This Is Dubstep 2013

Over the years I’ve heard so many complaints about Dubstep becoming an overexposed trend. Everyone is putting it into their music. It’s nothing but noise. So on and so forth. I guess I never really knew what it was, having only experienced it through remixes from bands like The Black Seeds, that one time I was sent a link to a Die Antwoord song, or the time I reviewed Nero’s  Welcome Reality album (fantastic album). Nothing quite prepared me for this expansive, nearly three hour long, collection of Dubstep artists creating original tracks and remixing established ones.

Noise? I come from the old school of bands like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, and various other bands that held the throne in the department of electronic beeps and bleeps that go haywire. I really didn’t see much to dislike about the Dubstep found here (Coki’s Mid June Madness being the exception). Instead what I found was that the acts on this album have more in common with old school industrial, Techno and Trance. Some even sound more like very sophisticated soundtrack scores that provide a dark and ominous sound that’s themed, just check out J:Kenzo’s Invaderz (great track).

If so many people are putting Dubstep into their music, and this is an album containing nothing but songs molded around the genre, then I’m not quite sure what everyone else is listening to. Some of the songs found here are repetitive, almost monochromatic like techno, such as The Divide’s self titled track. Does this mean Dubstep was alive and kicking even back in the late 80’s, early 90’s? Then you have District, which sounds more EBM then anything (I liked). Throw in some tracks that include singers or rappers, some of them hit or miss, and the genre just opens itself wider.

Yes, you are going to find a few songs on this collection your not going to like. Good luck finding any album that contains two CD’s containing songs and not finding a few songs you’re not going to like, but as long as you head into this one with an open mind you’ll be able to find some tracks you truly enjoy.