Big Apple Records in Croydon was the physical hub where dubstep's founding producers learned from each other before any clubs existed

Big Apple started as a techno and tech house shop with a drum and bass floor upstairs where Skream’s brother and other DJs worked. Artwork had a studio there from which he eventually made early dubstep tracks. Hatcha joined as a teenage record seller and became the first to recognize and champion the new sound. Skream was in the shop every day from age 14. Benga showed Skream his music via phone calls, then they met there. The shop’s embedded studio, informal atmosphere, and Hatcha’s A&R-like role in selecting which tracks to develop made it a de facto incubator: ‘You couldn’t have it too loud, because there were people buying flowers and fruit outside, but at the same time it was a very cosy and personable experience.‘

Examples

Artwork describes seeing three or four white labels on the shop wall at any one time, under five or six different names, selling 5,000 to 10,000 copies — showing the scale of their pre-dubstep white label production.

Assessment

Describe the specific functions Big Apple Records served in the development of dubstep and explain why a record shop was a better incubator than a club or studio.