Philadelphia Weekly

MUSIC

Critic's Pick: Luvstep

By Elliott Sharp

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Feb. 14, 2012

Philadelphia’s a hard, no-bullshit kinda city; this ruggedness is expressed in its music. From Schoolly D and the RAM Squad, to Clockcleaner, Leather and Cop Problem, there’s no denying what the Sugar-N-Spice MCs said back in 1986: “Philly Is Bad.” But don’t forget the sugar, baby. Philly has a soft and sensitive side, too—Gamble & Huff and Hall & Oates run through its veins just as much as Beanie Sigel. Luvstep, the duo project of DJs Flufftronix and Dirty South Joe, continues this tradition by injecting the smoothness of Philly’s Boyz II Men and “Private Eyes” into dubstep music. While Diplo and Skrillex specialize in making the dance floor go all-the-way-wild, Luvstep makes it low-grind, pillow-talk and slow-fuck. Luvstep 3 dropped on Valentine’s Day, and unconfirmed reports claim that thousands of panties simultaneously dropped. Union Transfer’s gonna be slippery with Luvstep silk and sub bass tonight.

Sat., Feb. 18, 8:30pm. $15. With Dillon Francis + Clicks & Whistles. Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. 215.232.2100. utphilly.com