The Unbearable Darkness of Dubstep
Today’s tune is an immensely interesting remix of Snoopdogg’s “That Tree” feat. Kid Cudi.
So why do I like this song so much? Let’s begin with its uniqueness. What other dubstep song sounds like this? I can’t even find another Crunk Kidz song that sounds like this.
Next, the uncomfortable level of silence. As Kode9 puts it, a standard dubstep “track is so empty it makes [the listener] nervous, and you almost fill in the double time yourself, physically, to compensate”1 Well, Crunk Kidz take this a step further in their remix of “That Tree.” Of course, the rhythmic sparseness Kode9 was referring to is there in the drum pattern. But more importantly, the spirit of haunting silence that dubstep carries is pushed to its limit in this mix, mainly since it explicitly refuses to fill in parts of the song that the listener expects/needs to be filled. Where a filthy wobble would typically drop in to appease the nervous listener at the climax, this artist chooses to sample Cudi’s “na’s” amongst an eerie silence. The listener is anxiously led up this hill, climbing higher and higher, almost promised something, only to catch himself at an empty abyss. It’s like musical blue-balls.
And the bassline that follows is anything but fulfilling. It’s still empty, haunting, full of echos. Everything about this song is so out of place, but so intentional at the same time. The bold, twisted indulgence in silence is most notable.
I like this song so much because it creeps the hell out of me.
The Dubwoofer 
