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The crowd at a dubstep concert at The Fox Theatre cannot get enough. The CUI's Edward Quartin argues that college students love dubstep, not because of the music, but the atmosphere that comes with it in his column. (CU Independent/Jake Fojtik)
The electronic movement known as dubstep has dominated many college campuses, and CU is no exception. Students dance to it, or “whomp,” if you prefer, and students play it loudly while driving their cars. Both of which are understandable behavior for those our age, but I only have one question. How can anybody listen to it?
Nearly every dubstep song is structured the same way—open with an altered version of another song or some “melodic” intro, following with a drop of deep, pulsating bass composing noise comparable to that of flatulence. Then repeat and fade out.
I find it difficult to accept these extremely formulaic songs as music, as it only requires a computer to make. In fact, there is a website called www.howtomakedubstep.org explaining to beginning dubstep composers which programs to use. No physical instrument is necessary to create dubstep, so long as one owns a Mac.
Every generation has their college party music. It seems that the past 60 years has mostly consisted of rock ‘n’ roll. But recently, rap, hip hop and various forms of electronic music have taken over, and that is fine. There is nothing wrong with change, and I do not condemn those who like dubstep. Yet its exponential rise in popularity leaves me in a state of trepidation, since it can hardly be considered as real music.
So what makes dubstep so appealing to the college crowd? Well, I have a theory. Albeit I sincerely believe that some people genuinely enjoy dubstep, it really seems that people only truly enjoy it in an inebriated state of mind, or on some form of ecstasy.
This theory may sound presumptuous, but think about it. How many people do you know over the age of 30 that regularly listen to dubstep? Dubstep thrives in our college world because we often indulge in drinking and partying. Not to say that it encourages drinking, but the dubstep scene is most prominent at parties.
The worst part is that it’s understandable. When a dubstep song defecates—I mean drops—I too prefer to have a few drinks in me. In fact, after a few drinks, I will actually dance to dubstep and sometimes even just enjoy it. I admit to liking Omega’s remix of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” Zeds Dead’s remix of The Moody Blues’s “Knights in White Satin,” or any Zomboy song. I merely beseech those who play these songs to provide alcohol.
The creative process seems to have greatly diminished with dubstep. Every song sounds the same, and the performance aspect of music is almost entirely removed. I yearn for the day when real performers and musicians dominate the music realm once more.
Until that day comes, I suppose all I can say is: pour me a drink.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Edward Quartin at Edward.quartin@colorado.edu.
