No one DJ or indeed producer can claim sole credit for dubstep. But when the history of the genre gets told, no DJ has ever had, or perhaps ever will again have so much influence over the course of the genre as Hatcha. It’s no overstatement to say the entire genre bares his stamp.
Hatcha’s roots seep deep back into late ‘90s UK garage, Croydon and pirate radio. Originally the buyer at the now defunct Big Apple record shop, Hatcha was one of the very first DJs to pick up on the new dark strains of 2step that were being made by local producers like El-B, Artwork and Horsepower at the turn of the millennium. As the producers came into the shop to sell white labels of these niche new sounds, a community arose. The shop began its own label, Big Apple Records and its first release was the dubstep classic “Red” by the shop’s resident producer Artwork. The next releases came from his two protégés, Benga and Skream.