Angel Alvarez, 17, from Bedford-Stuyvesant, first heard dubstep back in late April. Skimming through his Facebook news feed, he noticed a video post his sisterâÂÂs boyfriend had made. He clicked on the video, and was âÂÂblown away,â by what he heard. Two months later, he began creating his own dubstep music.
Through a Google search he was able to locate a website — Remixer.Clubcreat.com– that allowed him to make dubstep music for free. On the website, he worked on five songs, and completed three in just one month.
âÂÂI was amazed that I could make all the different dubstep sounds and beats, and that I was able to do this myself. I felt accomplished,â Alvarez said.
Dubstep is a new genre of club music thatâÂÂs hit the United States. These new sounds have become popular with New York City teens. And while many can be found listening to it, others such as Alvarez are even creating it themselves. Modern technology like computers and I-pads have made it simple and easy for young people to make their own dubstep beats.
Software such as Reason can be downloaded into computers or laptops, like in the case of 15-year-old Julian Fevry, from Queens.
âÂÂI was lucky, I had a friend who had the software and let me borrow it to download onto my computer,â he says.
More expensive software may cost from $150 to almost $500, depending on the version. The prices are that high because Reason is usually used by professional producers and contains a number of soundboards, including drums, loops, dynamics and EQ (equalization).
Teens that arenâÂÂt as lucky as Fevry just use the resources they already have. Henry Angel, 18, uses Garage Band, which came with his MacBook laptop. Although it may not have all the professional soundboards Reason has, it does contain the basics needed to create dubstep. Such as MIDI editing, which allows the pitches, velocity and duration of recorded sounds to be changed, and creates âÂÂa bass drop that is dubstepâÂÂs main attraction,â according to Angel.
Online resources can also be found to make dubstep. When Alvarez was looking for a program he searched âÂÂfree dubstep software,â and was presented with a number of websites. Remixer.Clubcreat.com helped him come close to the professional sounds of SkrillexâÂÂthe first dubstep artist he heard.
Professional dubstep artist such as Skrillex, Big Chocolate and Zomboy are often inspiration for teens that are making their own beats.
Regardless of the software thatâÂÂs being used, teens all agree that creating dubstep is hard. There are multiple boards to manage, and different melodic ranges of notes that have to be put in a certain sequence. One song can take up to a month to make, according to Angel.
âÂÂIt requires patience, time, effort, and creativeness,â he adds.
However, not all young people see the appeal of dubstep, like 23-year-old Alberto Vilafuente.
âÂÂItâÂÂs just random noise,â he said.