Lemme tell you what “dubstep” is about. It’s an entire genre of music that is all bass. I’m talking morning, day, night, afternoon, bass, bass, bass, bass. It sounds good through a decent pair of headphones during your morning commute, better in a car with a killer stereo setup and best in a venue that’s taken the time, effort and resources to drop a nice chunk of change into their sound system. No matter where you listen to music, you can take the sensation of bass with you. A lot of the newer dubstep coming out is mostly upbeat, making it great, all-around good times music. Up this week are some more dubstep tracks that are sure to get you in the mood for a romp.
Basement Jaxx — “Where’s Your Head At (HULK’s Rave Monster Remix)
Remixes can be a slippery slope to get on. Sometimes they’re everything you enjoyed about the original track, but hyped up with a new spin; other times the original song is so terribly ruined and sliced to bits that you cannot tell what it was when you started listening to the song. That being said, HULK’s remix of this classic electronic staple by Basement Jaxx is a dubstep mix that does much more than due justice. A nice hat crash and simple melody followed by a lengthy filter sweep gets this one going. The familiar line touts, “Where’s your head at, at, at, at?” while the kick and clap starts flowing in. A very nice bass line rolls in giving you the feel of the original but with tons of wobble. An excellent break slows things down right around the 2:15 mark. Bass once again rolls back in to prepare you for a solid drum and sampled vocal loop to close out this one.
5:08, 70 BPM, BroTown Records, 2011
Chaosphere & Datsik — “Eradicate”
A gritty, futuristic, spacey and distorted introduction give way to a heavy robot voice that alerts you, “The machine will now decide your fate.” More like, “Now you will be hit with bass and it will rule.” Heavy bass stabs punch in while the drumbeat appears from almost nowhere. Some swirly pad sounds and a nice drum roll set up the next installation of the bass line just shy of a minute. The bass continues in the forefront until the one-minute mark when a nice well-deserved break steps in—repeating swirly pads and futuristic sounds but preparing for yet more bass and sirens. The bass continues for just about minute and a half until a nice cymbal crash with lots of delay and heavy filter close the door.
4:15, 140 BPM, Rottun Recordings, 2011
Cookie Monsta — “Me Want Cookie”
Cookie Monsta isn’t playing around with this one. An anthem for the iron-stomached champion of Sesame Street has been long overdue. This track certainly deserves a round of applause. A simple strike of a couple of piano keys almost always makes for a great intro, and this one is no different. While the piano line continues, strings usher in the beat, drum roll, obligatory “cookie” sample from the Cookie Monster and, you guessed it, bass. This track has great little breaks about every thirty seconds or so, each with a memorable quote of the voracious, open-mouthed Muppet. A carefully placed break combining wonderful samples and ripping bass pops off around the 1:35 mark. The song remains pretty predictable and fun but is most certainly guaranteed to be a fun jam to share with all your friends this summer.
3:39, 71 BPM, Circus Records, 2011