Spotlight: Generation Z, Dubstep and mash-ups

Generation Z can be defined as a generation of people born between the early ‘90s to the late 2000s and is caught somewhere in the middle of being computer savvy and technology-obsessed. The vast majority of us have a laptop capable of performing special functions or smartphones that give us the power to have virtually anything at our fingertips. Naturally, we want to do the same thing with music. Generation Z has become infatuated with what many refer to as “party music.” This can include genres such as dance and techno music as well as fast-paced remixes that make the songs we love even more fun to dance to.

Naturally, Generation Z, which is used to having everything buffered and streamed at rapid speeds, would want the same thing with their music. That is what has brought upon the most recent music craze: “Dubstepping” and “Mash-Ups.”

Dubstep is the practice of making a popular song sound a bit more underground and a lot more dance-tastic. This music genre has become very popular at fraternity parties and clubs. Even the local Asian Bistro Bar & Grill now features a “Dubstep Night” on Thursday nights for those who want to come and hear the sounds they’ve become accustomed to.

“Dubstep is good for about two songs at a party, but after that it gets a bit old,” sophomore political science major Cody Allen said. “I truthfully feel like it is made for people who are doing a little more than drinking. Girl Talk is a lot more fun to listen to because it has an actual melody. I could definitely never see myself going to a dubstep concert.”

Mash-ups combine old rap, new rap, old rock, new rock and everything in between, and it’s most popular artist goes by the name Girl Talk.  It features great beats, songs students nostalgically remember from childhood and middle school and new music we’re listening to now. Some argue artists like Girl Talk have a bit more depth than dubstep, as instead of just putting a different beat behind a song it makes an entirely new sound creates more excitement for it’s reminiscent listeners.

Junior political science major Erin Gant also enjoys Girl Talk, but listens to dubstep frequently as well.

“I definitely love listening to dubstep and going out for Dubstep Night at Asian Bistro,” Gant said. “I have some friends who came back from Europe this summer and had some crazy dances they do to dubstep music. It’s funny because people will look at them weird, but it’s honestly how you are meant to dance to dubstep, especially overseas.”

No matter what style of music you’re into, it’s easy to see how our generation, as well as others, are interested in dubstep and mash-ups. I believe we can expect dubstep and mash-ups to have a long shelf life, because there are still so many songs left to be recreated into new masterpieces by the thousands of D.J.s who mix them on a daily basis.

Posted by ConnorJohnson on Apr 14 2011. Filed under Features, Spotlight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.