This is a lengthy and self-indulgent post, and I apologise in advance, but this needs to be documented.
I haven't put stock in the Grammys as real barometers of interesting (and relevant) new music since, well, 1997, which is when I discovered the Internet and Napster. However, I do acknowledge their influence over the mainstream and especially the artists they recognize under their 'Alternative' categories. Artists like Bon Iver, Arcade Fire and Skrillex definitely benefit from these awards, even if their wins inspire some laughably ignorant tweets. Now, Skrillex (real name Sonny Moore) is the most popular of these artists and therefore has some responsibility to bear, in my opinion, as the poster boy for dubstep, a sub-genre of electronic dance music that has seen a sudden jump to the mainstream after languishing in the UK underground for half a decade. The crux of my annoyance with Sonny Moore, an otherwise talented individual, is his disingenuous proliferation of music under the genre of dubstep, which he has grossly misappropriated for personal gain. Let's examine this genre is further detail to understand if Skrillex is guilty as charged, or does he in fact merit the use of the label.
Dubstep hails from East London and is widely acknowledged as the offspring of two styles of electronic dance music (EDM), grime and 2-step garage, with a throwback inspiration from dub music and its modern incarnation, itself a sub-genre of reggae. Here are samples of each of these:
Dub
Asian Dub Foundation - New Way New Life
Grime
Dizzee Rascal - Jezebel
2-step
The Streets - Turn the Page
As you listen to the samples above, you'll notice some distinct rhythmic choices and patterns. These are seeded across each of these sub-genres and quite often bleed into each other. The clipped drum beats that register at the lower end of the scale, low and constant bass lines and distorted sampling are hallmarks of these styles and, significantly, also of dubstep.
Like most styles of music, there has been a significant amount of evolution of dubstep. New ideas have been thrown into the mix and some have worked and continue to grow the 'scene'. Provided below are samples of some of the bigger names in dubstep, that aren't Skrillex:
Burial
Perhaps the most enigmatic and truly artistic of the bunch by a wide margin, this notoriously shy producer is signed to Hyperdub and has worked with Four Tet, Thom Yorke and Massive Attack, in addition to releasing 2 stellar LPs and a series of equally brilliant singles and EPs. His sound has been evolving at a microlevel with each release, but his technique generally relies on the use of ghostly RnB samples that are pitch shifted beyond recognition, the hiss and crackle of vinyl and a wholly urban soundscape that emulates a living breathing metropolis. This doesn't have the aggressive punk vibe of Skrillex, or the more vibrant yet dirty sound of grime and garage that Burial's peers go for, but it is entirely original and most representative of dubstep pure and unfiltered.
Kode9
This guy runs Hyperdub, composes and produces dubstep tunes and holds down a day job as a lecturer at the University of London thanks to his PhD from the University of Warwick. He is a major figurehead for the dubstep movement in the UK, choosing to remain as its fervent champion by giving several emerging artists a home on his label, and epitomizes the more dance-y aspects of the style by incorporating more aggressive drum and bass patterns.
Skream
Probably the closest in style to what Skrillex peddles, Skream is nonetheless more distinctly dubstep than our subject in question. He is also more aware of the loose connection between what most supposed dubstep artists are creating compared to what the style actually is, and has chosen to label himself as part of the 'UK bass' scene which I find refreshingly honest and decent of him to. His beats are more synthetic and his sound falls in the mid to high registers for the most part.
In addition to these samples above, there are several artists such as James Blake and even Toronto's very own, The Weeknd, that are more directly influenced by dubstep and worth checking out.
Now let's listen to some Skrillex, shall we?
Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Is this dubstep? Fuck, no.
What this is, is EDM that has been composed through the prism of screamo punk and thrash. It's actually an exciting mix if you think about it. Sonny Moore used to front the screamo-punk band called From First to Last when he was a wee teenager and had to bow out of the group due to polyps in his throat. Happily for him and his fans, he was able to channel all this aggression and aesthetic into his music, which accounts for the signature whizz-bop-skreee-bhooosh sound that is so distinctly Skrillex. It's a fantastic stand-in for his voice and a brilliant manifestation of his aggression. Unfortunately, it is also the only trick in his basket so far and each song of his sounds pretty much the same.
However, it is not fucking dubstep.
My biggest issue with his claim to the genre is that Skrillex fans, like many friends of mine, looking to satiate themselves with more dubstep will come across the real stuff and ignore it for not having the same sound or quality as Skrillex's music. Regardless of whether the music they discover is great or not, it will likely be ignored for not meeting set expectations. For an underground scene that can benefit from more mainstream exposure, there is no greater damage than mislabeling of the music. Folks like Burial who deserve to be bigger in the USA stand no chance at this point of ever making the leap (and perhaps they don't care to).
A great artist who chooses to incorporate elements of another style acts as a true tastemaker and encourages their fan base to try out these other styles without the baggage of pre-conceived notions.
Skrillex is NOT a great artist unfortunately.
I haven't put stock in the Grammys as real barometers of interesting (and relevant) new music since, well, 1997, which is when I discovered the Internet and Napster. However, I do acknowledge their influence over the mainstream and especially the artists they recognize under their 'Alternative' categories. Artists like Bon Iver, Arcade Fire and Skrillex definitely benefit from these awards, even if their wins inspire some laughably ignorant tweets. Now, Skrillex (real name Sonny Moore) is the most popular of these artists and therefore has some responsibility to bear, in my opinion, as the poster boy for dubstep, a sub-genre of electronic dance music that has seen a sudden jump to the mainstream after languishing in the UK underground for half a decade. The crux of my annoyance with Sonny Moore, an otherwise talented individual, is his disingenuous proliferation of music under the genre of dubstep, which he has grossly misappropriated for personal gain. Let's examine this genre is further detail to understand if Skrillex is guilty as charged, or does he in fact merit the use of the label.
Dubstep hails from East London and is widely acknowledged as the offspring of two styles of electronic dance music (EDM), grime and 2-step garage, with a throwback inspiration from dub music and its modern incarnation, itself a sub-genre of reggae. Here are samples of each of these:
Dub
Asian Dub Foundation - New Way New Life
Grime
Dizzee Rascal - Jezebel
2-step
The Streets - Turn the Page
As you listen to the samples above, you'll notice some distinct rhythmic choices and patterns. These are seeded across each of these sub-genres and quite often bleed into each other. The clipped drum beats that register at the lower end of the scale, low and constant bass lines and distorted sampling are hallmarks of these styles and, significantly, also of dubstep.
Like most styles of music, there has been a significant amount of evolution of dubstep. New ideas have been thrown into the mix and some have worked and continue to grow the 'scene'. Provided below are samples of some of the bigger names in dubstep, that aren't Skrillex:
Burial
Perhaps the most enigmatic and truly artistic of the bunch by a wide margin, this notoriously shy producer is signed to Hyperdub and has worked with Four Tet, Thom Yorke and Massive Attack, in addition to releasing 2 stellar LPs and a series of equally brilliant singles and EPs. His sound has been evolving at a microlevel with each release, but his technique generally relies on the use of ghostly RnB samples that are pitch shifted beyond recognition, the hiss and crackle of vinyl and a wholly urban soundscape that emulates a living breathing metropolis. This doesn't have the aggressive punk vibe of Skrillex, or the more vibrant yet dirty sound of grime and garage that Burial's peers go for, but it is entirely original and most representative of dubstep pure and unfiltered.
Kode9
This guy runs Hyperdub, composes and produces dubstep tunes and holds down a day job as a lecturer at the University of London thanks to his PhD from the University of Warwick. He is a major figurehead for the dubstep movement in the UK, choosing to remain as its fervent champion by giving several emerging artists a home on his label, and epitomizes the more dance-y aspects of the style by incorporating more aggressive drum and bass patterns.
Skream
Probably the closest in style to what Skrillex peddles, Skream is nonetheless more distinctly dubstep than our subject in question. He is also more aware of the loose connection between what most supposed dubstep artists are creating compared to what the style actually is, and has chosen to label himself as part of the 'UK bass' scene which I find refreshingly honest and decent of him to. His beats are more synthetic and his sound falls in the mid to high registers for the most part.
In addition to these samples above, there are several artists such as James Blake and even Toronto's very own, The Weeknd, that are more directly influenced by dubstep and worth checking out.
Now let's listen to some Skrillex, shall we?
Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Is this dubstep? Fuck, no.
What this is, is EDM that has been composed through the prism of screamo punk and thrash. It's actually an exciting mix if you think about it. Sonny Moore used to front the screamo-punk band called From First to Last when he was a wee teenager and had to bow out of the group due to polyps in his throat. Happily for him and his fans, he was able to channel all this aggression and aesthetic into his music, which accounts for the signature whizz-bop-skreee-bhooosh sound that is so distinctly Skrillex. It's a fantastic stand-in for his voice and a brilliant manifestation of his aggression. Unfortunately, it is also the only trick in his basket so far and each song of his sounds pretty much the same.
However, it is not fucking dubstep.
My biggest issue with his claim to the genre is that Skrillex fans, like many friends of mine, looking to satiate themselves with more dubstep will come across the real stuff and ignore it for not having the same sound or quality as Skrillex's music. Regardless of whether the music they discover is great or not, it will likely be ignored for not meeting set expectations. For an underground scene that can benefit from more mainstream exposure, there is no greater damage than mislabeling of the music. Folks like Burial who deserve to be bigger in the USA stand no chance at this point of ever making the leap (and perhaps they don't care to).
A great artist who chooses to incorporate elements of another style acts as a true tastemaker and encourages their fan base to try out these other styles without the baggage of pre-conceived notions.
Skrillex is NOT a great artist unfortunately.
