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Malcolm X Community Centre, Bristol | 26th April 2025
Malcolm X Community Centre, Bristol | 26th April 2025
With summer fast approaching, what's better than listening to some dub in the sunshine with your mates? Or, heading to a community event to listen to the bouncy, experimental dub of Alpha Steppa?
With summer fast approaching, what's better than listening to some dub in the sunshine with your mates? Or, heading to a community event to listen to the bouncy, experimental dub of Alpha Steppa?
From Plymouth, Devon, Alpha Steppa (Ben Sprosen) is one of the most innovative voices in contemporary dub. While living in Bristol back in the late 2000's as a student, Ben started his label Steppas Records and hasn't looked back since. Now settled in France and immersed in French soundsystem culture, it felt extra special to talk with Ben before his performance at the Malcolm X Community Centre in Bristol.
From Plymouth, Devon, Alpha Steppa (Ben Sprosen) is one of the most innovative voices in contemporary dub. While living in Bristol back in the late 2000's as a student, Ben started his label Steppas Records and hasn't looked back since. Now settled in France and immersed in French soundsystem culture, it felt extra special to talk with Ben before his performance at the Malcolm X Community Centre in Bristol.
The Malcolm X Community Centre has long stood as a cultural and political landmark in the heart of Bristol’s African Caribbean community. Born from the St Pauls Uprising of 1980, the venue today continues to support grassroots organising, elder care, and intergenerational connection. Admittedly, it felt a bit strange seeing this space play host to a primarily white dancefloor (and this was something we overheard quite a lot at the event). Yet, it also felt fitting to play new, experimental strands of dub in a space steeped in the history that shaped the genre.
Alpha Steppa, the son and nephew of legendary UK dub duo Alpha & Omega, grew up immersed in sound system culture. When discussing his upbringing, Ben reflected on his formative years spent listening to his father’s records in Plymouth, Devon, and how his father was one of the first white men in the UK to have his own soundsystem in the 1980's, called Roaring Lion Soundsystem.
In the 2000's, Ben spent his time as a student at the University of the West of England, Bristol, before the launch of Steppas Records in 2010 - seed-funded by his student loan. Like most things starting out, founding Steppas Records required a bit of a leap and a gamble; while pressing 400 copies of his first record, Ben admitted that he didn't know who was going to buy the record, and how he was going to justify the investment. Yet, to his surprise (and maybe not to ours), the record sold very well locally and beyond - particularly in Bristol and Japan - paving a way to a flourishing, experimental dub label.
Fast forward to today, the label has just celebrated its 15 year anniversary, and has rightfully become a mainstay in the global dub scene. Steppas remains at the forefront of releasing genre-pushing music that remains grounded in roots reggae traditions. Perhaps most importantly, treading a new path requires utmost respect of what came before. And while Alpha Steppa brings a new kind of energy to dub, he champions experimental, bouncy and bass heavy, cross-cultural production.
“I'd finished university in 2010 and had saved up my student loan, which I used to press my first record. It sold out within a month, so I put out the next record, and that was the beginning of the label.”
“I'd finished university in 2010 and had saved up my student loan, which I used to press my first record. It sold out within a month, so I put out the next record, and that was the beginning of the label.”
“I draw on my musical heritage, my family, and dub always pulls me back; if I am going to make dub, I owe it to the pioneers of dub music to keep experimenting.”
“I draw on my musical heritage, my family, and dub always pulls me back; if I am going to make dub, I owe it to the pioneers of dub music to keep experimenting.”
TALK TO NOBODY - Alpha Steppa
Ben also discussed his vision for the future of dub - experimentalism. While it is important to honour early dub pioneers like Augustus Paolo, King Tubby, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, current producers must tread an adjacent path open to exploration. Recanting how the typical, identifiable sounds of dub historically came from tinkering with improvised instruments, Ben has used anything from the traditional sounds of synthesisers and sirens, to building a bassline from the clucking sounds of a chicken.
Similarly to how Max Cooper opened up to us about his use of the swells and roars of a football stadium atmosphere, Ben is set on finding new sounds in even the most absurd of spaces. Ben has also done so much travelling which, as he said, presents you with a dilemma; while you may find something truly inspiring and influential on your travels, using this influence requires thought and respect.
The musical performances that followed the interview offered a live demonstration of that respectful yet boundary-crossing ethos. Firmly Rooted Soundsystem, one of Bristol’s great modern soundsystems, delivered deep, controlled vibrations, providing the perfect foundation for live dubs and guest appearances.
One standout moment was the appearance of Joe Yorke, whose distinctive falsetto remains one of the most recognisable voices in Bristol’s dub circuit. Joe is a vocalist we’ve interviewed before, and it’s always a pleasure to hear his vocal range cutting through the frequencies on a large heavy soundsystem.
Yaksha & King David Horns also took to the stage, layering live sharp brass over the soundsystem. Their intergenerational presence—Yaksha referencing his father’s influence on his work—echoed one of the event’s key themes: continuity and evolution.
The atmosphere was open, respectful, and deeply community-driven. That’s something Alpha Steppa has prioritised not only through his music, but with initiatives like the Streetdub project and tree-planting linked to record sales via Steppas Records.
Dub nights are often all about context, and we’ve been to plenty in Bristol. This one felt a little bit special, and more like a moment of reconnection - with history, with community, and with where dub, might be heading next. We thank Ben and Steppas Records for inviting us the be a part of the event.
“For me, nostalgia is an incredibly important feeling for music production. I still don't fully understand it, but that feeling of connection is so powerful.”
CONNECT WITH ALPHA STEPPA
CONNECT WITH ALPHA STEPPA
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