AUD110.3 Lyttle 1010623Skrillex’s song writing skills are second to none in dance music, and his...
Transcript of AUD110.3 Lyttle 1010623Skrillex’s song writing skills are second to none in dance music, and his...
LiamLyttle
StudentNumber:1010623
AUD110.3SongAnalysis
Intro
Earlydubstepinthelate90’swasa“London-centricoffshootofU.K.garagethatabsorbed
and transfiguredelementsofdrum'n'bass, techno,anddub” (allmusic,n/a).This sub-bass
centricmusicwasratherminimalisticbytoday’sstandards,butastimeprogressedthrough
to the late 2000’s the focus slowly shifted from the low end to the mid-range, whilst
maintainingtheheavysub-bassfrequencies.“(2006)wastheturningpoint,theentrypointin
drumandbassproductionwassohigh,thiswasaroundthesametimethatPendulumcame
outofdrumandbass so it seemedyour tuneshad tobeata certain level togetplayed,
Dubstepwasstillwellproducedbutitwasmoreaboutthevibes…youcoulddomoreminimal
stuff,youcandowhatyouwant,evenifit’ssoundsabitropey,aslongasit’sgotbassweight,
andisabout140bpm,that’sit.”(Melia,2015)
EventhoughthereweredubstepartistsandlabelsinAmerica,itwasn’tuntilSkrillexbroke
ontothescenein2011thatdubstepreallytookafootholdinthemainstream.Thiswouldn’t
havehappenedwithoutthehelpofhistwomentorsandfuturecollaborators,JohnDadzie
(the founderofSMOGrecords,betterknownas12thPlanet)and JoelZimmerman (better
knownasDeadmau5,thefounderofSkrillex’sfirstlabel,Mau5trap)(Leatherman,2011).
Forproducers,thisiterationofdubstepwasfreshandexciting,butitwasalsoconvenient—tempos
and textures aligned nicelywith current rap tracks, particularly from the South,which blasted
blockysynthmelodiesthatseemedtosplitthedifferencebetweenmetalandtechno.“Wobble,”as
itcametobeknownforitsoscillatingbass,couldrattleribsindingyclubs,festivaltents,oronthe
radio(Gaerig,2013).
Thepurposeofthisassignmentistoanalyzeinfluentialdubsteptrack,ScaryMonstersand
Nice Sprites, by Skrillex. It will serve as a guide to the songs structure as well as giving
informationontheinstrumentationandtheeffectitaimedtoachieve.
SongBreakdown
ScaryMonstersandNiceSpritesbySkrillexwasthetitularsingleoffthesecondEPfromthe
“FromFirsttoLast”singerturnedproducer.Widelyregardedasbirthofthe“brostep”craze,
the now double platinum Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (SM&NS) (Recording Industry
AssociationofAmerica,2016)waswritteninGMinorina4/4timesignatureatatempoof
140beatsperminute,thesefigureswerefoundusingMixedInKey8,aharmonicmixingtool
forDJ’s.Thistimesignatureisessentialforallgenresofdancemusicaswithoutbeingableto
easilymixasonglive,itishighlyunlikelytobeplayedbyotherDJ’s.Thetempoisalsostandard
forthegenrewithmostdubsteptracksbeingwrittenat140bpm,thoughthishaschangedin
recentyearstoaslightlyfaster145or150bpm
Skrillex’ssongwritingskillsaresecondtononeindancemusic,andhisabilitytojuxtaposehis
electroinfluenceswith“sickandgorystyleofSkrillexdubstepthatisliketheaudioequivalent
ofagorycarcrash” (Leatherman,2011).The track is composedof8barphraseswhich is
commonwithindancemusicasitallowsittoeasilymixintoothersongsofthesamelength.
Inordertoaccuratelyrepresentthisasystemof(beat/bar)willbeusedtoaccuratelyportray
thepointinthesongthatisbeingreferringtoo.ThesongstructureisIntro-Verse-Breakdown–
Dropx4–Verse–Breakdown-Dropx4-Breakdown-Outro.Allphrasesofthesongare8barsin
length,apartfromthedropwhichis4repeatedphraseswiththelastbeing2barsshort.The
lead,piano,vocalandchordmelodymidi information for thisassignmentwas taken from
NonStop2k (NonStop2k, 2011). Additional info on the bass (Volt Punk, 2016) and vocal
processing(HowtoAbleton,2011)werefoundonYoutube.
Thefirstphrase(1/1)beginswiththeimmediatelypresentdistortedelectro-sawsynthwitha
heavyhigh-passfilterautomatedtoslowlyturnoffoverthephrase.Themelodyofthesynth
isunderlinedbythechordspatternfrompads.Thedelayedhighhatsalso immediatepan
hardeartoear,creatingarhythmicsensationforthelistener,thisisthenenforcedat(1/5)
bytheadditionofaclassicdubstepkickandsnarepatternwiththekickonthefirstbeatof
thebarandthesnareofthethird.Thesekicksandsnaresareheavilyhighpassfilteredinthe
first phrase, yet you can still hear some compression. As the melody of the main synth
progressesthekicksnarepatternisvariedat(1/7)topreparethelistenertotheendofthe
phrase. Insteadofthepreviouspatternon1and3,therearekickat(1/7), (2.75/7), (1/8),
(1.7/8)and(2.5/8),thelastthreeofwhichareatripletbeforethenormalsnareat(3/8)and
anadditionaloneon(4/8).
Verse one begins at second phrase (1,9) with the now unfiltered electro-sawwhere the
distortionismorepresentthanbefore.Thesynthitselfislikelymadeupofmultiplelayersof
differentsynthsofvariousqualitiesandfrequencies.Themaintransitionfromthefirstphrase
tothesecondistheun-filteringofthedrumswhichbringsthemtotheforefrontofthemix.
Thehighhatsarenowgatedtotakethembackinthemix,addingswing.Thenewpresenceis
thebasssynthplayingabassmelody,accompaniedbyapadaddingathicklayeroflowend
givingthetrackwarmthinthemiddle.Theheavilycompressedkickandsnarebothsitinthe
centerofthemix,surroundbythesynthsandpadinstereo.
ThemainsynthmelodyisplayedthroughSylenth1aVSTpluginsynth,whileSkrillexwould
havemodifiedthepatchhimself, it iswidelythoughtthathestartedonapresetcalledLD
Screamer,tookoffthesecondoscillatorandturnedoffthedelayandreverb(/r/Skrillex,2013)
(dubstepforum.com,2011)(kvraudio.com,2013).
ThemelodystartsonGinthe3rdoctaveoftheGMajorScale,goingonseveralleapsandruns
betweentheupperandloweroctaveG’s.Themelodyoccursontheeightnoteswith2rests,
thefirstsnareofthephrase(3,9)andthesecondonthesixteenthnotbeforethesecondsnare
(2.5,10). These rests add groove to the track by emphasizing the percussion. At the
breakdown(1,17)thepercussionistakenawayafteronlythefirstkickreverberatesout,with
thenowhighpassfilteredmelodyjoinedbythevocalmelody.ThevocalmelodyisSkrillex’s
ownvoice,anditfadesinslowly2barsearly(1,15)toforeshadowthecomingmelody.The
deliberately unintelligible and auto-tuned vocal is sliced in certain parts to give it an
unnatural, robotic feel. A triplicate kick drum plays before the melody, and all other
instruments in the track end a bar short of the phrase (1,24). Skrillex uses a now classic
dubsteptechnique,ofsamplingaviralYouTubevideoasaprecursortohisdrop,forSM&NS
hechoseacutfromRachaelNedrow’s(akaspeedstackgirl)“7.00!!!OMG!!!NEWPB!OMG!!
OMG!!!SOCLOSETOSIX!!OOMMGG!!!”,avideo,andreactiontohersettinganewpersonal
beststackingcups.Inthe“Yes,Ohmygosh”thatSkrillexuses,headdssomecompressionto
matchittothevolumeofhistrack,aswellasspeedingupthetimebetweentheyesandthe
oh,tofitinthebar.Thisnotonlyaddstotheenergyofthetrack,butalsoitsmemorability.
“Youcan’ttalkaboutinfluentialdubstepdropswithoutmentioningSkrillex’sScaryMonsters
andNiceSprites,itsetthestandardofdubstepforthenext2or3yearsandeveryoneand
theirdogtriedtocopythatdrop”(Skism,2016).Thefounderofthe independentdubstep
label,NeverSayDie,certainlyisn’tlyingwhenhesaysSM&NSsetthestandard.Skrillex’sarray
of bass growls are impressivebecause the carefulmodulationheuses to get thatunique
timbrefitsperfectly intohisexistingdrumpattern.Thelistenerdoesn’thavetopayactive
attention to the rhythm as it has been simplified by changing the previous triplicate kick
patterntoa2baralternatingpatternwithsinglealwaysonthefirstbeat,adoublekickand
justafterthesecondbeatofthesecondbar.Thisiscomplimentedbyasnareonthethird
beatofeachbar.Thehighhatsnowonlyplayontheotherdrumhitsinsteadofintheirown
pattern,andthissimplificationallowsthelistenertofullyexperiencethewildlymodulating
distortedsawwavethat’sworkinginadditiontothedeepsubbass.
“ArecentstudybyCanada'sMcMasterInstituteforMusicandtheMindresearchedhowthe
humanbrainreactstolow-andhigh-pitchedtones.Anefforttofigureouthowhumansdetect
rhythm,thestudyhadparticipantslistentoastreamoftonesandtaptheirfingersalongto
various beats, allwhile having their brains scanned.Off-rhythmmistakeswere inserted in
thesebeats,andbrainswerefoundtorespondmorestronglytotheoff-beat,lowertones.
Thisledresearcherstodeterminethatit'seasierforushumanstofollowdeeperbasssounds.
Basically,yourbrainpicksupontherhythmsoflower,bassiermusicfasterthanitdoeshigh-
pitchednoises…
"There is a physiological basis forwhywe createmusic thewaywedo," Laurel Trainor, a
neuroscientistanddirectoroftheMcMasterInstituteargues,"Virtuallyallpeoplewillrespond
moretothebeatwhenitiscarriedbylower-pitchedinstruments."(Bain,2014)
Skrillex’smasteryofbassfrequenciesisondisplayinSM&NS,hisuseofunnaturallyloudlow
frequency noises with different volume and pitch automations elicits a deep emotional
responserelatedtoourprimalpast.
“A team of researchers at UCLAmade up of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biologychair,DanielBlumstein,amovieandfilmcomposer,PeterKaye,andanevolutionary
psychologist who also is a musician, Greg Bryant think they've determined why humans
respondsostronglytothisstimulus.It'sbecausedissonanceinmusicmimicsdistresscriesin
wildanimals,whichsummonsstrongreactions.Inotherwords,theseartistsliterallybringout
theanimalinus…
Skrillexprobablyknowswhatthehellhe'sdoing,evenifhemightnotbeabletoarticulateit.
"Composershave intuitive knowledgeofwhat sounds scarywithout knowingwhy,"Bryant
says."Whattheyusuallydon'trealizeisthatthey'reexploitingourevolvedpredispositionsto
getexcitedandhavenegativeemotionswhenhearingcertainsounds."(Haithcoat,2012)
By far themostmusically complex thing Skrillex does in SM&NS is when hemanages to
seamlesslytake2barsoutofthelastphraseofthedrop(1,55).Byplayingthefirsttwobars
of themelodywherethe last twoshouldbe ineveryoneof thedrop’s4phrases,Skrillex
preparestheunknowinglistenerthenotonlyfortheendofeachphrase,buttheeventual
continuationofthemelodyintothesecondverse.Thisseamlesspieceofsongwritingwould
go unnoticed to the average punter, but this complex change melody’s structure allows
Skrillextomanipulatethesong’sstructureinthelastphraseofthedrop,givinghimaseamless
transitionintothesecondverse.
Thesecondverseisidenticaltothefirstandseesthereturnofthefullmelodyandnotjust
thefirsttwobarsteasedinthedrop.Thestructuralpatternofverse(1,55)-breakdown(1,63)-
drop(1,71)isrepeated,withslightvariationinsomeofthebassgrowlsoftheseconddrop.
Skrillexonceagaindrops2bars fromthe finalphraseof thedropbeforegoing intoverse
3(1,101).
Breakdown3(1,109)differentiatesfromthefirsttwobyaddingtherhythmicpercussionand
high hats from the verse, before transitioning into the bridge (1,117) where the song is
strippedbacktojustpianoplayingthenewleadmelody,newbassprogressionandthevocals.
Skrillexfinallysingsthefirstandonlylyricsofthetrack;
Lookatthis
I'macowardtoo
Youdon'tneedtohide,myfriend
ForI'mjustlikeyou
Whileclearlyfilledwithintendedmeaning,thelackofcontextgivesambiguitytothewords,
ultimatelypersonalizingtheirmeaningfortheartistalone.Therhythmicpercussionjointhe
pianomelody for the outro (1,125), the kick and snare for the first phrase before being
strippeddowntojustthepianoanddelayedhighhats(1,133).Thepianomelodyrepeatsonce
morewiththehighhatsdroppingoutat(1,137)withtheirreverberateddelayfadingasthe
pianomelody finishes2barsearlyon (1,141),being replacedwitha fadingpanningvocal
chant.
ReflectionsScaryMonstersandNiceSpritesisoneof,ifnotthe,firstdubstepsongIeverheard.It,and
ultimatelySkrillexwereamajor influencetoome.Whilst IhadhearditmanytimesIhave
neverbrokenitdownanalyticallyorcriticallybefore,anddiscoveringtricksliketherepriseof
themelody to change the structureof the songwereexciting. Iwatched lotsofdifferent
YouTubevideosanalyzinghowtheindividualsynths,andvocalweremade,yetIwouldliketo
learnmoreabouthowtheindividualbassgrowlswerelayeredoverthechordprogression
throughouthisdrops,bothintimewithdrums,andeachother.
WorksCited/r/Skrillex. (2013).Hasanyonefoundanypresets inAbletonorpluginsthatSkrillexuses? .
Retrieved from Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/skrillex/comments/1gb2b5/has_anyone_found_any_presets_in_ableton_or/
allmusic. (n/a). Dubstep. Retrieved July 20, 2017, from allmusic:http://www.allmusic.com/style/dubstep-ma0000004465
Bain,K.(2014,July16).AScientificExplanationofWhyYouLoveBassMusic.RetrievedfromInsomniac: https://www.insomniac.com/media/scientific-explanation-why-you-love-bass-music
dubstepforum.com. (2011, June 23). Help Me Make That Sound - 2011. Retrieved fromdubstepforum.com:https://www.dubstepforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=197795&start=360
Gaerig, A. (2013, September 13). Dubstep 101: A U.S. Primer . Retrieved from Spin:http://www.spin.com/2011/09/dubstep-101-us-primer/
Haithcoat,R.(2012,June19).Here'sScientificProofThatDubstepMakesYouWanttoKillPeople.LAWeekly.
How to Ableton. (2011, September 11). How To Make Skrillexy Vocals. Retrieved fromYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWuO4e9VEU
kvraudio.com.(2013,September14).FamousSongs,VstandPresetstheyuse!Retrievedfromkvraudio.com:https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=341956
Leatherman,B.(2011,December15).BassInvasion.MiamiNewTimes,p.41.Melia, A. (2015, July 13). Full Length Interview with DnB Producer Reso. (Producertech,
Interviewer)Nedrow,R.(2008,October12).7.00!!!OMG!!!NEWPB!OMG!!OMG!!!SOCLOSETOSIX!!
OOMMGG!!! Retrieved from YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j54yGxuk0yo
NonStop2k. (2011, December 27). MIDI of Skrillex - Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites(Dubstep).RetrievedfromNonStop2k:https://www.nonstop2k.com/midi-files/7035-skrillex-scary-monsters-and-nice-sprites-midi.html
RecordingIndustryAssociationofAmerica.(2016,July11).Gold&Platinum.RetrievedfromRecording Industry Association of America: https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=scary+monsters+#search_section
Skism.(2016,August19).TheEvolutionOfTheBassDrop:DubstepwithSKisM.(U.Dubstep,Interviewer)
VoltPunk.(2016,January26).SkrillexScaryMonstersandNiceSpritesBassGrowlTutorial-FM8 + Ableton Live 9. Retrieved from YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c6EXT2x1dA