# Knife Party



## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm not a big fan of what's become of Dubstep, as an old drum and bass guy, but Knife Party is truly outstanding. Fun, funny, and with major production/electroacoustic chops (no pun intended!):

https://soundcloud.com/knifepartyinc


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## Rctec (Jan 5, 2013)

One of my Favs at the moment, as well...I'm glad someone else has heard of them on this forum. It's not all John Williams and Copeland out there...


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

I was introduced to them by the 14-year old son of a dear friend. Gotta keep an open mind and ears or else... we rust! I think Centipede is my favourite track. :lol:


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 5, 2013)

Personally, as a genre taken as a hole I think Dubstep may well be the worst in my lifetime.


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## germancomponist (Jan 5, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> I was introduced to them by the 14-year old son of a dear friend. Gotta keep an open mind and ears or else... we rust! I think Centipede is my favourite track. :lol:



The boyfriend of my youngest daughter has this on his mp3 player. I am not a friend of this music, but there are cool creative moments in their music.. .


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

EastWest Lurker @ 5/1/2013 said:


> Personally, as a genre taken as a hole I think Dubstep may well be the worst in my lifetime.



No offense Jay, but if you don't like this Party, don't butt in. I wasn't asking for a discussion on the merits of Dubstep.

IMO, there's no such thing as a bad musical genre, just good and bad music.


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 5, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> EastWest Lurker @ 5/1/2013 said:
> 
> 
> > Personally, as a genre taken as a hole I think Dubstep may well be the worst in my lifetime.
> ...



Gee Ned, what happened to we are all entitled to state our opinion? The OP does not get to dictate where the discussion goes, as we have seen countless times here.

RE: "IMO, there's no such thing as a bad musical genre, just good and bad music." I agree but IMHO, some genres have a much higher ratio of bad to good than others. 

Anyway, i have stated my opinion, so I will now bow out.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

Well derailing a discussion about a band that is only 3 posts long is pretty dumb, no? Like walking into a room full of Lakers' fans and saying basketball sucks - what's the point?


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 5, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> Well derailing a discussion about a band that is only 3 posts long is pretty dumb, no? Like walking into a room full of Lakers' fans and saying basketball sucks - what's the point?



Just curious to see if many others agree with me and 1 post will hardly "derail" a discussion unless a lot of others agree.

i am a diehard Celtics fan so I would happily walk into a room full of Lakers fans and say the Lakers suck 

Just having some fun so enjoy the ensuing discussion and I will checkout that band.


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## germancomponist (Jan 5, 2013)

Friends, it is saturday. It is forbidden to fight on Saturdays! (Says Gunther)


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## lee (Jan 5, 2013)

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

Good on you for keeping an open mind, Jay. But be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. :wink: 

And you know, maybe I'm sensitive to this 'derailment' potential because, after all, if you were to poll how many people here like Dubstep (or even some other forms of EDM) the results would probably be 90% NO and 10% YES.  So it would just be a lot of pissing and not much exchange of listening ideas.

PS: if you're really curious, perhaps you can just start a thread called Dubstep sucks more than most other music - true or false? :lol:


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

lee @ 5/1/2013 said:


> Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!



Given the title of this thread, that's a scary thought! Shades of Rebel...


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## lee (Jan 5, 2013)

/oo\ 

:lol:


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 5, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> Good on you for keeping an open mind, Jay. But be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. :wink:
> 
> And you know, maybe I'm sensitive to this 'derailment' potential because, after all, if you were to poll how many people here like Dubstep (or even some other forms of EDM) the results would probably be 90% NO and 10% YES.  So it would just be a lot of pissing and not much exchange of listening ideas.
> 
> PS: if you're really curious, perhaps you can just start a thread called Dubstep sucks more than most other music - true or false? :lol:



Nobody ever dies from listening to music they end up not liking so I am always interested in checking out something new recommended by someone I respect, like you, Ned.


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## germancomponist (Jan 5, 2013)

lee @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> /oo\
> 
> :lol:



[schild=19 fontcolor=FF0000 shadowcolor=C0C0C0 shieldshadow=1]I like Dubstep[/schild]


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 5, 2013)

EastWest Lurker @ 5/1/2013 said:


> Nobody ever dies from listening to music they end up not liking...



And even then...


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## Rctec (Jan 5, 2013)

Well, Jay, I can't wait for the howls of fury and disgust to my next score... I've been listening a lot more to Knife Party than John Williams.  ...And I like a good put down, like everybody else here, first thing in the morning.  (Please don't miss-interpret this. It's not a dub-step score)
I think each and every genre of music has about an equal amount of turgid drivell,sentimental nonsense - with the occasional diamond shining through.
I was just surprised that someone else here on this forum liked Knife Party (yes, my 15 year old son got me into them) and that Ned's comment so instantly got a reaction, damning a whole genre. It just sort of took the fun out of Ned being enthusiastic about something. And personally, I like reading about what people like, not what they don't like. Anyone can be a critic....


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## germancomponist (Jan 5, 2013)

Rctec @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> And personally, I like reading about what people like, not what they don't like. Anyone can be a critic....


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 5, 2013)

Rctec @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> Well, Jay, I can't wait for the howls of fury and disgust to my next score... I've been listening a lot more to Knife Party than John Williams.  ...And I like a good put down, like everybody else here, first thing in the morning.  (Please don't miss-interpret this. It's not a dub-step score)
> I think each and every genre of music has about an equal amount of turgid drivell,sentimental nonsense - with the occasional diamond shining through.
> I was just surprised that someone else here on this forum liked Knife Party (yes, my 15 year old son got me into them) and that Ned's comment so instantly got a reaction, damning a whole genre. It just sort of took the fun out of Ned being enthusiastic about something. And personally, I like reading about what people like, not what they don't like. Anyone can be a critic....



Hans, we will have to agree to disagree. There is IMHO a lot less i.e. bad jazz than bad trance.

98% of the time I DO talk about what I like and not what I do not like here. For instance, you never see me negatively criticize a composer's work here, including yours.


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## Rctec (Jan 5, 2013)

Jay, I nearly agree with you...Than I thought of how "Smooth Jazz" destroyed a whole culture  ...there was a smooth jazz radio station that regularily played my music from 'Rainman'. I phoned them and asked them to - pretty please - not play me anymore...


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## Daniel James (Jan 5, 2013)

@Ned: I am with you on this Knife Party is incredible! Its production quality is a source of inspiration for me.

I remember the first time I heard them with my brother we both looked and each other and said...mate this is like Pendulum but more dubsteppy (then looked it up and of course realised Rob Swire was behind it  )

-DJ


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## Daniel James (Jan 5, 2013)

Also Ned, I know Skrillex takes alot of heat (always seems to be the popular kid who draw the most hate) but did you check out this track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGpzGu9Yp6Y

If you are into video games at all....this track kicks in when you are on a big mission to burn down a marijuana farm with a flamethrower. Was a truly reaffirming moment that context of music is everything. I felt so empowered. (EDIT: Here is a video of someone playing the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qaf3Jx7aBc0)

-DJ


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## José Herring (Jan 5, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> I was introduced to them by the 14-year old son of a dear friend. Gotta keep an open mind and ears or else... we rust! I think Centipede is my favourite track. :lol:




That section around 2:30 minutes is killer stuff.

I always judge music by whether it moves me in some way. I must admit this old classically trained dude loves this. /\~O


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## Blakus (Jan 5, 2013)

Man, I love this. I'm a hardcore Williams nerd too, but there's something about this that I just can't *not* like. =o
I'll admit I'm never keen on anything that repeats exactly the same thing forever, but there's a lot of really awesome stuff in there!


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## Embertone (Jan 6, 2013)

Ned - THANKS for sharing this. It's 3AM in Raleigh NC and now I have an extreeeeeme enerrrrrrgy boost _-) Dialing it up to "11" in the studio with a big dumb smile on.

It's a good reminder - music is FUN

-Alex


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## mverta (Jan 6, 2013)

This stuff to me is exactly like the movie Blade Runner: It actually bores the shit out of me, but I keep putting it on and marveling at its sheer beauty. A bit like dating actresses.

I'm sending the link to every musician I know who needs to lighten up.


_Mike


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## George Caplan (Jan 6, 2013)

EastWest Lurker @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> Personally, as a genre taken as a hole I think Dubstep may well be the worst in my lifetime.



i didnt know what is was so i looked it up and listened to it. this is what comes of being 62. its not the worst. its the second worst. the worst being rap. or is it the same thing? dont know.

the way i see this type of noise is like this. if you like it and like making it then how can anyone argue about that. it cant be wrong. but what it really says to me is anyone involved in any of this cant really play. but thats ok too. but it must suck not to be able to play. :lol: :lol:


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## NYC Composer (Jan 6, 2013)

I don't like the genre, but i gained a whole lot more respect for it when i started trying to create it from scratch, no "INSTANT DUBSTEP CONSTRUCTION KIT" stuff, just Massive, Razor, Reaktor, lots of drum samples from everywhere. That stuff is pretty damn labor intensive, and i ain't even pretending i got it right after writing half a dozen long- ass tracks. As the genre goes, i like Knife Party.


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## Daniel James (Jan 6, 2013)

Embertone @ Sun Jan 06 said:


> Ned - THANKS for sharing this. It's 3AM in Raleigh NC and now I have an extreeeeeme enerrrrrrgy boost _-) Dialing it up to "11" in the studio with a big dumb smile on.
> 
> It's a good reminder - music is FUN
> 
> -Alex



Hey Alex you should check out some of the older stuff too. It has a great sense of humor  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcejLp72iCE

-DJ


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## dgburns (Jan 6, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> I'm not a big fan of what's become of Dubstep, as an old drum and bass guy, but Knife Party is truly outstanding. Fun, funny, and with major production/electroacoustic chops (no pun intended!):
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/knifepartyinc



o god,i think i know who the narrator is on centipede.too funny.

adapt or die.this is not going away.and Amon Tobin will be scoring films before long...if he isn't already.


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## Alex Cuervo (Jan 6, 2013)

An interesting amalgamation of microgenres. Not really my cup of tea aesthetically, but it's crazy how well executed this stuff is. Also impressive is the seamless transitions between hard techno, Skrillex-style brostep, Megaman/16-bit videogame music and prog-rock synth solos. It's dizzying and obviously lovingly crafted work.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 6, 2013)

Funny side note: the 14-year old friend/quasi-nephew who turned me on to KP has also mastered the art of turning anything into dubstep. He takes his smartphone, places the speaker end into his mouth, and while Mozart or Chopin is playing, he quickly changes the shape of his mouth cavity - silly and yet damn effective! :shock:


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 6, 2013)

OK, so I listened with an open mind to the first four tracks. Like Mike Verta after 2 minutes it bores the crap out of me but not as bad as some of the Dubstep I have heard.

It is to music what Robert Maplethorpe is to art. But if you like it, or you like Maplethorpe, you like it.


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## José Herring (Jan 6, 2013)

Well anybody that thinks that Blade Runner is boring is admitting that his judgement is suspect.


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## Brobdingnagian (Jan 6, 2013)

Funny how when we listens to this we see the modern day evolution/extension of what Squarepusher began on Hard Normal Daddy back in 1997. 

Always fun to hear new things. Thanks for the tip...


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## germancomponist (Jan 6, 2013)

http://www.vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3672657

:mrgreen:


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## choc0thrax (Jan 6, 2013)

Even though the genre mostly sounds like someone raping a fax machine there are some tracks I like. I like Flux Pavilion - my favourite probably being this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx2nH2RJEAA

For anyone musically stuck in the past I'd listen to this:

http://roguebelle.tumblr.com/post/39861 ... ssionality

It's 5 Seconds of Every #1 Billboard Hot 100 Hit From 1993-2011. You really can go on a weird musical journey through your youth. I'd suggest listening to it on a Sony Discman and crawling into a bathtub to cry.


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## TheUnfinished (Jan 6, 2013)

Not a fan of the Skrillex/Brostep branch of this genre, but love some of the deeper more atmospheric stuff. Especially Chasing Shadows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVw7eewoDv8

Anyone who comes onto this thread saying dubstep is easy should back that claim up by producing a track. :twisted:


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## JoKern (Jan 6, 2013)

Yeah, I love Dubstep, too. Thanks for sharing Ned. 



Daniel James @ Sat Jan 05 said:


> If you are into video games at all....this track kicks in when you are on a big mission to burn down a marijuana farm with a flamethrower. Was a truly reaffirming moment that context of music is everything. I felt so empowered. (EDIT: Here is a video of someone playing the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qaf3Jx7aBc0)


You played it, too, Daniel? 

I'm always telling people how awesome it was going mad with a flamethrower in Far Cry. My favorite piece of Skrillex. It's good to see game developers with humor. :D


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 6, 2013)

Oooooh, I found me another winnnnner! No need for cocaine, this is instant buzz: Zomboy (check out Gorilla March):

https://soundcloud.com/zomboy

He has a great EP on iTunes called The Dead Symphonic.


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## MacQ (Jan 6, 2013)

Never heard of either of these acts ... the production is so DENSE. I love it. Not music you can listen to constantly, but for that shot of "up" ... wow!!


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## ThomasL (Jan 6, 2013)

“Dubstep is like Barry White for Transformers.” - Kelly Oxford


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 6, 2013)

A little tip for some of you younger guys (the more 'mature' among us already know this trick): take some of the more obvious and not so abrasive character/traits of dubstep, infuse your current writing with these and... bingo! - instant updating of your sound. At least that's what I'm up to tonight. ^>|


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## whinecellar (Jan 6, 2013)

Several contentions for quote of the year already in this thread... love it. This place is the "Cheers" bar and we're all Norm


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## NYC Composer (Jan 6, 2013)

Ned Bouhalassa @ Sun Jan 06 said:


> A little tip for some of you younger guys (the more 'mature' among us already know this trick): take some of the more obvious and not so abrasive character/traits of dubstep, infuse your current writing with these and... bingo! - instant updating of your sound. At least that's what I'm up to tonight. ^>|



An excellent point, as what im hearing on tv these days isnt dubstep, but instead "dubstep influenced" or "dubstep enhanced" pop music. Especially on commercials for tech products.


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## Dan Mott (Jan 6, 2013)

Can someone tell me how Knife Party sounds any different to skrillex or any other dubstep that's playing these days?

It all sounds the same to me.

Kinda like this........


BRAAAAAAAAAM SDIFSDIFMSID SFSIDFMAISDFSIDF BREAAAAAAAAAAAM WAHAHAHAHAHAHA BLURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ZZZZZZZZZZ SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS NOISE NOISE NOISE NOISE NOISE!!!!!!!!!!! FDSGADFGAD


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## Daniel James (Jan 6, 2013)

Haha just noticed Hans was posting in this thread! When I saw him joke about his next score being more Knife Party than Williams I felt the undying need to create something as a tribute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJM_cZAhbGQ

Haha just so you know, I don't make dubstep very well and this is clearly just for fun, not to be taken seriously hahaha 

-DJ


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## guydoingmusic (Jan 6, 2013)

Daniel James @ Sun Jan 06 said:


> Haha just noticed Hans was posting in this thread! When I saw him joke about his next score being more Knife Party than Williams I felt the undying need to create something as a tribute.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJM_cZAhbGQ
> 
> ...


 Ha!!! Where were the "Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaams" though?


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## Arbee (Jan 6, 2013)

EastWest Lurker @ Sun Jan 06 said:


> There is IMHO a lot less i.e. bad jazz than bad trance.


Oh oh, fighting words - I hear a real lot of really bad jazz and don't subscribe at all to the elitist tag it frequently gets. There really are only so many of the same modal solos any one human being can be expected to endure :lol:

BTW, I LOVE Knife Party - thanks for bringing it up Ned!

.


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## NYC Composer (Jan 6, 2013)

Arbee @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> EastWest Lurker @ Sun Jan 06 said:
> 
> 
> > There is IMHO a lot less i.e. bad jazz than bad trance.
> ...



now THAT I can't agree with. I never get tired of modal composition on the fly : )
That guy Parker still rocks my world, that Coltrane guy too, Rollins, Monk, Davis, etc etc.


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## Arbee (Jan 7, 2013)

NYC Composer @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> Arbee @ Mon Jan 07 said:
> 
> 
> > EastWest Lurker @ Sun Jan 06 said:
> ...


Yes, but that's different - those guys are the real deal!

.


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## Kralc (Jan 7, 2013)

Great thread, had never heard of Knife Party before. 

Guess I need to hang out with 14 yr olds more, seems like they know what's up :|


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## Daniel James (Jan 7, 2013)

guydoingmusic @ Sun Jan 06 said:


> Daniel James @ Sun Jan 06 said:
> 
> 
> > Haha just noticed Hans was posting in this thread! When I saw him joke about his next score being more Knife Party than Williams I felt the undying need to create something as a tribute.
> ...



LOL I thought about it but things were already intense 

-DJ


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## Caedwallon (Jan 7, 2013)

I like DubStep with a lot of energy in it.



Daniel James @ 7th January said:


> Haha just noticed Hans was posting in this thread! When I saw him joke about his next score being more Knife Party than Williams I felt the undying need to create something as a tribute.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJM_cZAhbGQ
> 
> ...



I like it! 

I am, however, deeply disturbed by the fact that after I listened to your piece, the first video to pop up in the related videos column was "Justin Bieber takes his shirt off while singing Baby". Oh, the agony. Oh, the horror. */slitwrist*


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## YoungComposer (Jan 7, 2013)

Caedwallon @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> I like DubStep with a lot of energy in it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Lol.

Great job Daniel, love the song!


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## Rctec (Jan 7, 2013)

BRILLIANT!!!
(God, I do carry on...I really try to think in my head, but just cant find it when I open my mouth...)
-H-


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## Daniel James (Jan 7, 2013)

Rctec @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> BRILLIANT!!!
> (God, I do carry on...I really try to think in my head, but just cant find it when I open my mouth...)
> -H-



Hahahaha glad you liked it xD these are the things that happen when you mix late nights, caffine, dubstep and Hans Interviews.....

....never again will that sentence make sense.

-DJ


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## gsilbers (Jan 7, 2013)

i loved pendulum. good to know they are doing the same/similar with dubstep. i like the ragga vocals. 
great arrangements. 

i heard about knife party a while back but didnt find much in itunes, but now i can hear it in soundcloud. thanks for the link!

i hear a lot of massive (defacto dubstepper) and z3tra but there is definlty more  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65RKR7Jtk8M


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## Daniel James (Jan 7, 2013)

gsilbers @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> i loved pendulum. good to know they are doing the same/similar with dubstep. i like the ragga vocals.
> great arrangements.
> 
> i heard about knife party a while back but didnt find much in itunes, but now i can hear it in soundcloud. thanks for the link!
> ...



If you have spotify there is tons of stuff on there (the older stuff is great too)

Also if you want more of that Pendulum/Dubstep cross that genre is closer to Drumstep than Dubstep (pfft electronic musicians and their infinate sub genres  )

-DJ


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## MacQ (Jan 7, 2013)

That's awesome Dan ... funny shit.


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## gsilbers (Jan 7, 2013)

i think i prefer horrorstep


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## Brobdingnagian (Jan 7, 2013)

eyedee @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> one of my favorite dubstep tracks. this dude Seven Lions is killing it.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/seven-lions/...even-lions/sets/seven-lions-polarize-ep-viper



Enjoyed this. Reminds me of a modern day version of "Lamb"....anyone here recall that great act of the late 90's/early millenium? Again, like Aphex, Amon, Squarepusher it is really interesting to hear how that movement has evolved thru the last decade-plus, into this.

Thanks for sharing these links, friends.


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## Waywyn (Feb 26, 2013)

Dan-Jay @ Mon Jan 07 said:


> Can someone tell me how Knife Party sounds any different to skrillex or any other dubstep that's playing these days?
> 
> It all sounds the same to me.
> 
> ...



It is actually so funny how you exactly sound like my grandfather back then about rock! =o


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## artsoundz (Feb 26, 2013)

Knife Party sounds outstanding!

I'm finding creating good dubstep as much of a challenge as anything I've ever done and I'm a jazz player at heart.

Can you smart guys direct me to where I might find some of these tools/sounds? I have all the usual suspects in synths including Massive,which seems to get mentioned a lot. 

I'm not much of a programmer -so- are there 3rd party banks of sounds that might help? recommended synths? Thank you! Kevin


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