If you were to ask around the Cardinal office you'd find out that electronic music is normally the bane of my existence. It's not that I don't consider it music, I just prefer the full band sound.
I finally found a dubstep song that I like. When it happened there were cries of jubilation from a select few people in the office. Even after going to Bonnaroo, I couldn't fathom the draw of this music phenomenon.
Pinn Panelle's cover of Skrillex's ""Scary Sprites and Nice Monsters"" blew my mind though. The band actually plays the song with a live drummer, a bass guitar player who does the dirty sub-bass live, with a bass guitar and other assorted musicians.
Take a look at the video on YouTube and tell me that the drop isn't amazing. I'll wait.
The song isn't all that structurally different from the original, but the sound is so radically new and exciting. Without any of the hollowness that normally comes from electronic drums and manufactured bass I can definitely get into dubstep.
Using Source Audio's Hot Hand setup the band's bassist is able to play the sub-bass frequencies normally created using a low-frequency oscillator. This allows for a much more organic sound.
When something doesn't sound organic it makes it difficult for me to listen to, and the way that the guitar plays with the bass and sub-bass on this track is great when layered over the top of a live drummer.
But is that natural sound all it takes to make good electronic music? I can't honestly answer that. I can acknowledge that Bassnectar and Skrillex are talented in their field, but I can't picture myself listening to their recorded mixes on my own for the hell of it.
It really takes that live component for me. Solo mixes can be cool, I've found many artists that just record themselves playing multiple instruments to create unique works and covers. But I don't want to listen to some guy and his Macbook making random noises for three hours.
There is a lot of electronic music out there, and I'm by no means an expert, but as more of the music breaks into the mainstream I find myself encountering more artists like Pinn Panelle. Taking what was a super underground sound and doing something new with it in a live setting is great. Making it more accessible to people that may not like the electronic sound is genius.
Bands like EOTO have been experimenting with this since dubstep was first hitting it big in the U.K. With Bassnectar and Skrillex blowing up in the last year, I'm willing to bet that electronic music's heyday is just beginning.
Do you think electronic music is past its prime? Are Bassnectar and Skrillex just absolutely your jams? Are you looking to start up a live dubstep band? E-mail Jeremy at jgartzke@dailycardinal.com, and enlighten him.
