BEST OF 2011: Best Musical Trend: The UK Returns to House Music

[caption id="attachment_36891" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="AlunaGeorge"][/caption]

I love these non-sensical new journalistic terms to describe music. What the hell is "chillwave" or "proto-rap," or "nerd-core?" Honestly.

However, it's a sign of the time that we live in. Music is moving so fast that the print and major media have a hard time trying to contain it. Sure, 2012 will bring upon it a genre-less socitey, but until then we have all of these terms that feel like they were made up in the Bullshit Job Name generator.

But hey, I like "post-dubstep," though. But another thing is happening in the UK. I'm just going to call it "post-post-dubstep." While we have already seen artists like Jamie xx, Jamie Woon, and James Blake, with airy bedroom sounds, the sound is moving further into the soulful sphere. It might just be the best characterization of what's happening in the UK right now as dubstep DJs move away from the bass thumping sounds, going back to more traditional US house and R&B and 2-Step. Basically what's old is new again, and honestly I have no problem with that.

What's more interesting is that the women are taking the lead role. Instead of just being hook girls, they're writing and even producing these tracks.

As acts like SBTRKT and Katy B make waves in The States (again, look at their rawcus New York City shows as proof), this sound can make a headway over here in 2012. But there is a whole new crop of artists who are set to blow up, including Jessie Ware, AlunaGeorge, 14th, Sampha, Yasmin and more. It's R&B for a new future. Check it.

Jessie Ware

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ1-EAZ2eYA[/youtube]

AlunaGeorge

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmXZuv5BaHg[/youtube]

14th

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uevWhz9jTrM[/youtube]

Sampha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4KqbA4sl_s

Yasmin

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USzW_yf9HNY[/youtube]

Katy B

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NNQxN448Tk[/youtube]