In last week’s Music Monday blog, I referred to Rolling Stone’s “Dance Takeover” mini-feature and its Electric Daisy Carnival mention. Black Eyed Peas producer David Guetta kicks off the section and LCD Soundsystem scores the most ink, but half of one page is dedicated to “Fresh Beats,” a chart-like breakdown of popular emerging electronica genres or “Clubland’s Latest Sounds.” Dubstep sits at number two on the list. Duh. Rolling Stone’s definition: “A catchall term for the latest post-jungle tunes out of the U.K.–giant-robot bass farts with dark, minor key synths and techno-dub beats.”
Not all dubstep is concocted in Britain anymore and there’s certainly a number of sub-genres apart from the dark, minor-key variety, but Rolling Stone’s acknowledgment of its existence is still a big step. Fans allergic to popularization will predictably pronounce the sound dead now, especially considering dubstep stud Rusko–a “New Party-Starter” according to the piece–has agreed to spearhead new beats for Britney. Regardless, there is no denying the current floor-filling ability of “giant-robot bass farts”. For an aural crash course, discover Denver’s dubstep don, Ishe, this Saturday, July 3, at Denver’s Club Vinyl.