Music

10 instances of EDM infiltrating popular culture

by Marcus Laflamme

Face it, it’s 2013 and EDM is everywhere. It’s not as if electronic dance music has always been a well-kept secret, but in recent years, an explosion in popularity has seen the subculture infiltrate the mainstream at virtually every opportunity. For the past few years, EDM has been steadily seeping into pop music, movie trailers, and commercials, proving that the right DJ can be just as compelling outside of a club setting.

In case you had any doubt that the temperature of Canada’s EDM scene is on the rise, look no further than Bud Light’s Sensation (Rogers Centre! Toronto! June 1!), which is promising to be one of the biggest arena parties this country has ever seen. Deluxe tickets are already sold out, so there’s no doubt Canada is ready for this.

Do you think movie trailers are more effective when set to music between 130 and 155 bpm? Does a huge bass drop make you want to buy a car? Do you like your pop music 20% more if it includes an extraneous dubstep bridge? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, or if you’re just fascinated by EDM’s surge to the forefront of the mainstream, then this list is for you. Here are 10 hilariously mainstream uses of electronic dance music in popular culture.

1. Brit-step

After taking three years off after the release of 2008’s Circus, Britney Spears unveiled Femme Fatale, an album as mainstream as it gets, though brimming with a heavy EDM influence. In 2011, dubstep was the flavour of the month, and producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin certainly capitalized on its conventions via Femme Fatale. Their work on “Hold It Against Me” helped coin the term “Brit-step,” a way to describe a pop artist co-opting the conventions of an electronic sub-genre with the intention of hopping on the bandwagon.

2. Skrillex & Spring Breakers / Wreck-It Ralph

Hollywood tapped Skrillex to contribute to the soundtracks for both Spring Breakers and Wreck-It Ralph, two films that could not be more diametrically opposed. Skrillex’s signature chainsaw synths and wub-wubs make a perfect companion to the bikini-clad cast of Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, and he even gets the animated treatment in a short cameo in Wreck-It Ralph. Hopefully Skrilly gets an Oscar nod for Spring Breakers, so he’ll be one step closer to EGOT-ing.

3. The “Harlem Shake” Meme

Baauer released “Harlem Shake” in May of 2012, but the trap-rave (EDM sub-sub-sub-genre) juggernaut didn’t crack the mainstream until this YouTube video went ridiculously viral, and spawned a gargantuan, unslayable monster of a meme. Even your grandma knows what trap-rave is now.

4. Swift-step

Pre-2012, it seemed like Taylor Swift never put down her acoustic guitar. Enter Max Martin (sound familiar? See “Brit-step”). Taylor has shed her guitar in favour of some triplet-heavy drum programming and synth swells. Hey, we’re not complaining. Turns out, it’s also totally meme-able.

5. School

This semester, Tisch’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU is offering a class on the Business of Electronic & Dance Music for the first time. The two-credit class is taught by DJ Rekha, who hosts a long-running set at S.O.B.’s highlighting the South Asian genre bhangra. Here’s what the class is offering, according to the university:

“Students in this class will be exposed to the history and contemporary business of electronic and dance music. This class will help enable everyone from the home studio producer to the budding superstar dj understand the modern make-up of the dance and electronic music business. We will examine the methodologies of (and meet) some of the most successful people in the biz, study the pitfalls and opportunities in today’s marketplace, offer real life experiential training and discover emerging trends for tomorrow.”

If you forget to bring your glowsticks to class, you can always borrow from that cute girl or boy sitting beside you. Hey, it might be a good icebreaker.

6. Red Tails Movie Trailer

Because nothing screams dubstep more than a film about fighter pilots in World War II, right?

7. Daft Punk as Clothing Salesmen

Daft Punk and Juliette Lewis, together at last, wearing jeans in a GAP commercial. Take all of our money, we will buy all of the jeans. This commercial is truly amazing.

8. Flo-vicii

Flo Rida liberally borrows from Avicii’s smash EDM hit “Levels” on “Good Feeling,” an Etta James-sampling song that became a top ten hit in sixteen countries. “Good Feeling” was produced by Dr. Luke. Again, see “Brit-step” above. Noticing a trend?

9. Fashion

Not only will you be spotting countless EDM-themed novelty t-shirts this summer, you’ll also notice that fluorescent spandex is very “on trend” this season. Just remember to leave your turquoise leggings at home and dress in all-white when you hit up Bud Light’s Sensation.

10. Snack Chips

The next time your local convenience store guy gives you the side-eye when you try to buy three bags of Doritos, just tell him it’s how you’re expressing yourself. A co-sign from Diplo should be enough to soften the ensuing shame when you finish all three bags by yourself. Just keep “Express Yourself” on an infinite loop, and twerk away the calories.

Over the next few months, AUX is partnering with Bud Light as they revolutionize what it means to party in Canada. We’ll be breaking down the elements of any successful party into an exact science, culminating in the most mathematically perfect party of the year, Bud Light Presents Sensation (seriously, the Partyodic Table doesn’t lie) at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on June 1. The eight-hour experience will see an estimated 30,000 fans Light It Up in ways they’ve never done before. Tickets are available now! You must be 19 years or older to attend. Meet fellow revelers on Twitter via the Bud Light Presents Sensation hashtag: #budlightsensation.