And I’ve seen tons of Electronic
Dance Music artists from Deadmau5 and Tiesto, to less well known names such as
Two Fresh and Emancipator, and even Pretty Lights and Hallucinogen (Simon
Posford of Shpongle).
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| Shpongletron |
But what exactly is EDM? What makes
it different from other types of music? Wikipedia says it’s “electronic music
produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an
environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment.” Well, duh.
There are many different genres
within electronic dance music – house, trance, breakbeat, downtempo – and many
subgenres within them. This can all get a little confusing, however, if you’re
not an expert. So I’ve called upon a few DJ friends to help make things a little
clearer. These are all guys I’ve met since I’ve been living here in Blacksburg,
and I feel privileged to call them friends and to dance to their well-selected
tracks.
I asked each of them three
questions:
1. What is your favorite genre of
electronic music?
2. What makes it different from
other genres?
3. Why do you like spinning (or why
don't you like spinning) that particular genre?
Here’s what they had to say.
KillaZap (Nathaniel Tran)
1. Drum and Bass
2. It has a huge diversity of
moods. It can range from sweet relaxing jazzy tunes to tracks that are so raw
it's almost like a cheese grater rubbing on your temporal lobe. Drum and bass
can settle you down from a hard day’s work or it can blast you off into new
levels of intensity you didn't know were possible.
3. The pace of spinning drum and
bass keeps you on your toes. In addition to the fast pace, the complexity of
the tracks gives the DJ a lot of layers of drums, synths, vocals, and basslines
to play around with. Lastly, it's important to play the music you love.
DJ Pyrite (Chris Reese)
1. Dubstep
2. Dubstep is often very heavy and
grimy. In some circles it is deemed as the "metal" or "hard
rock" of electronic music. The wobbly bass is both mind and body
engulfing. To me, drops in dubstep give you a feeling completely different from
any other genre.
3. I love transitioning into a drop
and watching the way people react to the music. I get into the music just as
much as the people watching me, so I love making people feel the way I do about
the music. Nothing to me can ever beat watching the crowd build up to a drop
and watching them make a massive bass face! It's my favorite genre and it's
best to go with what you love; having a passion for what you're doing is
critical.
Chup (Sam Welz)
1. Dubstep
2. Structurally, dubstep is very
simple and similar to drum and bass. It differs only in tempo, usually right
around 140 beats per minute with the drums in a half time pattern. This slowed
down drum beat creates spacing between drum beats, allowing for a sense of
anticipation in melodic patterns. Dubstep has an incredibly broad spectrum of
sounds, ranging from tribal percussive songs to energetic, in your face
dancefloor destroyers. While most songs are instrumental, a large number of
remixes to popular music have helped push dubstep into the mainstream.
3. I was introduced to dubstep in
its early stages while away working in London in the summer of 2007 and haven't
listened to anything else since. The underground feel of many dubstep events
adds to its appeal to me, but mainly I'm hooked because I can never get enough
bass.
DJ Rahbee (Robbie Baxter)
1. Glitch
2. Very versatile in the sense that
it can be made/produced into just about any BPM. A lot of glitch is paired or
remixed with hip hop as well as many other styles and vocals. Remixes and
vocals are usually something the listener can relate to ... which is crucial!
3. I love playing ALL types of
electronic music because it’s FUN! Making people happy and making people dance
is truly a feeling you can't replace with any drug.
Class-A (Stephen Morris)
1. Drum and Bass
2. Well, first of all, DnB ranges
from 80-90 BPM, which is the same as a human heart, so I think it is only
natural to be attracted to that speed. I love the way double drops sound; most
other genres let you mix in intros and outros but don’t always sound right when
you let the drops go together, I feel like double drops are a signature of some
glorious DnB mixing. I also used to live in the UK and DnB always brings me
back to good places; no other EDM genre can have MCs over it like DnB can.
3. As I mentioned before, the
double drop. DnB has always been my favorite genre to spin; being one of the
faster genres it is harder to mix but oh so much more rewarding when you have
two beats perfectly locked. I used to DJ with an MC and I don’t think anything
can top the way it sounds when an MC and DJ are on the same vibe dropping some
heavy jungle beats. Also, Andy-C. Enough said.
Emporia (Peebles Squire)
1. House
2. The good ol' four on the floor.
Since the dawn of man, this has served to be the primal beat. It's the simplest
and one of the most effective. What is more or less an electronic extension of
disco has become the most widespread and pertinent EDM genre in the history of,
well, EDM. Electro house and fidget have always brought me to the floor in a
way that only the sickest of breaks can beat. House is super-accessible; people
recognize it instantly, and it's the only genre that my mom is willing to dance
to that isn't 20 years old.
3. I don't always spin house, but
when I do, I take advantage of the HUGE intro and outro portions. You get a
chance to do some super fun layering and it's also a nice break from constantly
worrying about what to throw on next.
Dub Perry (Perry Graham)
Obviously I'm going to talk about
dub reggae and dubstep here for two reasons: the skank rhythm and the driving
sub-bass. Other genres overwhelmingly focus on the downbeats, but for me, the
offbeats are what make me go for my dancing shoes. I also think it's important
to talk about them together because I see them following similar paths: I
believe that dubstep, like dub reggae before it, is increasingly becoming the
domain of bands/original performers. With the advancement of technology to the
point where dubstep sound effects can be created spontaneously live, the
advantage of studio precision is lost to live chemistry. And compared to a DJ,
a band's creative potential is exponentially greater.
It should come as little surprise
at this point that my interest in spinning has been dwindling. In an era when
about seven producers dominate 95 percent of setlists, it's hard not to be
discouraged while trying to do something different. So these days I spend my
music time combining dub reggae with dubstep basslines and figuring out how to
recreate it live with a drummer. I don't go see dubstep DJs anymore, only
producers, which is sad because I'm destroying my own market. When I do go see
EDM, it's usually glitch, only because there's not enough drum n bass in the
world.
So there you have it. From the men behind the tables themselves,
what EDM means. Still not satisfied? You can always find any of these guys on
Facebook (some of them are still around the area doing shows and house
parties), or, if you’re looking for something less personal, check out Ishkur’s
Guide to Electronic Music at http://techno.org/electronic-music-guide.
Printed in 16 Blocks Magazine
