The Depths of Dirty Dubstep
Dubstep, popularized within the last decade mainly in the UK and United States, has been described as “the music that is created from transformers having sex”, “audio thunder”, and “the purest form of musical crack cocaine” (www.urbandictionary.com). Adjectives used to define a good dubstep track are “dirty”, “filthy”, “grimy”, and other terms that one would otherwise associate with negative characteristics. On the surface, dubstep is a genre that functions as party music; for a large number of dubstep fans, it is something to be experienced while on drugs, such as ecstasy or marijuana. The heavy bass, loops, and drops of dubstep make it ideal for dance parties and raves. Dubstep is a derivative of the grime genre that is popular in the UK. It has been largely criticized because the producers of dubstep are DJs rather than musicians—they use laptops and software rather than instruments. Dubstep tracks are widely disseminated and circulated through the internet, where DJs and producers release countless mixes, EPs, and full length albums in mp3 format that are then featured in forums, blogs, and social media sites. The genre is unique because it is completely original in that the artist controls all aspects of their work and it has created a scene for people that gravitate to dance music that incorporates much more than catchy hooks and electronic beats.
The dirtiest dubstep, based upon personal knowledge of some of the most popular artists and tracks, consists of climactic drops, minimal manipulated vocal loops, and dynamic interplay of heavy bass and lighter electronic elements. For example, the artist known as Skrillex has quickly ascended to the ranks of most notable dubstep producers through his innovative approach to production. Sonny Moore, former lead singer of the hardcore band From First to Last, incorporates his experience with his former band as well as his lifelong love of electronic music to create tracks that consistently top the charts of popular electronic/dubstep websites, such as www.beatport.com. When asked about the difference in personae for Skrillex and From First to Last, Moore said, “It's the idea of being in my home studio and making whatever I want to make at the time that I create it. I can do anything I want at any time, and there are obviously pluses and minuses to doing anything, whether you're in a band or doing a production. It's always nice to collaborate with people, but it's also really nice to do everything you want to do and not necessarily be bound to drums, bass and guitar all the time. I do enjoy playing live music as well, so it's simply another outlet to throw it all together” (interview from Artist Direct, August 2010, http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,7350623,00.html). Although Moore recently signed to Deadmau5’s label, his statement clearly demonstrates the creative license every dubstep artist has over their work, regardless of their status as signed or unsigned. The lack of creative control in many of today’s popular music genres is a major problem because originality is stifled by producers’ financial goals and artists are not given a platform to create art that is truly their own. This has created a popular music scene in which artists appear to be carbon copies of one another and half of forthcoming albums are released as singles beforehand in an effort to make as much profit as possible. Thankfully, dubstep has not fallen under the curse of the producer’s hand because the artist is the producer.
Additional aspects of dubstep that make it a fascinating genre, full of depth and character, include the fact that vocals/lyrics are never the focal point, the tension built up in every track is unmatched by any genre, vocals (if present) are often manipulated beyond recognition and become enmeshed in the recurrent beat or theme, and a single dubstep track often incorporates many more elements than a more “traditional” song composed by a band with instruments. The facets of dubstep as a music genre should be given more attention because they comprise a type of music that has spread at an extremely rapid pace in the last decade. Sonny Moore (Skrillex) commented that “traditional dance music is a lot of loops that last for like five minutes, which really works on the dance floor. What come naturally to me are the more progressive elements in dance music. Dance music can't have too many stops, starts and changes. Then it's not dance music anymore. I grew up listening to … records that are a bit less danceable but more challenging on a production front. I like to mix that glitch and fidget element with dance music. It feels urgent and in-the-moment because things are changing a bit more” (http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,7350623,00.html). The overlapping beats and interlocking loops of dubstep create a complicated sound that somehow comes together to envelop the listener in a complex cacophony of rhythm and pulsating beats that allow for instances of musical transcendence.
Examples:
Skrillex – Ruff Neck (Flex) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKi0WQx2kbg
Skrillex (Feat. Foreign Beggars and Bare Noize) – Scatta - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw-YjVp_ibQ
Skrillex – Bad Romance Remix (Lady Gaga) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VQC486qQgk&feature=related
The Killabits – Stray Bullet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_raq79sOs50
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