Appleblim

Initially known for producing and spinning some of the darkest, heaviest music to come out of the early U.K. dubstep scene, Appleblim (Laurie Osborne) has continued to produce innovative, bass-heavy club music, blending elements of techno, ambient, garage, jungle, and other styles. Along with <a href="spotify:artist:5Mq3CTRRgLcPkMnUue75a3">Shackleton</a>, he ran the highly influential <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Skull+Disco%22">Skull Disco</a> label from 2005 until 2008, when he founded his own <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Apple+Pips%22">Apple Pips</a> imprint. He has regularly collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:5RahUdA5cpDqZr1EBegGnY">Ramadanman</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0UrA452V5vJpCW5ezx0YMP">Peverelist</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3oyUqMvuRsIUfrROigDthT">Second Storey</a>, and other producers, and has remixed <a href="spotify:artist:0tHDVpPzMs1JqKTAuGQkQR">Harmonia</a> & <a href="spotify:artist:7MSUfLeTdDEoZiJPDSBXgi">Eno</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0cmWgDlu9CwTgxPhf403hb">Bonobo</a>, and even <a href="spotify:artist:1Uff91EOsvd99rtAupatMP">Claude Debussy</a>. In addition to regular appearances at trendsetting dubstep night FWD>>, Appleblim has performed at prestigious clubs and event series such as Berghain, Fabric, and the Bunker.

Osborne grew up listening to folk and rock music, and played in psychedelic/math rock group the Monsoon Bassoon for several years during the late '90s and early 2000s. After becoming a regular at FWD>>, an event series at London club Plastic People that helped kick-start dubstep, Osborne began working as a press and label manager at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tempa%22">Tempa</a>, one of the scene's most important labels. He then started playing warm-up sets at FWD>>, blending dub, ambient, and house with the emerging dubstep sound, in addition to spinning fresh dubplates from producers like <a href="spotify:artist:68i1l0GWQ5dwzAy1UVNHNw">Martyn</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:09S8AYFuaa9PQKSNsXxweW">Pinch</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2leze82lbuNUn3K4c7nS1B">2562</a>.

In 2005, Appleblim and <a href="spotify:artist:5Mq3CTRRgLcPkMnUue75a3">Shackleton</a> launched <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Skull+Disco%22">Skull Disco</a>, a label that released some of the darkest, deadliest music the emerging genre had yet produced. Although short-lived, all of the label's releases were met with acclaim, and attracted attention from outside the dubstep scene. When the label ended in 2008, Appleblim established <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Apple+Pips%22">Apple Pips</a>, which expanded beyond dubstep into dub techno and house. He also released his first mix CD, Dubstep Allstars, Vol. 6. Appleblim 12"s, mostly produced in collaboration with other artists, arrived on labels like <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Aus+Music%22">Aus Music</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Berkane+Sol%22">Berkane Sol</a>, although he did release a few solo records on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Apple+Pips%22">Apple Pips</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tempa%22">Tempa</a>.

Under the name ALSO, Appleblim and <a href="spotify:artist:3oyUqMvuRsIUfrROigDthT">Second Storey</a> released a trilogy of EPs on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22R%26S%22">R&S</a> that contained some of the producers' most experimental work yet. These EPs were compiled as the full-length ALSO in 2015. The duo returned to the label for 2016's Gimme Six EP. In 2017, Appleblim began releasing limited white-label 12"s on a label called Beatnik Boulevard. The following year, he released his debut full-length, Life in a Laser, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sneaker+Social+Club%22">Sneaker Social Club</a>. The ambitious, vibrant album was heavily inspired by early jungle, hardcore, and IDM. A follow-up LP, Ungoverned & Ungovernable, appeared in 2020 and was both inspired by and in collaboration with journalist and field recorder Ian Urbina. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi