The actual title ‘dubstep’ was given by record label Ammunition Productions in their effort to best describe the beats being used at the time. Although dubstep formed at the turn of the century, it didn’t really become known until 2006, partly thanks to Radio 1 airing it on DJ Mary-Anne Hobbs’ Experimental Show. Thanks to Hobb’s involvement, pushing the genre, dubstep DJs played their way into the London club scene from their Croydon roots, featuring regularly at nights such Fabric on Drum and Bass night.

The Wobble

The dubstep sound is characterized by its main emphasis on bass frequencies, minimalist rhythms and dark notes. Dubstep played in clubs has been compared to giving the impression of being underwater thanks to the permanently suppressed bass. Unlike the more traditional dance genres such as techno, there isn’t any traditional track structure, only a sense of progression that is mirrored by the evolution of the genre itself. Dubstep is constantly changing and evolving – watching a dubstep DJ can be exciting as the boundaries are always been tested and taken to another level. Since it was first labelled ‘Croydon Techno’, the genre now bears little similarity to the current tracks hitting the mainstream charts. It is darker, minor keys and chords used with dissonant rhythms.

Community Aspect

Dubstep has a fierce community fuelling the flames that keep this genre alive. There are many dubstep forums and discussions taking place on the internet, keeping this genre at the forefront of the London club scene.

Is dubstep here to stay? Well, it’s an ever evolving form of dance music, so whether it’s here to stay or not, it has offered up a more exciting answer to those searching for something different.

Whitney Houston

The news of the death of Whitney Houston sent shockwaves around the world. The singer of the all-time favourite hits like ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘How Will I Know?’, ‘The Greatest Love of All’, and many more died in the hotel where she was supposed to attend the 2012 Grammy Awards and early investigations and speculations said that she drowned in her bath tub of the hotel room.

Houston is regarded as one of the legends in the music industry and was primed for the bright lights when she came into the scene with her ‘good girl’ image then. Her attitude began to change around the late 1990s after he marriage to Bobby Brown, of whom many believed to be her influence that took her into her drug addiction. She started missing interviews, performances and even lost her voice in recent years.

But all the negative publicity seemed to have been put to rest when she finally divorced Brown and the critics began to take her seriously again where she started working on a comeback. While her latest album was not as good as many would wish it to be, it was a positive move towards the right direction for Houston.

How she died is still a mystery and speculations can go on forever but one cannot deny that Houston has left behind a legacy which is irreplaceable. Her high tones and soothing voice remains the envy of others and an inspiration to the modern singers like Christina Aguilera and her songs will always create waves everywhere. ‘I Will Always Love You’ remains to be one of the top tracks ever to grace any airwaves and it remains so ever since ‘The Bodyguard’ was released. To Whitney, the world was at her feet, and it was rightly so, she passed on to early and may her soul rest in peace.

Yuna – Decorate

The album title is Decorate and you would by now have heard of Malaysia’s very own Yuna. Because if you haven’t, then you just need to buy her album and it feels like you seemed to have known her for ages. Yuna’s debut album is surprisingly personal probably due to the way she sings and her little voice gestures which seemed to be talking to you more than singing to you. But sing she did and she does it so beautifully that she seems so close by.

There are 10 tracks where you can forget all the talks and concepts of 1Malaysia by our politicians because this is as ‘kampung’ was we can get. And we mean it in a very modern way. If you want to know Malaysian music and our language, then Decorate is the most ideal one for you. This is because you get the balance of Bahasa Malaysia and English songs here which is the natural of conversation among Malaysians.

Gadis Semasa kicks of the album and you are transported immediately into how well she can sing. ‘These Streets’ then follow suit while you will also enjoy the track ‘Fireworks’ while the track ‘Random Awesome’ gives you the impression that she is totally no from here. If no one tells you and you heard this track over the radio, chances are you will probably be goolging the words and thinking she is from the international scene.

The track ‘Super Something’ is the one you notice on television in commercials while you can get to enjoy her ‘Dan Sebenarnya’ track as a bonus track. If you don’t know where to look, let the CD roll on after ‘Super Something’ and you will get the acoustic version of her most popular tune. Decorate is an appropriate album to enjoy where it is light, easy and truly refreshing.

They were previously represented by Universal Republic but has since formed their own label in early August, 2011. Boyce Avenue gained online stardom through rendering cover versions of current hits although they have their own singles. Daniel moved back to Florida after he finished law in Harvard and in 2006 started posting videos on YouTube where they played mainly covers and some of their own material. They have also performed live while some of their cover versions have garnered more than 11million hits on YouTube. In recent times, hits on Boyce Avenue has reached more than 300 million views behind Linkin Park with covers like Teenage Dream (Katy Perry), Just the Way You are (Bruno Mars) as well as Jars of Hearts (Cristina Perri). Their own material include ‘Every Breathe’, and ‘When the Lights Die’

Some of his most viewed videos are basically ‘mash-ups’ while he is also known to have produced exceptionally professional videos of his songs. Tsui is known to collaborate very much with Kurt Schneider who is his producer. He has been working with Schneider since high school where they both attended Yale University together. The current ‘KurtHugoSchneider’ channel on YouTube is one of the highest channels with more than 260 million views currently. ‘Just a Dream’ itself has already garnered more than30 million views. He has also been involved with production where he and Schneider made a comedy web series called ‘College Musical’. His cover version of Britney Spears’ ‘Hold it Against Me’ has also been featured on Spears’ official site while Tsui had also worked on his own material that include ‘Start Again’.

Blink 182 – Neighborhoods

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Nirvana – Nevermind 20th Anniversary

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of perhaps the greatest album every produced, there will be a Nirvana Nevermind 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition. This is one of the best ways to remember the person, the band and the music that has changed the music industry around the world forever. And to top it all off, this was supposed to be the sophomore album from the Seattle rockers.

Hence, after it was announced last June, many were anticipating of what it would be like and as if a trip down memory lane is not enough, there were some previously unreleased tracks for you to savour and perhaps reminiscent, when life was good and everyone basically hated everyone. In CD1, there are the standard tracks in the original with the likes of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘Come As You Are’, ‘Lithium’ and all that. Most of the tracks sound the same as it was, raw, honest and loud. And Cobain delivers this with so much passion, life and conviction.

The second CD is where things get interesting as there are the Smart Sessions, the Boombox rehearsals on Teen Spirit as well as other notable ones like ‘Here She Comes Now’, ‘Sappy’ and many more. Well, with 4CDs, 1 DVD and a book and pictures, this is Nirvana crash course 101 at its best. This is the type of albums which will leave an everlasting impression and with Kurt Cobain’s shrieking and cracking voice through the microphone, Krist haunting bass lines and the unforgettable drumming and hard hitting hi-hats by Dave Grohl, this album sounds as recent as it can be. Watch the DVD of the concert recorded at Paramount Theatre on October 31, 1991 and you might just understand better what it means to be a true performer and an artist forever entrenched among the greats in the industry.

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The fact that this album debuted at number 1 in the Billboard 200 meant that he is the oldest living artist to have achieved that remarkable feat. Perhaps the most notable track here is the one he sang with the late Amy Winehouse entitled ‘Body and Soul’ although there are many others which could well be chart toppers too. By pulling in the likes of Lady Gaga (The Lady is a Tramp), John Mayer, Michael Buble, Norah Jones, Josh Groban and Carrie Underwood, it shows just how contemporary Tony is and that he is still very much relevant to today’s industry.

Most of the tracks here are performed to its best by Tony and he seemed to play the mentor role to the newer artists here pretty well. As mentioned, the notable track here ‘Body and Soul’ provides the cross between the new and the previous generation of soulful voices which is very well proven by both the artists. Typically a warm record and well worth listening to.

One of their destinations while touring was the Susquehanna Bank Centre. Fans waited patiently for the tickets to go on sale, listening to their music or playing Partypoker. When the tickets were released, there was a huge flurry of activity as people hurried to claim their place at the show. They were supported by Young and Giant, who played their two big hits ‘My Body’ and ‘Cough Syrup’, as well as other songs that were just as good. Their sound combines driving riffs with slower acoustic sounds and adds in singer Sameer Gadhia to give them an alternative rock sound.

Then, Incubus began their energetic performance with ‘Megalomaniac. They played old hits and new songs that all came together really well and their passion for the music was plain to see. These songs included classics like ‘Drive’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’, as well as some earlier songs such as ‘A Certain Shade of Green’ and ‘Consequence’. They played songs from new album ‘If Not Now, When?’, which included ‘Adolescents’, ‘Promises, Promises’, ‘In The Company Of Wolves’ and ‘Defiance’.

Incubus played for two fantastic hours before leaving the stage and being called back for an encore. They then launched into ‘Pardon Me’, something that many of the audience members had been waiting for. They also played ‘Are You In?’ before finishing with ‘Tomorrow’s Food’.

Mizz Nina – Take Over (feat. Flo-Rida)

By now, the track “What You Waiting For” would have been played to death on radio. In fact, it is one of the most catchy tunes in recent times and as icing on the cake, it is a sung by Mizz Nina, a Malaysian. Now if you haven’t already know, Mizz Nina has been in the Malaysian entertainment scene for a while now where she has been in and out music, taking on different roles before her passion for music drove her back into the groove and out come this lovely and catchy track.

She started off singing in 1996 after learning the trade through The Singing Shop where she then went on to be part of the Teh Tarik Crew that gained 2 AIM nominations. She would then continue on to become the face in commercials as well as in modeling before she eventually continued on to hosting and MCing. But it is the track ‘What You Waiting For’ that featured Colby O’Donis that got everyone excited and up and jumping because it seemed so perfectly timed for suit what the listeners want. Mizz Nina has come a long way in the scene and with the chart success she is enjoying currently, it is what she will do next which will be very interesting.

Lyrics for Take Over
[VERSE 1: Flo Rida]
Flo Rida, MizzNina
You better call Mr Fix-It
Let em’ know we got a problem Houston
Flo Rida go up to the moon with the music
Taking off boom boom that acoustics,
Countdown like 1, 2, 3, 4,
The party don’t start till’ I’m on the dancefloor
Like 5, 6, 7, 8, we rockin’ the club all day

[VERSE 1: Nina]
Said I’ve been rocking’ round here, round here
But it’s about to get a little crazy up in here,
Cause you can’t escape this club
I’m bout to tear it up
And I can see I gotcha trippin’ for this
Oh and I mean business

HOOK:
Saying Houston,
We got a little problem, we got a little problem,
I, Imma gonna solve em’
Saying Houston,
We got a little problem, we got a little problem,
Cause Imma gonna rock em’

CHORUS:
This is how its going down, going down
And imma gonna break it, break it, break it down,
Break it down,
This is a take oh oh over
This is a take oh oh over

[VERSE 2: Nina]
Now i want ya out ya head, out ya head
And imma gonna tell ya and i’ll tell ya what I said
I’m here and I’m in control
Thats just the way I roll
I’m tearing down the walls until the morning
Oh this is a warning

[HOOK]

[CHORUS]

Na na na na na na oh eh ey
Na na na na na na oh oh
Na na na na na na oh eh ey
Na na na na na na oh oh
Na na na na na na oh eh ey
Na na na na na na oh oh
Na na na na na na oh eh ey
Na na na na na na oh oh

[VERSE 2: Flo Rida]
Its all under control I gotcha hands up
See when I walk in the door I make em’ stand up
Its like I’m taking a pose, it’s all cameras
Feel a knock at your door its like hammers
Oh baby, get a little crazy, tear the walls down
Now you gotta pay me
I’m taking over put em’ up lady

I wanna see you Put your Hands up,
Now let me see you put your hands up, all your hands
I wanna see you put your hands up, all your hands
I wanna see you put your hands up, all your hands
Now rehydrate before you pass out, fore you pass out,
Pass out

[HOOK]

[CHORUS]