This review probably requires a little bit of context.
Back in the day, I vaguely had a moment of interest in Dubstep after hearing some Burial. Not for the reasons people do anymore, but for the whole "Dark, Moody, Minimalist" thing. After Dubstep grew in popularity throughout 2008-2010, the focus, as we all know, drifted from that to "dirty" basslines. It drew my attention, but not for very long. The concept was introduced, but sadly never really went anywhere at all. Song structures were the same. It was all ways to be more "dirty" or ways to build to the inevitable drop after the inevitable vocal Sampling. It stayed like this for a few years.
Skrillex was the first person I'd heard in years to actually do something with the concept that I'd never heard before.
First, Skrillex had long given up on subtlety and ambiance; since the focus drifted towards aggression, everyone was held back by trying to stay within Dubstep. Skrillex ignored this all-together, and it works in his favor. Instead of Ambiance and Moodiness, Skrillex uses dance-y production and melodies akin to more traditional dance music and techno. Then he made his signature "filthy" bass sound that, quite frankly, you can't get much "filthier" than.
Secondly, instead of manipulating modulation and wah effects (though they are still present sometimes), he mixed this new, aggressive interpretation of the genre with completely chopped up house effects, beats, and samples, drawing heavy influences from Justice and Daft Punk.
He found a new way to look at it, and it's not very Dubstep-y, but it's much better off for it. He plays with Genre Roulette yet remains cohesive and proves that he has a wide understanding of Electronic Music. It's catchy, loud, and very in-your-face.
However, while inventive, his signature bass sounds do get old for some people, and can be very abrasive. This, and the "Wobbliness" is a bit... Narmy... Some of the songs on Bangarang are not all they could be, and sometimes feel like Filler.
Overall though, he's worth a listen. Some of the sounds he produces blow my mind as to how in the hell they were made. It's pretty interesting, complex, fun, and nowhere nearas bad as it's made out to be.
Music Doesn't live up to "Worst Music EVER" Reputation
This review probably requires a little bit of context.
Back in the day, I vaguely had a moment of interest in Dubstep after hearing some Burial. Not for the reasons people do anymore, but for the whole "Dark, Moody, Minimalist" thing. After Dubstep grew in popularity throughout 2008-2010, the focus, as we all know, drifted from that to "dirty" basslines. It drew my attention, but not for very long. The concept was introduced, but sadly never really went anywhere at all. Song structures were the same. It was all ways to be more "dirty" or ways to build to the inevitable drop after the inevitable vocal Sampling. It stayed like this for a few years.
Then came Skrillex...
Skrillex was the first person I'd heard in years to actually do something with the concept that I'd never heard before. First, Skrillex had long given up on subtlety and ambiance; since the focus drifted towards aggression, everyone was held back by trying to stay within Dubstep. Skrillex ignored this all-together, and it works in his favor. Instead of Ambiance and Moodiness, Skrillex uses dance-y production and melodies akin to more traditional dance music and techno. Then he made his signature "filthy" bass sound that, quite frankly, you can't get much "filthier" than.
Secondly, instead of manipulating modulation and wah effects (though they are still present sometimes), he mixed this new, aggressive interpretation of the genre with completely chopped up house effects, beats, and samples, drawing heavy influences from Justice and Daft Punk.
He found a new way to look at it, and it's not very Dubstep-y, but it's much better off for it. He plays with Genre Roulette yet remains cohesive and proves that he has a wide understanding of Electronic Music. It's catchy, loud, and very in-your-face.
However, while inventive, his signature bass sounds do get old for some people, and can be very abrasive. This, and the "Wobbliness" is a bit... Narmy... Some of the songs on Bangarang are not all they could be, and sometimes feel like Filler.
Overall though, he's worth a listen. Some of the sounds he produces blow my mind as to how in the hell they were made. It's pretty interesting, complex, fun, and nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be.