Few names carry the weight of bass music like Mala. His uncompromising and raw sound isn’t just about shaking the mind as much as it is about shaking walls. He’s the architect of weighty frequencies, a producer who turned bass into a spiritual experience.
Even as dubstep splintered and mutated during the 2000s, Mala never sold out to "brostep". His sound remained rooted in the depths of London’s underground. Now, some two decades into a prolific career, he remains one of the last true guardians of dubstep's soul with releases that have become folklore, a DJ presence that can transform a room, and a relentless commitment to authenticity.
ctrl x Black Rhino Residency: Mala, WRK, D-FUZE
We enter the new year in style as we announce Mala who's joining the first Black Rhino Residency at Control on February 22, 2025....
On February 22, Mala brings the heat to Control Club for a special Black Rhino Residency set. Expect sub-heavy selections, deep cuts from the archives, and a masterclass in low-end theory.
Anticipating this first Black Rhino Residency of 2025, here are five essential moments that define Mala’s legacy.
The Birth of DMZ
In 2005, alongside Coki, Loefah, and Pokes, Mala co-founded DMZ (Dubstep Music Zone), a label and club night that became the epicenter of the dubstep movement. Their nights at Mass in Brixton were the stuff of legend, with lines stretching around the way and walls seeming to sweat from the sheer force of the bass. Releases like Loefah’s Mud, Digital Mystikz’s Bury Da Bwoy, Mala's Left Leg Out, and Coki’s Haunted set the blueprint for the dubstep aesthetic.
Anti-War Dub
Few dubstep tracks have carried as much sonically and political weight as Digital Mystikz' (Mala and Coki) Anti War Dub. Already an underground anthem upon release, but when Alfonso Cuarón featured it in Children of Men, it took on a new meaning. The film's dystopian visuals and the track’s solemn bass turned it into a sonic prophecy. The minimalism, the eerie repetition, and the sheer gravity of its low end was dubstep at its most potent: stripped-back, yet heavyweight.
A journey into sound with Mala
Most people know Mala from Digital Mystikz, Deep Medi and the DMZ clubbing nights he puts on. The whole scene and community around him is organic, profound and ...
Mala on Dubstep Warz
Mary Anne Hobbs’ legendary 2006 Dubstep Warz was the night dubstep officially went global. Mala’s set, alongside scene titans like Skream, Kode9, and Loefah, sent the underground rumblings of London straight into the ears of listeners worldwide. It defiantly declared dubstep as a full-on movement. After Dubstep Warz, the genre exploded, with nights popping up in Berlin, New York, and Tokyo.
Mala in Cuba
Dubstep may have been born in South London, but 'Mala in Cuba' proved it was borderless. This album was an honest fusion of Cuban musical heritage and deep bass pressure. Guided by Gilles Peterson, Mala recorded in Havana, layering Afro-Cuban rhythms with sub-heavy grooves. Tracks like Cuba Electronic pulsate as a much-needed conversation between cultures.
The album also delivered standouts like Changuito, which paid homage to one of Cuba’s legendary percussionists, while Curfew carried a weighty, nocturnal energy. Beyond Cuba, Mala also explored South America’s sonic landscape with 'Mirrors' (2016), an album recorded in Peru that blended Andean folk music, traditional pan flutes, and deep sub-bass.
Changes (James Blake Harmonimix)
Deep, haunting, and hypnotic, Changes was already a dubstep anthem before James Blake got his hands on it. But his remix strips away the grit and replaces it with eerie beauty. Blake flips the original into an introspective, piano-laden rework, showing that even the heaviest sounds could hold profound emotion.
