Dubplate Dionysus shares why dub mixes get a bad rap

Dubplate Dionysus, a house/dub set of musicians Fredrick Royster and Matt Keppel and a recent TuneCrush entry of GLM contributor Enda Guinan, recently shared some thoughts on their blog about why they felt that dub music may have received a bad rap.

A lot of DJs mix the dub mix and the original together creating a new beast all together for maximum dancefloor filling effect.

Remixes and dub mixes were cheap ways for a record company to fill up a single, especially when remixers did several different versions of a song. (Take a look at Cher’s Believe maxi single !)

I Think dub mixes got a bad rap because frankly some of them are boring, and go on too long. Popular music is so focused on lyrics, some may ask “there’s nothing to sing along with” Some just seem like an instrumental. (remember the dubstramental anyone?)

But not all dub mixes are bad! They have a value beyond the walls of a discotheque. Good dub mixes for me are new interpretations of a song. They bring to life parts of the songs you never considered or realized. Maybe a vocal harmony you didn’t hear quite clearly, or the or the intricacy of a drum part.

Check out their analysis and top dub tracks to become familiar with at his blog. And don’t miss our write up of their music here.

Read more on GLM:

• Tunecrush: Dubplate Dionysus “Upcoming Legendary”
• TuneCrush: Daft Punk “Get Lucky” (Neo-Safari remix)
• TuneCrush: Clay Pendergrass “Ten Days Smarter”
• Friendly Fires – Pala