Faux Mix Series #001 // Numan

Kicking off our series of exclusive free-to-download mixtapes with some deep soul, your first 10 minutes of new music come from hotly-tipped dubstep youth Numan Khan. Whether you’re a dubstep fanatic or just a curious initiate, be sure to download and listen to Numan’s exclusive 10 minute mix for Faux. Featuring a whole stack of unreleased exclusives and forthcoming future classics, Numan’s soul-tinged dubstep mix makes for an essential bit of listening.

Tracklist
Numan – Stuck (Forthcoming GetDarker’s This Is Dubstep Vol.2)
Numan – She Says (Forthcoming Darkestral Galaxicons)
Numan – ? (Unreleased Dub)
Numan – L.V (Unreleased Dub)
Numan – Warp Acid (Subdepth Records)
Numan – ? (Unreleased Dub)

Emerging from the considerably over-saturated dubstep scene on a rising wave of glitch-laden polyphony, 18 year old Manchester producer Numan Khan is set to have a prolific year. After cutting his production gums experimenting with grime, his weighty digital sound has begun drawing considerable attention from the dubstep fraternity. Numan, however, is keen to differentiate his sonic approach from the pack; whilst a firm fan of dubstep’s more belligerent luminaries, he is currently creating a thoroughly different atmosphere, concentrating on “making mellower, more melodic material”.

Indeed, mood and feeling are etched deeply into Numan’s productions. Digital grit may be well-trodden ground in the world of dubstep, but Numan has imbued his twitching console-step with remarkable soul. ‘Warp Acid’, from his astounding 2009 Secrets EP, is a perfect demonstration of this – lead by a trilling, infectious horn melody, aching sub bass and loose, celestial synthesizers layer up a hypnotic piece of airy electronica. Numan is finding his muse amongst the “bleepy, dark, experimental, melodic productions” of intangible, shifting artists including Desto, Zomby, and James Blake, and is non-committal to niche descriptions of his own sound. Describing his creations primarily as “140ish, versatile and experimental” as well as citing the palpable influences of grime and dubstep, Numan’s lucid attention to detail exalts substance over compromising material to fit neatly to perceived genre standards.

With upcoming track ‘Stuck’ due for release on influential Dubstep community GetDarker.com’s second ‘This is Dubstep’ Release, Numan is feeling the weight of his prospects, and in the wake of coverage from FACT and Mixmag, recognises that “there is a bit of pressure, I need to constantly make good tunes to develop a name right now”. These high expectations however, are testament to his production skills. With tracks like the rolling, autumnal rumble of ‘Secrets’ garnering exposure from Radio 1’s Mary Anne Hobbs and Toddla T, as well as dubstep dons N-Type and Starkey, Numan has already established considerable presence in the dubstep world. Whether he follows the path razed by the tumultuous wrath of tracks like ‘Virgo’ and ‘7th Key’ or continues into the soulful breach left by ‘Secrets’ and ‘Warp Acid’ , this prodigious youth looks set to offer 2010 the shot of immaculate soul that dubstep really needs.