TRAVEL + TUNES: Lets Dub to Fu*k-Step

Sundays at Justin + 6 are Travel + Tunes with the jet-setting, dub-stepping Neil Andrew Frias. Get ready to take a trip around the world, and around the international soundscape.
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No you are not hearing the sounds of transformers having sex, or a dentist’s drill scraping away at a molar, you’re listening to Dubstep, a form of Electronic Dance Music, also known as EDM. EDM can be broken down into the following genres:

1. House: One of the most well-known forms of EDM. House music usually consist of uptempo Kick-drum heavy club remixes of Mainstream Top 40 dance songs. If you’ve gone to any gay club in NYC, you’ve heard (and probably danced to) house music.

2. Trance: My personal favorite. Best known for its association with Raver culture. Trance beats are really, really fast (like Kenyan fast) and accompanied with angelic-like vocals.

3. Techno: Short for technology, often consists of extremely repetitive beats using the rhythms of technological instruments. Examples of DJ’s in this genre are Tiesto, Benny Benassi and Basshunter.

4. Drum and Bass: This is the hardcore genre of EDM. Songs in this genre usually contain enough bass to make your organs move from inside your body. It’s also related to break beats, in which the bass notes will have rapid change from a WOMP sound to a womp sound.

5. Ambient: Ambient music is that random music playing in the background that makes that sexy lounge bar ever so sexier. This type of music sets a mood and a feel for an environment.

6. Dubstep: Imagine a great white shark in labor but instead of little baby sharks coming out you have an atomic bomb filled with every household noise known to man. Essentially it’s a lot of noise with an occasional vocal. Thank you so much Skrillex!

Now you may be asking yourself, “Why should I care about the genres of EDM?” Because, like it or not, EDM has infiltrated our music faster than one could say Lindsay on crack. EDM has created a sub culture of candy kids, dancing the night away, expressing their emotions, wearing very colorful outfits and costumes. The spirit hood industry owes a major portion of their sales to EDM fans. This type of music promotes what modern-day ravers call P.L.U.R., Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.

It’s an amazing type of music, with an incredible fan base, just be warned, it does come with its own drawbacks. People tend to identify this genre of music with drugs … lots and lots of drugs. Now I don’t personally condone the use of substances but if you do venture down that road, use caution, as you may become an Internet celebrity like this girl right here.



Rage On,
Neil