LA DONNA OF DUBSTEP

Dubstep DJ and producer Ikonika is not only the first female to perform at cutting edge dubstep night Forward but is the only female artist on dubstep heavyweight Kode 9’s label Hyperdub. Right now she couldn’t really get much hotter. But as a female in a music scene dominated by male music makers and punters it's not always easy even when you’re at the top. ‘I would be lying if I said I haven't had any sexist remarks made at me at dubstep raves, its sad, I’ve always been attracted to dubstep because of its friendly vibe. I've had men watch me carefully, wondering if I’m gonna fuck up. I’ve had men say to me 'girls should only dj in their underwear'.  It’s not gonna stop me doing what I’m doing, at the end of the day I usually get 10 more people coming up to me telling me they really enjoyed my set.’
 
In fact 24 year old Sara Abdul-Hamid is used to breaking the mould. Deriving her name, Ikonika, from the word ‘iconoclast’ that is exactly what she’s always been, ‘Everyone used to call me Kipling at school because I was one of those girls who was really geeky and really cool at the same time. With my Kipling back pack and my pleated skirt I was always in the top tiers of the classes [but at the same time] I was like ‘Jodeci, yeah!’ and be smoking with the rude girls’.

It wasn’t just in school that Sara was mixing it up.  Always a huge music fan, she began drumming in metal and hardcore bands when she was 11 yet at the same time keeping a love of hip-hop, r’n’b and garage. ‘I’d be listening to Choice [fm] and saying ‘Yeah this tune is heavy’ and people just couldn’t understand as I’d also be listening to Dillinger Escape Plan [a hardcore metal band], but you know what it’s all just music to me. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something in music, whether it was by myself or with other artists.’ Finding playing in bands too unreliable she began to concentrate on producing hip-hop under the name KillKip. But everything changed when she heard the 2005 dubstep classic ‘Midnight Request Line’ by Skream. ‘[I] obviously understood that dubstep had been around for ages, but that for me was the birth of dubstep in my personal life.  I started thinking about it, 140 bpm, hmmm a lot of metal is 140 bmp if it wanted to be so yeah lets give this go.’
 
Ikonika began to cause a stir on the dubstep scene in late 2007 with her track ‘Please”. The track’s structure reflects her love of late 90s hardcore bands such as Glassjaw with its unpredictable rhythms and free flowing composition. Over the top is a sweet bleepy synth melody that combines perfectly dissonance and danceability. ‘I didn’t think much of it at the time, it was just a tune I had finished and I was quite happy with. Finishing tracks is ridiculous to do, running out of ideas and stuff. I had packed everything into that tune. I sent it round to everyone. Then Kode 9 asked if he could cut it.  It was weird having someone that you’ve been a fan of…wanting to cut my tune. I thought that was amazing.’ Kode 9 ended up releasing ‘Please’ in February of last year. Ikonika followed it up with another exceptional slice of dubstep ‘Millie’ in October 2008 leaving everyone wondering what is in store from Ikonika in 2009, not that she will tell us! ‘As ever Hyperdub have a few surprises, but I don't wanna talk just in case it doesn't happen. But for the time being there's gonna be my DJ Mujava-Township Funk remix, out soon on Warp.’



Photography Will Robson Scott

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