The dubstep phenomenon has its upward peaks and downward dips; with so many sub-genres within a relatively young world of beats, it can be hard to figure out the good from the bad. Most of the dubstep faithful still have love for the older half-step rhythms of artists via 2003 Skream/Benga. The blow-up artists with this type of sound were Caspa and Rusko. Both got so huge that they produced a Fabric mix full of fantastic tracks from all over, taking their pick of the litter and making dubstep even more accessible to the masses. So, naturally with a few releases under their belt, one of them would be bound to release an album. Since Rusko is still prepping his Mad Decent full-length for a 2010 release, Caspa stepped up and released Everybody’s Talking, Nobody’s Listening; however his foray into putting out a full-length has produced what half-step usually procures; the all-too-well reaction of immediate mediocrity.

However, listening over and over to the album, you do get a sense of Caspa’s roots, as MCs make appearances but in ways that give off a early ’90s jungle vibe, where the MC was prevalent in records as a vocalist. However, the MCs on this album also do what they must with half-step rhythm: grime it up. Unfortunately, most of the album suffers from a flow that’s heavy in the same consistent half-step rhythm. There’s not much besides some interesting intros, decent synths and at one point, a very non-sensical auto-tune-rich track. Dynamite MC makes a huge statement with great verses and energy in “Rat-A-Tat Tat” and Rod Azlan’s intro for “Riot Powder” does kick up the track a bit, but nothing really sinks into your head until the last three tracks.

“I Beat My Robot” takes an anxious turn as the album turns the half-step rhythm into more of an exploratory analysis of song structure, with the cut-up wobble and robotic vocal samples taking over, while the snares and claps aren’t overpowering, the rhythm is stationary and successful in putting the listener in a state of bodily panic, making them perhaps bug out like a robot would. “Disco Jaws” has Beezy spit out some fun lyrics over Caspa’s most interesting piece on the album, using the synths as a vessel towards Beezy’s verses which go bat-shit crazy. The bass is more prevalent and the half-step is less direct and definitely welcomed as unpredictable. The closer, “Back To ‘93,” a slowed-down journey towards a soggy, slowed-down junglist night in London town, is the perfect set closer for ravers everywhere: not too hard and not too light. Drums and bass tones take over with slight bongos in the background, offering a fitting end to the entirety of one’s night and day.

Caspa is one of the most respected DJs/producers in the world that embodies dubstep, and  he’ll definitely have more to show than this piece of work in the future. While the album does falter from an overwhelming sense of consistency, the times that Caspa decides to shake things up rhythmically and sonically are things that listeners should look out for. There’s more in store and it can’t come any sooner.

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