Why do people like dubstep?

[unoleian]

*counts number of times Skrillex's name comes up in this thread*

*slams head into desk*

Skrillex has done more to single-handedly trash the sound than the rest of the new wave of producers combined. He had some neat ideas at first but his 'music' has devolved into what sounds like a car crusher fucking a dinosaur. I for one don't really like him-- he has two tracks to his name that are remotely decent, and I don't have a clue why he's exploded into such popularity.

/rant

With that out of the way, there's plenty of good to be said about the sound. You can't escape its influences on electronic and dance music, it's becoming downright ubiquitous. If nothing else, its desire and capability to morph into different beats and time signatures makes it a nice change of pace in dance music from the never-ending untz (untz untz untz) sound that's dominated the EDM/IDM for damn near 3 or 4 decades or longer.

The big problem is there's too many amateur producers out there cranking out uninspired oscillating basslines like there's no tomorrow. Making a bassline and looping it for 5 minutes over some random drum patterns, or dubbing your oscillating bassline over a pop song does not a music track make-- you'll hear no arguments on that one from me. And there's a LOT of that shit out there. A goddamn lot of it.

I appreciate artists who are willing to tackle the sound and the style and make it more than just a wobbly bassline. Producers such as Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, MiM0Sa, The Polish Ambassador, Pantyraid, Phutureprimitive, Skream, and others of their ilk are doing the sound great favors by trying to grow and expand what dubstep means, incorporating varying degrees of its sound and its inspiration into tracks that are most certainly music, and most certainly containing soul, not just robotic, by-the-numbers, formulaic beats and drops.

Give any of the above named producers a go. These guys are making sounds that are the real future of the music, not uninspired bang 'n' clang and endless massive drops made solely to please the sweaty frat kids.

 

[ACman]

Good dubstep:



I avoid the trendy stuff, but the older dubstep is pretty good.

Thats not Dubstep. That's UK 2-step Garage son. Git yor genres correct foo!

Dubstep is what happens when you accidently put a DnB 45 of 33RPM.

Then kick all the women out of the room.

Fill the air with nitrous oxide.

Put K in everybody's drink.

Take some really smacky pills.

Drink a bottle of vodka.

Smoke a Blunt.

Freak out on the way home.

Hide in someone's hedge.

Pass out.

Wake up in a Police Car.

Leg it into the night.

Goodtimes.

 

[flamingjimmy]

Dubstep became popular thanks to MDMA. That and stupid people.

I can't even tell if this is serious. But I don't do any kind of illegal drugs and I know people with scholarships that listen to dubstep.

The part about the MDMA, totally serious. I don't believe for a second that dubstep would be anywhere near as popular as it is without drugs, no way. The other part, not so much, just jossin' with you.

...I actually want to ask if you have any friends.

yeah, that's a great way to change my mind, insult me personally, that always works! That's not going to entrench me further in my position at all.

Of course I've got freinds, some of whom listen to dubstep, pretty much only when they're fucked off their faces though, I went to a dubstep rave with them once and even with MDMA it still bored me very quickly.

Music for me needs to have melodic, harmonic, and rythmic development in order to engage me. Dubstep only ticks one of those boxes, there is very little development of musical ideas, no satisfying melodies to resolve, no awesome chord sequences, no suprise key changes, etc. Sooo much repetition, over and over WUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUB so boring imo.

 

[Mrmac23]

I like dubstep, and quite honestly, i don't know why. It's just appealing to some people to have bass that could cause about a 3 on the Richter scale if you played it loud enough, same way how some like the beep-boops of 8-bit, the soothing strings of classical music (oddly enough i like classical too) or the roaring of heavy metal.

Of course, i understand if you don't listen to dubstep yourself, but if you say stuff like this...

The music sucks and it will go away very soon. Hate this kind of crap with a passion and its not music. Everybody knows that this crap is just club music. Go out and dance to this garbage while getting very drunk. You go home with some random person and and hate yourself in the morning. Very much like to think this stuff plays in hell when you first enter.

Then i shall present to you this.


Shark, you may now have permission to fuck off.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

I dunno? Why do people like rock? Why do people like metal? Why do people like games? I'm not a fan of Dubstep although I will admit I do like one song from Skrillex.

I really hated it at first but I heard it so much because my mate kept putting it on in my presence determined to get me into Skrillex, it kind of grew on me over time.

 

[lord's voken]

something else for me to add to the when did you realise you were getting old thread the moment i asked "what is dubstep" listened and though "i dont get this music"

I feel the same way. why would they ruin the imperial march like that? Im just a little bit glad I went this long before i learned what dubstep was. Though in reflection I think all kids have bad taste in music. most the stuff i listen to in middle was just total trash. not all but most of it was. I think its safe to safe that you don't develop a taste for music till you get to the college or college age..and still remain sober or are sober.

 

[RagTagBand]

CHRIST This thread is full of so much stupid the rest of the world must currently be experiencing a "Fucking stupid commentary" shortage. Escapists make me weep, seriously.

You remember when that genre of music you liked was wholly rejected by old people, sheltered people, the upper class, snobs, the right wing media, pretentious cunts and/or the alternative-to-your-crowd crowd? You ought too, as I cant think of a single genre of music which hasn't gone through that. Every new genre of music since the fucking 50's has seen some group of IDIOTS who can't see past the tip of their own nose scowling at the people who like it, decreeing that it's just noise! It's too loud! It's too sexual! It all sounds the same! Only Druggies and scum could ever listen to it!

And I bet at some point you've thought "When I grow up, I wont be so pathetic, I'll move with culture and not become a relic" Well surprise! You are pathetic, you are a relic, and you're exactly the same as those people you thought were so uncultured, behind and insulated before.

When Trance and electro hit hard in the late 80's and 90's People were saying the same shit, that it was nothing but a phase, that you had to be on "X" drug to even consider it music, or that it's rotting the children's brains and that they need some time in the army to sort that shit out! Now look at the charts - (In the UK at least, where all these observations are being taken from but they're pretty universal) it's full of music which is influenced by, and pretty much a direct evolution of, Trance and electro from the 90's

Shocker! It wasn't a phase! It's not just druggies that like it! It now commands the pop charts and is found absolutely everywhere.

If you're having a hard time dealing with the fact that the music scene changes, and that your precious, narrow view of music is no longer "in", then might I suggest you pick up a copy of the daily mail, practice how loud you can make tutting noises at people half your age, head on over to the "How do you know you're old?" thread (they're waiting for you, gramps) and wait for death to come put you out of your misery. You've got a lot of disapproving to do over the next 40 years.

 

[Eggsnham]

For the same reason that people like heavy metal or hardcore rap, because for whatever reason it sounds good to them.

 

[McNinja]

I think some dubstep is decent. No dubstep is what I would consider to be good. Usually, dubstep has no flow or rhythm, which makes it very hard to listen to, but dubstep has a sort of energy that you don't see in most music these days. I think if dubstep was combined with another genre of music, it would work... if done right. The Korn/Skrillex song was not.

 

[ToxicOranges]

This is NOT the place to get a fair view on dubstep - everyone here hates it with a passion...

I don't, but I'm a rare case. Seriously - look up musicians like Skrillex, Excision, Benga, and the YouTube channel called UKF Dubstep.

Give up trying to actually get an opinion here that isn't "BAAAAAAAWWWW DUBSTEP IS SHITTY AND FOR STUPID FUCKS AND BWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRR DUBSTEP IS FUCKING STUPID BWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I DONT GET IT IT ISNT MUSIC LIKE MY FAVOURITE (Insert shitty indie band here) BAND ISSSSSS! DUBSTEP BWAAAAAR HATE IT HATE HATE IT!"

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

In other words, as much as I hate using image macros, this [http://ben.kirman.org/wp-content/uploads/Stop-liking-what-I-dont-like.jpg] is rather appropriate.

And this thread could've ended right here, because that image is spot-on the reasoning behind every thread like this one. "I hate it because it's bad, and it's bad because I hate it. And you can never rationalize the reasons you like it to me, so you have to hate it too or there's something wrong with you."

Then of course, there's the other side of the coin: "These are all the reasons I like it, and that is why it's good, and it's good because I like it. So you have to like it or there's something wrong with you."

Because some of us will never rest until everyone agrees with them on everything ever.

 

[unoleian]

Every time someone mentions Skrillex, God kills a puppy.

Think of the puppies, everyone.

 

[molester jester]

when people refer to dubstep as ''music'', i am personally offended as a musician. there is no talent or artistry involved. if you search on youtube ''how to make dubstep'', the first video will show you how in under 5 minutes. its really that easy to be a DJ, if you have ever owned an Ipod your basically there. in my country we have a name for people that live for dubstep and are out at clubs every-night, picking up chiiiicks and generally living life to the MAX-treme...

''bogans''

It require skill and talent to make any sort of music, dj music included, you seem to have very little idea of what dj's actually do.

 

[BiggyShackleton]

Can't believe this topic got 5 pages without this being posted.. Unless I'm going blind.


Dubstep is good for a stupidly loud party or a festival, although I'll still always prefer DnB.

 

[brainslurper]

There are some really good dubsteps like


I have no clue how it became popular but i really don't care

That literally sounds like highly distorted farting with someone yelling jump over and over again in the background.

 

[brainslurper]

CHRIST This thread is full of so much stupid the rest of the world must currently be experiencing a "Fucking stupid commentary" shortage. Escapists make me weep, seriously.

You remember when that genre of music you liked was wholly rejected by old people, sheltered people, the upper class, snobs, the right wing media, pretentious cunts and/or the alternative-to-your-crowd crowd? You ought too, as I cant think of a single genre of music which hasn't gone through that. Every new genre of music since the fucking 50's has seen some group of IDIOTS who can't see past the tip of their own nose scowling at the people who like it, decreeing that it's just noise! It's too loud! It's too sexual! It all sounds the same! Only Druggies and scum could ever listen to it!

And I bet at some point you've thought "When I grow up, I wont be so pathetic, I'll move with culture and not become a relic" Well surprise! You are pathetic, you are a relic, and you're exactly the same as those people you thought were so uncultured, behind and insulated before.

When Trance and electro hit hard in the late 80's and 90's People were saying the same shit, that it was nothing but a phase, that you had to be on "X" drug to even consider it music, or that it's rotting the children's brains and that they need some time in the army to sort that shit out! Now look at the charts - (In the UK at least, where all these observations are being taken from but they're pretty universal) it's full of music which is influenced by, and pretty much a direct evolution of, Trance and electro from the 90's

Shocker! It wasn't a phase! It's not just druggies that like it! It now commands the pop charts and is found absolutely everywhere.

If you're having a hard time dealing with the fact that the music scene changes, and that your precious, narrow view of music is no longer "in", then might I suggest you pick up a copy of the daily mail, practice how loud you can make tutting noises at people half your age, head on over to the "How do you know you're old?" thread (they're waiting for you, gramps) and wait for death to come put you out of your misery. You've got a lot of disapproving to do over the next 40 years.

I am 15 and it sounds like shit to me.

 

[Archemetis]

Some people just like it.

End of story.

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

what they do is recycle the works of real artists and contribute nothing of substance. you calling it ''dj music'' kind of makes me think you dont know what your talking about.

 

[vivster]

lol
how high and mighty some people feel to think it is to them to define what music is^^

i like electronic music which includes dubstep and i like alternative rock and i like pop to some extend oh and also jpop
i don't like country, jazz and most of metal
and all for different reasons

does that say anything?.. nope
as far as i'm concerned people can dance themselves into trance to a firetruck siren
the ways of music are mysterious^^

its purposeless noise, can't even dance to it, waste of time.

music should either evoke emotion (see anger,happiness,sadness, melancholy, peace) or be in conjunction with an activity (see swing music, most videogame songs, and the massively wide genre known as "dance")

step achieves none of these criteria, whilst also ruining the various songs it comes across (im talking to you whoever posted that butchered version of still alive.

It'l go away in due time, its gained very little traction, and whilst some elements may survive by being integrated into other genres such as house and techno(which has already happened to a certain extent), the movement itself will die down.

please leave it to the listeners if and which emotions are evoked by music
there are a number of dubstep tracks that give me goosebumps all over
same with a lot of other songs you probably wouldn't consider "music"


http://youtu.be/yyUCtd6rrWw


this is one of them

 

[Daveman]

I dunno, some of it's good, personally I like that dubstep song that goes "wubwubwubwubwubwub"... XD