Guest Post: Worm-step
[Since I've been busy with getting married, honeymoon, work, etc, a reader of Biking with Headphones has provided a guest post. Its great so enjoy! -P$t]
Since P$t has been busy with other things, I thought I would lend a hand on this internet-text-journal-thingy and try to help bridge the gap until he can scrape up some free time. Now before you shout “Who is this imposter!” at your computer screen, let me introduce myself – I am Worm (a.k.a. the guy who introduced P$t to Kavinsky, etc). Anyway, I figure I would start our first sojourn together with some dubstep. I didn’t really know about dubstep until earlier this year, when the trailer for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” came out. The franchise is seemingly a perfect fit for the style of music; very mechanized, yet it takes on a chaotic life of it’s own. The song in said trailer is the 16bit remix of “Machine Gun” by Noisia.
Since then, I have scoured the web for the best of this genre, and have found many gems. I have discovered that it’s easier to describe dubstep not by what you hear, but what it does to you. Whether it be your speakers, ears, brain, or bowels; good dubstep will wreck your shit. It can be completely jarring at times, but that’s exactly what the artist wants.
SKRILLEX
Skrillex is an up-and-coming DJ that was signed to mau5trap Records after having only one previous independent record. His first release through mau5trap is “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” which can currently be heard in a commercial for Canon. The track “First of the Year (Equinox)” by Skrillex is off of his latest EP, More Monsters and Sprites. It lulls you in with a slow beat and stuttered vocal samples, followed by a sprinkling of piano. Before you can really process the robotic dubbing of the vocals, a bloodcurdling scream precedes a downright dirty drop. That’s when things get fun.
Skrillex “First of the Year (Equinox)”
Skrillex “Scary Monsters Nice Sprites”
KASKADE:
Kaskade is a house DJ also in the mau5trap family, and one of my favorites on the scene. He’s had some club hits with “Move for Me,” “Angel on my Shoulder,” and “I Remember” to name a few. He recently did a remix of “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn (yes, that Robyn), which she released earlier in the year, and it’s been on heavy rotation in my playlist. Robyn’s voice lends itself very well to the house genre, and Kaskade provides a great backing track that could get Reverend Shaw on the dance floor (go see Footloose, in theaters now!).
Robyn “Call Your Girlfriend (Kaskade remix)”
AL BIZZARE:
Al Bizzare are an electro duo from Russia whom I stumbled upon just the other day. While sampling their catalog I found “My Way.” The ethereal vocals give the track a distinctly trance-feel to it, but the synth melody hints to their more typical electro style.
DRIVEPILOT:
I know P$t loves those retro-electro artists that are synth-heavy and could play during a Tron light bike race. Canadian born (now Portland-based) Nick Edwards, a.k.a. Drivepilot, takes that essence and turns in into something a little darker. One of the tags on his Soundcloud page shows “Electro/Dubstep/Rock,” which pretty much means it’s damn hard to describe how he sounds, so my earlier attempt might be way off-base. “Sentinel” from his latest EP Retaliation provides a driving heavy-synth beat, but does so in a way that makes it seem like he could be Kavinsky’s evil twin.
Drivpilot “Sentinel”
The next track “Rx” has a bit more of a dubstep influence to it. It has more down-tempo beat and incorporates more distortion and “wah-wah’s.” Imagine an army of robots on a death march. Just about all of Drivepilot’s catalog can be found on his Soundcloud page, so if you like what you hear there’s plenty more where that came from.
Drivepilot “Rx”
I have to say, although it is fun, I don’t envy P$t for attempting to do this on a regular basis. This entry alone has taken me a few days to put together (not including a sick day). However, I did enjoy getting this music out there for others to listen. I hope I have served as a suitable replacement, because once I encounter some new music I might do this again whether you like it or not. I will leave you with the song “Spectrelight” from Mastodon’s latest album The Hunter, because while my ears may currently belong to techno, my heart will always belong to metal.
Mastodon “Spectrelight”
