least. Like a sculptor's mould, the echo patterns of delayed riffs, the black hole foundation of sub bass and the wispy curve of a synth sweep together imply a volume long since removed. Reverb too, so heavily used in dubstep to suggest darkness, replaces a sound with its corresponding echo travelling back through space from vast cavernous walls. It's form by inference not substance.

DJ Distance, a man originally known for his breakstep output, closed the show with a selection of his latest dubstep direction. But this musical shift isn't Distance's only deviation. In the intro to his set, he describes his introduction to music via (the metal band) Korn's sets. Urban music might be a continuum, leading back through 2step, jungle, and hip-hop, but you have to go back a very long way to find the confluence of metal and dubstep's roots (um...blues?).

Although for the most part Distance's metal heritage is buried, one track brings his past to the fore. "Traffic", signed to electronica label Planet µ, is massively informed by metal guitar riffs.

In a genre where artistic authenticity is an artist's most valuable cultural currency, Distance is transcending the norm to describe his metal past so overtly. Undoubtedly it's mere honesty on his part but his is an exception compared with a great deal of artists. And by its very nature it brings into question the solidity of authenticity arguments, when artists can select what to "present" to their audience. (This is a particularly relevant in grime, where MCs complete to both be realer-than-thou and discredit other MCs' credentials).

Collectively however, the Dubstep Warz show had a massive impact. The dubstep forum traffic was up massively and Forward>> opened for the first time in January in its history, to good attendance (including Mary Anne herself). But it was the effect on the producers themselves that was so glorious to watch. Days after the event, the usual London attitude of restraint was replaced by bubbling enthusiasm and even a hint of the giggles.

The shows weren't without negative implications, however. Mary Anne spoke hyperbolically of 'revolution,' but isn't it the case that the opposite is true? Sure, tunes like Groove Chronicles "1999" or Loefah's "Horror Show" caused shifts in the sound, but on the whole dubstep has been built by evolution not revolution.

Take for example 2002-03 era Benga and Skream, all minimal beats, bass, and boom (to paraphrase Joe Nice). Without it and the Hatcha sets that premiered it, the scene would not sound the way it does (dubsteppy, not 2steppy). Yet name one tune that made this possible? You can't: There's a nebulous cloud of Big Apple releases, worn Hatcha dubplates, and tunes now lost in Benga's hard drive death that contributed to the sound. They all added to the sound stepwise, not threw out the existing reining ideas of El-B, Zed Bias, Horsepower, Artwork, and co.

The recognition of a BBC showcase is undoubtedly long overdue (why recognition didn't come to the El-B/Horsepower/Zed Bias era is another question, but no matter it's here now...), but the scene really does not need over-hyping. In many ways it's an understated sound, not suited to upscaling to arenas or massive raves, so excessive hype might be a mixed blessing or worse. It's not fast digidub, slow drum & bass, or rushy ecstasy rave music, it's about, as the Mystikz say, meditating on bass weight. And that's a vibe not easily transported to larger arenas. Regardless, no one is in any way wishing Dubstep Warz had never happened, but there's nothing worse than unsustainable expectations.

In further news, Skream has finally arranged an album deal. Coming out on Tempa, his debut longplayer will be released late summer, preceded by volume two of the Skreamizm 12" series in March. Digital Mystikz and Loefah are spreading their roots out of south London but running their debut DMZ party in Leeds February 4th. Hatcha is working on a new mix CD. And Dubstep Allstars Vol 3 CD mixed Kode 9 ft. Spaceape is out at the end of February. Look out for "Backward/9 Samurai" on Hyperdub 10" soon, as well as landmark sinodub production "Fukkaz" [ft. Spaceape] as an mp3 release.

Grime's had a quiet few months. Rinsesessions at Ministry of Sound was a success simply because it was allowed to go ahead, and when it did, it passed without incident. In fact the crowd were almost incidental too, stood there mesmerised as they were, by the MCs. What do you call it, a rave or a concert? Attend the return of Wiley's seminal Eskimo Dance to find out.

Following Skepta's wise announcement (scroll down here) that he's going to release his own album, entitled "More Than Grime", Wiley's done the same. It's good news for those who have been eagerly waiting for the "2nd Phaze" for longer than the second coming. Expect the rest of the scene to now follow fashion, releasing their own albums themselves now that the major deals are off the agenda.

In fairness though, the distinction between artist-led independent LPs (which grime MCs currently don't do) and artist-lead mixtapes (which they do), is very slight. Take Doctor's mixtape, Before Surgery, which stands up to repeated listening months after release. If it isn't his debut album, in all but name, it might as well be given the quality.

One act currently working on a mixtape, who have also abandoned the pointless search for major's money, are D Double E, Footsie, and Monkey, aka Newham Generals, who have signed to Dizzee Rascal's Dirtee Stank. There is no more exciting grime prospect for 2006 than their debut mixtape, Welcome to Newham Vol 1 or their in-progress album Generally Speaking. Read a full interview here.

Other mixtapes/DVDs worth investigating include Risky Roads 2, Practice Hours 2, JME's forthcoming Shhhutyuhmuth and Aim High 3. (watch out for the Alligator riddim. Also why isn't Target on legal radio, his 1Xtra cover shows have been superb?)

Finally out is Ghetto's mixtape 2000 and Life, though a combination of relentless bleakness and second-rate producers stops it from fulfilling it's potential. Across a full CD, the ex-N.A.S.T.Y. Crew member who's mission is to remain as cold, angry, and road as possible, drains. Even his gyal-tunes are dark. And while you can maintain sympathy for someone who's a victim of his surroundings, when he's actively perpetuating his and other people's misery by choice, how far should the sympathy extend?

Much more rewarding is the True Tiger mixtape. Slick and professionally produced, it's set a benchmark for grime CDs, even if it does contain excessive r&g.; The highlight, past the incredible Wiley vocal of the WD25 riddim, is the appearance of Bearman on "Let It Go".

Never did I think there would be a place for comedy grime-- it's a genre obsessed with reality-- but in the light of Ghetto's harrowing mixtape, Bearman is a breath of fresh air. His debut single "Drinking Bear" had both one-hit novelty act written all over it and sounded like it had stolen the two-note bassline from So Solid's "Oh No"-- not a good start to a career. But if Bearman's a joke, it's still funny. On the True Tiger mixtape he constructs amusing zoological rhymes about the other animals he's cotching with. It's The Jungle Book gone road.

Then there's his follow-up single, "Brown Bear's Picnic", which deploys two elements usually dead certs for a turkey (a nursery rhyme and a child's choir) and gets away with it. But funniest of all about Bearman, apart from the fact that his name sounds like the grime slang for "crew" ("I've got bare man with me...") is that his intro bar is a burp. Up there with Bruza's intro cough as a way of announcing your presence, it's a breath of fresh, make that foul air, for the scene.

Reading this all over the world? Email Martin Clark on martin_clark7@hotmail.com
Check his Keysound Radio mix and debut single with Dusk.
For more writing, check www.blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com

Next week: Dave Steflox on the month in dancehall.