Addressing musical defeat

[missroserose]

If I have one pet peeve, it's seeing someone repudiate an entire genre (of anything - books, music, movies, whatever) based on a couple of bad experiences. So I want to state for the record that I've tried here; really, I have. I've hit up the various devotee rooms at turntable.fm. I've listened to the genre-specific "must-listen" internet radio DJs. I've found links in discussion threads to people's favorites, and tried to click with an open mind. Because I like lots of different electronica - trance and techno and dream-pop and shoegaze. And I didn't get to like any of them by dismissing them after hearing a few mediocre examples and then deciding that I didn't like the genre as a whole.

Dubstep, my friend? I can tell you're trying, and obviously you're doing something right because you have plenty of devotees. But ultimately, I just don't think we're ever going to be best pals. It's not you, it's me - I seem to lack whatever genetic quirks allow me to distinguish between your myriad wubs and woos and bzzzzs and beep-boop-beeps. I don't have anything against you, I just don't see what it is everyone else seems to love so madly.

But don't let that stop you from going on and being the best you that you can be. Because I do so admire that about you. You're not afraid to do something a little different, and if you can pass that message on to your fans on some level, I'm all for that. I'll just be over here listening to my 80s-influenced multilayered indie shoegaze electronica, and we'll all be happy.

Comments

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Some day I should take the effort to find out just wtf dubstep *is* because I keep bumping into the word no matter where I go. Starbucks has dubstep coffee this week. There's a dubstep version of FaceBook. Next week is the premiere of Dubstep with the Stars, which at least has something to do with music.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Basically it's a variant of electronica that's been picking up steam in the mainstream lately, that prides itself on being darker and grungier and featuring strongly artificial/manipulated tones layered over slow drum/bass beats. (As is so often the case, Wikipedia is your friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep) - the descriptions are a bit overwrought, but there are samples.)

I personally find it frankly soulless and boring when it's not outright aggressively awful, but obviously it speaks to some folks, so good for them.

Dupstep Dance

[cobban barnett (from livejournal.com)]

I'm with you on the dubstep thing. However, being a big fan of dance, I find dubstep to be rather engaging when I'm watching people dance to it.

Re: Dupstep Dance

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I know from research that it's considered dance music, but I'm honestly not certain how someone *would* dance to it given the slow and stately nature. It almost seems like you could adapt some classical dances to it...

Oh dear. I think I may have accidentally predicted a new YouTube genre: The Dubstep Minuet.

Re: Dupstep Dance

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

It's already been established that I have the capacity to thoroughly enjoy "sonic experiences" which you would not even classify as music, so it's no surprise that we would disagree on this as well. But I urge you to listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEQMkzjcLEA&ob=av3n (fast forward to 1:40 if you're impatient) and reconsider whether it's danceable or not. For me, dubstep is one of the few genres of music that has succeeded in making me want to dance.

Re: Dupstep Dance

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

(And again, at 5:10. Fuck yeah.)

Re: Dupstep Dance

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Okay, yeah, I could see dancing to that. Most of the dubstep I've seen prior has been rather more...somber. I've seen people who'd argue that's far more of a house or techno beat.

Not something I'd seek out, necessarily, but definitely more my speed than the other stuff I'd heard. Thanks!

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I'm not an expert on dubstep by any means (in particular, I'm bad at knowing where the edges of genres are), but as far as I can tell, the key is enjoying tempo change as the carrier for song variation -- especially multiple tempos that don't necessary change *together* but always relate. If that's not something that twigs for you, then yeah, it's probably not going to work. It's sort of middling for me, because often the other stuff in the tracks I find kind of irritating (especially the attitude many of them cop to) but I do enjoy that aspect of what I've heard.

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you've noticed the YouTube comments on dubstep videos, but they usually go something like "The bass shook my desk so hard that my phone fell onto the floor. I picked it up after the song was over and now it's a smartphone."

I am one of the people that completely understands those comments. <3 Dubstep!

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Hey, like I said, nothing against people who do enjoy it. I don't hate it or anything, I just don't really get it. But I'll give the video you linked a go. :)

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

Also, that video you linked? I was so distracted by the video I barely noticed the music - please tell me that's a movie or something? It's surprisingly moving.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

It's the music video for a track off of M83's new album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. M83 specializes in that sort of dream-pop multilayered 80s-style synth stuff. I think you'd dig their stuff - Saturdays = Youth is also quite good. I picked that particular video because the song is possibly my favorite one off the album (I listen to it a lot when I'm biking up the hill after work), but I was quite impressed with the video too.