DUBSTEP:
all the rage
WKU senior Derek Sabiston made waves in the dubstep genre this past year with his remix to Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair”. The remix garnered nearly half a million views on YouTube.
(Top) Derek Sabiston deejays at a house show in Bowling Green. WKU sophomores Laura Sims and Charlsie Vick attend a Bassnectar show in Lousiville, Kentucky. “It’s such an amazing experience live,” Sims said of the live dubstep enviornment. photos submitted
Dubstep music making impact on local music scene
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u b s t e p . Yo u ’ v e p r o b ably heard it blaring from the windows of cars and houses on your nearest college campus. If you haven’t yet, prepare to. Dubstep, a style of music that utilizes overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals, has found its way into popular music over the past year. Dubstep originated from the underground scene in Europe, but can now be heard on American airwaves. From pop artists Britney Spears to Rihanna, dubstep has started to seep into popular music everywhere. Dubstep music has even impacted artists and listeners in the local music scene.WKU senior Derek Sabiston has made waves in the dubstep genre nationally with some of his remixes. His dupstep mash-up of Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” has garn e r e d o v e r 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 v i e w s o n Yo u Tu b e . Sabiston’s other remixes, including one to Florence And T h e M a c h i n e ’ s “ H e a v y i n Yo u r Arms” have gotten lots of attention online. His “Maximal Cray” was even picked by several blogs as one of their favorite dubstep songs. WKU sophomore Zach Burns has been a fan of dubstep since
before its ascent into popular music. I think it was so intriguing to me because of the way the sounds felt streched out,” Burns said. “I’ve always loved any type of electronic music that sounds new to me.” Though an avid fan of dubstep, Burns isn’t exactly ecstatic to see it in mainstream popular music. “I do appreciate listening to dubstep, it definitely has a time and place where it is appropriate,” Burns said. “Dubstep and other similar genres seeping into to the commercialized or mainstream culture just makes it all the more obvious that all most people care about it taking the most fun parts of a song, and selling them to us over and over again. I think that’s what made it so easy for this type of music to become so popular, so fast. It’s ear candy.” WKU sophomore Laura Sims said she has been a dubstep fan since seeing dubstep artist Bassnectar at Bonnaroo this past summer. “It’s such an incredible exp e r i e n c e l i v e , ” S i m s s a i d . “A l l the people waving their arms in unison and dancing to the same beat you really have to experience it yourself to fully understand it.”
Dubstep Facts
-Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London, United Kingdom. -The tempo is nearly always in the range of 138-142 beats per minute. -In its early stages, dubstep was often more percussive, with more influences from 2-step drum patterns. -The influence of dubstep on more commerical or popular genres can be seen as far back as 2007, with pop star Britney Spears using dubstep sounds. -One characteristic of certain strands of dubstep is the wobble bass, where an extended bass note is manipulated rhythmically. -Britney Spears track “Hold It Against Me� was also responsible for promoting dubstep tropes within a mainstream pop audience. information gathered via wikipedia.com