Korn – The Bouncy Kitty

If you’ve been following this blog since its inception, you’re more than aware of my affinity for all things EDM; from festivals to intimate clubs, amazing remixes to fresh artists I can honestly say that I love it all. However, one thing that’s been driven into my head lately is that there really is too much of a good thing. One of my favorite quotes goes ‘Everything in moderation, including moderation‘ and I should have been more willing to apply that to my taste in music. Over the course of this year, I’ve found myself with more than just a hand in the music industry’s ‘cookie jar’. Back in January, my good friend and I co-founded Beatnet EDM to provide a fun forum for EDM fans and concurrently, I began penning articles and reviews for The DJ List, one of the largest Global DJ resources since ’97. Suffice it to say, I’ve essentially over-saturated this precious brain of mine in untz, driving basslines and the sound of sweet synths and I’ve been yearning for something more.

Now, I haven’t always been an EDM junkie – once upon a time I listened to everything under the sun; not that I don’t still appreciate all of it, but I do have a method behind my madness. Back in the late 90’s and in early 2000, I’d just discovered Trance and House – DJ Encore & Angelina, Tiesto, Benny Benassi – but spent most of my time listening to acts like the Dixie Chicks, Yellowcard, Eminem, New Found Glory, Montgomery Gentry, TI, Outkast, 50 Cent. Over time, the Pop lyrics were simple and the melodies repetitive; the Alternative guitar shrills, Punk drum snares and Emo noises blended together; the lyrics coming out of the Hip-Hop and Rap camps were overwhelmingly misogynistic, drug fueled and money hungry. Needless to say, at the time I wanted something more – and that something more was Electro. I was sick of people dictating my emotional state with every quarter note and EDM gave me the opportunity to feel something absolutely different each and every time I listed to a track like Tiësto’s ‘Flight 643’.

Little did I know that I was more or less creating a bouncing, breathing EDM monster; there’s no way around it, I was hooked….but like I said earlier, everything in moderation – including EDM. I’ve gotten to the point that I’ll listen to five or six songs in a row and they all blur together – artists that are completely unrelated sound absolutely synonymous and my worst fear has actually come true: I’m bored. No, let me extrapolate – it’s far more than that: I’m not being mentally stimulated or driven to feel a profound emotion like I was before; I don’t get lost in the music – I simply find myself wanting more. More than those monotonously repetitive chord progressions, more than beats that bombard you with bass , more than music that inspires the people around me to rage face and get plurnt. I like music with a message – whether it’s telling me one or I can derive one – I like music with a purpose, music with meaning. And lately, it’s been harder and harder to find it.

And let’s face it, it’s not just me – my boyfriend is a shining example of a faithful festival goer who loves his dirty beats and vocal trance, but over the course of the past year he’s become fed up with the monotony of the music industry and has more than begged me to diversify my tastes and branch back out into other genres. A few weeks ago, we went up to San Francisco for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and I was immediately reminded why I used to love acoustic music, crystal clear vocals and real instruments. So, I thought it’d be the perfect time to branch back out into the genres I’ve formerly loved and see what else is out there. I’ve been doing some prowling over the past few days and I’m excited to share what this bouncy kitty has dragged in.

Her Name is BANKS

I literally just stumbled on her today and already have to confess something: I have the tinniest little girl crush on her! Her sultry voice feels like silk on my eardrums and her seductive r&b infused indie rock sound is absolutely refreshing. I’ve been riffling through her discography and she’s worked with an all star production cast including two of my personal favorites, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Jamie Woon. Yes, there’s admittedly an electronic influence – but it’s just that, an influence – an afterthought. Banks reminds me of Jesse Ware, Landa Del Rey and Fiona Apple – but with more of a bite.

Tech N9Ne

Little known N9ne fact for yea: you might know him for his ridiculous flow, but the veteran rapper is gaining recognition in the business world as being the mogul of the Hip-Hop Industry. Between his record label, Strange Music, tours, merchendising company and recording studio – he came in as the 18th highest paid rapper in the business last year. Tech N9ne has been around as long as I’ve been listening to rap, and based on the sound of his new album – Therapy – he and I share similar feelings, just about different industries. He’s reached out to several people in the Rock and Metal scene including Limp Bizkit frontman Wes Borland and the multi talented producer behind the likes of Slipknot, Korn and At the Drive In – Ross Robinson. His vocals still pack the same powerful punch as when I first started listening to him – but now, with the combination of the 808 and live instruments I’m completely enthralled and drawn in. I’m impatiently counting down the days til November 5 when Therapy hits iTunes and can’t wait to hear what he does next.

There’s something to be said for the recent and exponential growth of the Electronic Music industry – you can look at it like a supply and demand market if you want: there is a ridiculous demand for heavy drops and succulent progressive house jams right now and they’re making their way to your radio waves, commercials, TV shows and more. Electronic Dance Music, better known to us kandi kids as EDM is more than a musical movement, or a pop culture phenomenon; this is our subculture, this is our way of life.

When I started in on the scene in 2006, I knew little to nothing about what I was getting myself into. I was open minded and wide eyed; immersing myself into a way of life that had been essentially forbidden. Not on anyone else’s volition, mind you, but growing up I was a pretty straight edge girl with a head solidly placed on her shoulders. The more I grow into myself, the more starry-eyed and in awe I become; the more I stay the course, the more rewarding it becomes. No longer am I confused by genre infused mashups or the DJ that flocks to vinyl over CD-Js: I’m in it for the music; I’m in it for the love.

My first big event was Electric Daisy Carnival. Just remember, this is pre-Vegas, pre-LA even – this was back when the event was a one day, family friendlier festival out at the NOS Center in San Bernardino. I remember walking in, arms firmly linked through a best friend on each side. I was trying to figure out which side of the rabbit hole I wanted to wake up on; I was trying to come to terms with my world spinning inside out and upside down. Girls in neon tutus blocked every other turn but we were always greeted with friendly smiles, open arms and PLUR handshakes.

About ten minutes into the festival, my friends nodded in symmetry and announced they wanted to sit down and chat. I nodded in turn, but in silent agreement that I wasn’t in the mood for those kind of shenanigans. I did a quick gut check and dove right in; or at least – tried to. I must have looked as out of place as I felt, because immediately a charming sprite of a girl grabbed my arms and insisted I follow her to the dance floor. “Is this your first EDC?” she mused, but didn’t wait for a reply because she already knew the answer. “You need to let it go…” she continued, her eyes dilating with excitement “…let it all fall down; shake it off and breathe it in.” She was speaking in tongues but I understood every word. One by one, my hands wound up entwined between her delicate fingers and then, with glee, she announced my next move: “Spin! Faster! And now, just let it go…” For the next five minutes, I twirled with the delight of a toddler and every preconception I had about that night washed over and off of my like Spring rain. She smiled whimsically, like whatever magicians trick she pulled actually produced a rabbit out of a hat. She smiled with satisfaction; I smiled back in wonderment. We hugged and danced off in different directions – but the lesson remains: I haven’t been the same since.

Yo Dawg - Yo dawg, I heard you like subgenres So we put some chiptek in your jungle trance so you can glitchstep while you trapstyle

That night, I was exposed to live Trance and Progressive House for the first time: Above and Beyond floored me, Kaskade’s deep house struck a chord, Benny Benassi could do no wrong behind the decks and Guetta was still a respectable name in the business. But what my friends didn’t tell me about Trance and House was that they’re gateway genres. What they should have said is: this is your brain on bass; this is your brain during the drop. The Bloody Beetroots lead a nice segue into Electro House, and I was blown away by the rock infused Drum & Bass that I got from Chase & Status. There was Deep House, Breakbeats, Minimal, Vocal Trance…..head on over to Beatport right now and just see for yourself: it’s genres on genres on genres.

One of the things that I find most intriguing about the EDM Industry itself is their consistent ability to essentially reinvent the electronic wheel; the best examples of these are Trap and Dubstep. Personally, I don’t know how many times you can reinvent the wheel before it’s no longer a wheel but that’s besides the point right now. Most people would be (incorrectly) lead to believe these are band spankin’ new areas of uncovered music, those of us that have been around longer than a minute recognize the first as an homage to the bass heavy instrumentals from mid to late 90’s hip-hop and rap songs and the later is very reminiscent of the heavy, industrial rock sound of the 90’s that was fueled by groups such as Korn, System of a Down, Disturbed and more. For those of you that have been in a mosh-pit at an Atreyu show and then tried to navigate one at a Borgore or Noisia show, you’ll find that the crowds and subcultures themselves have eerie similarities.

There’s been more than a little debate about the roots of Dubstep. Korn, for example, believes they played a pivotal role; in an interview from 2011, their frontman Jonathan Davis claimed that “Dubstep is the new metal” and I 110% agree; then, on the other end of the spectrum is the famed Timbaland, who also believes he should be accredited with the rise of the genre, claiming that his bass heavy music of the 90’s helped the genre rise to its current state. But what exactly is Dubstep? Glad you asked!

Dubstep evolved from the intermingling of the Garage and Reggae scenes in the UK during the early 80’s and late 90’s. Some of Dubstep’s biggest giveaways are the syncopated percussion and drum patterns layered over sub-bass that’s all over your face: it can rattle you, floor you, bring the house down and bring your spirits up. The average tempo on any given House song can range from 115 to 135 BPM, Trance can be from 130 to 160 BPM and Dubstep tends to stick to 140 BPM for beat heavy tracks – but when there’s ’empty space’ between the notes, which is one of the primary differences between UK Dubstep and the tracks coming out of the USA, we consider it to actually be around 70 BPM. Though it’s been around for the upwards of the last three decades, the genre didn’t nosedive into popularity until the early 2000’s when a clear distinction could finally be made between 2-Step, Dubstep and Grime and it’s really been in the last two years that the US has seen its exponential rise in popularity.

Acts like Bassnectar and Nero give you more than a show, they give you an experience. I’ve been to a Bassnectar show where he spun live using not two, but four Ableton machines. About halfway through his epic set, a fire alarm was inadvertently set off – being the genius that he is, Bassnectar, better known to his friends as Lorin, created a beat that covered up the fire alarm for the rest of the night. It wasn’t until the house lights were brought on that we recognized it’s faint screeching. Nero got together with BBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra to produce the first, and hopefully not last, Dubstep Symphony.

Of all EDM genres, one thing I’ve discovered is that Dubstep is by far the most polarizing; by far the best example is Skrillex, who’s either hailed as a musical genius or mocked as the modern day version of a dial-up modem. Love it or loathe it, one thing’s for sure: Dubstep is here to stay. But is it really music? Though there are throws of young 20-somethings that would agree quicker than the bass drops, there are multitudes of music aficionado that would vehemently disagree: it’s nothing but noise. But thanks to the evolution of technology, and some daring and creative individuals in the past – we have valid argument for the actual genius of Dubstep.

As with most trends, this one has gone mainstream and in a big way. Just to get a picture of the reach and popularity that the genre has attained, take into account the following:

For the State of the Union Address the other week, the White House released a very socially savvy and media forward YouTube announcement that included, believe it or not, Dubstep.

The hilarious and ever on point Key and Peele poked fun at Dubstep in one of their most recent skits:

And last, but definitely not least – the Harlem Shake has swept our Nation faster than an epidemic. It’s hard to pick a favorite video, but someone’s gotta do it.

For a final and definitive look into what actually made Dubstep explode onto the scene, peep the infographic below – and don’t forget to shove a little bass in your face; it is the weekend after all!