THE PARADOX - BOC and what they call DUBSTEP

In_The_Annexe · Post by **In_The_Annexe** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:34 am

For the past while I've been having these thoughts. I need to hear other viewpoints.

BOC distorts their samples and music. They mess with it until it's very disemboweled, uncanny and downright bizarre - like Music is Math, when it breaks down into all of those ghostly voices or that distorted growling bass sound in Dawn Chorus.

With this in mind... I've been brought to a strange conclusion but I'll need to word this properly to limit the amount of misunderstandings.

Basically, I don't understand why I've seen more then a few users on these forums and elsewhere throw around this word, "Dubstep", as if it is so generically representable of all music that has a filthy wubwub bass, distorted growl or phaser effect, etc.

There really are some good producers of electronic music nowadays, the genres: Future Garage, Drum and Bass, and Glitch all have elements that could also be found in the huge fake category that is considered "Dubstep"

Heck, even Squarepusher's album "Ufabulum", had glitch distorted bass sounds that would be referred to as "Dubstep" by the ignorant majority.

Technology is improving and so is the ability to create electronic music, so yes, I suppose an untalented person could make pretty nice "beats" if he had a good set-up/studio...
(and this is really the only convictable thing about the genre, at least in my case)

...but what about the artists like Boards of Canada? The talented professionals? The musicians who have studied music theory. Those who could achieve something extraordinary with the new abilities of electronic sound splicing and step sequencing.

If you haven't seen what I am getting at yet, answer me this,

If one were so inclined... to make an electronic music track and distort samples of their composition, does that make their genre "Dubstep"?

The answer is clear and 100% rhetorical. No, it bloody does not.

This spawns another question, however...

Are we being too quick to judge new music, when we categorize this way?

Yes, I bloody think so.

It's a Paradox.

Please, share your lovable thoughts.

Helios · Post by **Helios** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:41 am

A couple of the more recent reviews of TH (including the Rolling Stone one, I think) categorized tracks as "dubstep" on several occasions. I cringed real hard.

In_The_Annexe · Post by **In_The_Annexe** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:43 am

you can see why I hate this word, so much.... ^^

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:58 am

ahhhh yes.

Well, unfortunately the same thing happened to dubstep as did hiphop. Real underground hiphop and dubstep resemble in no way what the public maintreem masses are "told"/ shown it is.

One dude says "I love hiphop". Hes thinking of bocs more headnoddy percussion or stuff like cyne/nujabes.

The dude hes speaking to only knows that "make it rain on hoes" is hiphop.

Its a DISASTER people!

SAME thing EXACTLY with dubstep.
Undergroun, REAL dubstep is NOT the popular mainstreem pop garbage that is what the masses get.

The very MOST common mistake about dubstep is wobble bass etc.
For some thats unfortunately all they know, and MISTAKE it as what MAKES a track dubstep.

Fact- pioneer dubstep producers developed wide use of that classic dubstep wobble bass BUT it is NOT a requirement to be dubstep.

GREAT dubstep deosn't need effects/distortion wobble AT ALL and is still dubstep.
You could make pure dubstep with a 50 person tribe with earth instruments, NO wobble.

What makes dubstep dubstep?

mostly the percussion. Slow BPM, mainly just snare-bass-snare bass the ants go marching 2 by 2 but there is a kind of hesitation, catch-up, skippyness often. LOTS of echo! HUGE face smacking-crashing-clapping echoey snares.

I could get more specific and express it better but I give up.

Just know that I like 1,000s of tracks I KNOW is real pure dub, but mainstreem fans wouldn't even recognize it as dub the second they don't hear the mistaken trademarks they're "told" to look for.

BOC is SO close to dubstep ground zero, I always supected they not only dabbled, but stayed at the cutting edge.

Sorry, my dub-perc description so lame, i could do better, i give up to get drunk.

Helios · Post by **Helios** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:20 am

At least provide a link to real dubstep!

In_The_Annexe · Post by **In_The_Annexe** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:21 am

I still wouldn't call any of those genres, Dubstep.

distorted bass and treble sounds shouldn't make a track Dubstep. It's stupid.
WAY, WAY, WAY over generalized.

In_The_Annexe · Post by **In_The_Annexe** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:27 am

Helios wrote:At least provide a link to real dubstep!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZb_UxGUbd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrXr-dXSDYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg0mDyelSrA

These are some good tracks that the vast majority of ignorant tards would call "Dubstep".

It isn't dubstep, it's just electronic music.

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:50 am

Count to 4 slowly, repeat. Bass on 1, snare on 3. 130-180 bpm. Every now n then put bass on 1, 1.8, 2.5. Thats dubstep already. However, the more dubstep trends u add to this the more it will be recognized.

The real secret is that this foundation is the most ancient human music. Its only coming back.
This dubstep percussion is the original. You can here it globally in ALL tribal/native/indigenous peoples.

It inspired Native American footwork that inspired MJ, missyelliot/timbaland (mainstream dubstep footwork pioneers) and the crip walk. But I'm being messy im all over here drunk dont trip.

paul · Post by **paul** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 5:28 am

Melts wrote:Count to 4 slowly, repeat. Bass on 1, snare on 3. 130-180 bpm. Every now n then put bass on 1, 1.8, 2.5. Thats dubstep already. However, the more dubstep trends u add to this the more it will be recognized.

The real secret is that this foundation is the most ancient human music. Its only coming back.
This dubstep percussion is the original. You can here it globally in ALL tribal/native/indigenous peoples.

It inspired Native American footwork that inspired MJ, missyelliot/timbaland (mainstream dubstep footwork pioneers) and the crip walk. But I'm being messy im all over here drunk dont trip.

goddamn melts - i find myself looking forward to your posts.

lets dispense with the bullshit - Jack Dangers/ Meat Beat Manifesto is for many, the originator of dubstep (whether he knew it or not). this fine fellow was slaughtering beats and blips long before the wobblerz-du-jour were finished shitting their diapers. bonus: he is just a really decent human being.

start with autoimmune and maybe head over to ...in dub and so on.
but most of all, one simply must respect the Jack. here's a link to get you started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_cNqeZAAe4

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:59 am

paul wrote:
Melts wrote:Count to 4 slowly, repeat. Bass on 1, snare on 3. 130-180 bpm. Every now n then put bass on 1, 1.8, 2.5. Thats dubstep already. However, the more dubstep trends u add to this the more it will be recognized.

The real secret is that this foundation is the most ancient human music. Its only coming back.
This dubstep percussion is the original. You can here it globally in ALL tribal/native/indigenous peoples.

It inspired Native American footwork that inspired MJ, missyelliot/timbaland (mainstream dubstep footwork pioneers) and the crip walk. But I'm being messy im all over here drunk dont trip.

goddamn melts - i find myself looking forward to your posts.

lets dispense with the bullshit - Jack Dangers/ Meat Beat Manifesto is for many, the originator of dubstep (whether he knew it or not). this fine fellow was slaughtering beats and blips long before the wobblerz-du-jour were finished shitting their diapers. bonus: he is just a really decent human being.

start with autoimmune and maybe head over to ...in dub and so on.
but most of all, one simply must respect the Jack. here's a link to get you started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_cNqeZAAe4

Very true, but modern dubstep trends HEAVILY incorporate reggae/reggae-dub influences, u know how marleys b.guitar goes "inbetween" the beat? -like that.

Its also important, to appreciate certain innovative uses of the wobble, as a tool that helps demonstrate to the listener that in fact many diff. frequencies are all not only happening together, but link up, connect/double up in unison. An audio example of recursion, image within image of itself. Dubstep wobble frequencies point attention to the mandelbrotfractulyness of music/percussion. When done proper, I'm happy for it to be there.

Geogandhi · Post by **Geogandhi** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:09 am

Micro music genres are what irk me most about music and people. Trying to set yourself apart from other artists is hard so people find a slightly different sound, stick to it and categorise it. It then gets taken on by other followers, gets over used until it's stale thus rendering all that made that genre slightly different unusable by other artists. FUCK people who make up shitty genre's!

paul · Post by **paul** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:14 am

Melts wrote: Very true, but modern dubstep trends HEAVILY incorporate reggae/reggae-dub influences, u know how marleys b.guitar goes "inbetween" the beat? -like that.

Its also important, to appreciate certain innovative uses of the wobble, as a tool that helps demonstrate to the listener that in fact many diff. frequencies are all not only happening together, but link up, connect/double up in unison. An audio example of recursion, image within image of itself. Dubstep wobble frequencies point attention to the mandelbrotfractulyness of music/percussion. When done proper, I'm happy for it to be there.

i'm with you me brudah! i hope my enthusiasm for the discussion didn't come across wrong. :oops:

i was just sending a missive out to the world that some feel that dubstep had a healthy (modern) birth/begiinning with this chap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWUrIfhe3pg

couldnt agree with you more in regards to the use of thirds versus the vast majority of conventional music. i love the stuff and appreciate your initial breakdown of its roots.

Geogandhi · Post by **Geogandhi** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:26 am

There are some elements I like in that track and some I don't and while it's clearly a dubstep track I still, in my own mind would just call it a track or if I had to classify it, electronic. I think artists could explore so much more if it was just a big melting pot.

paul · Post by **paul** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:51 am

Geogandhi wrote:There are some elements I like in that track and some I don't and while it's clearly a dubstep track I still, in my own mind would just call it a track or if I had to classify it, electronic. I think artists could explore so much more if it was just a big melting pot.

fair enough mate. i do however, think that album (Autoimmune) is a great springboard for the uninitiated regarding an early dubstep experience. not sure if i chose the best track to showcase it, but overall its still considered a fairly dubstep album and long before the various skrillex's of the day!

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:20 am

Geogandhi wrote:There are some elements I like in that track and some I don't and while it's clearly a dubstep track I still, in my own mind would just call it a track or if I had to classify it, electronic. I think artists could explore so much more if it was just a big melting pot.

Yes!

"Be like water." -Bruce Lee

Goes without saying but, genres are NOT really REAL. It's just a communication aid, and it makes it much easier to be quickly understood when expressing thoughts on music. Com Truise don't wanna be called chillwave, prefers "synthwave". If my audience only knows chillwave, I may need to use the term in reference to CT just to be properly(<questionable) understood. Yes, its unfortunate but one must make do I suppose...

Yeah That's Right · Post by **Yeah That's Right** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:42 am

This is just the problem with name-checking genres in general

In_The_Annexe · Post by **In_The_Annexe** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:48 am

meh... whatever... this topic didn't really go in the direction, I had hoped for...

everyones still running around spouting the word 'DUBSTEP' as if it means something.

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:57 am

Yeah That's Right wrote:This is just the problem with name-checking genres in general

Exactly. And I was just explaining that + Bruce Lee to my wife!

So your a GBJJ master. So! One day you may need to use a TKD block against a TKD in the middle of a real streetfight. Oh but you were fighting in GBJJ, you aren't gonna "cheat". Your knocked out now goodnight.

MAAAAN I LOVE Bruce Lee. Sometimes stupid rules/traditions got to broken all freestyle like. Role with the punches...

just outa curiosity, what genre bin at ur local indie do you find BOC? see?

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:09 am

In_The_Annexe wrote:meh... whatever... this topic didn't really go in the direction, I had hoped for...

everyones still running around spouting the word 'DUBSTEP' as if it means something.

"...hold the wheel and drive." -Brandon Boyd

Melts · Post by **Melts** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:59 am

In_The_Annexe wrote:I need to hear other viewpoints.Please, share your lovable thoughts.

When someone says: You know!...dubstep!

I don't cringe.

When someone says: You know!...dubstep!
other : ...you mean skrillex?

I cringe.

No disrepect to the skrill tho, another victim in the dumbed-down fame-game...

"transformer farts"
(wub wub wub)

____twoism

THE PARADOX - BOC and what they call DUBSTEP

THE PARADOX - BOC and what they call DUBSTEP

Re: THE PARADOX - BOC and what they call DUBSTEP