Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory (Bare Noize Remix)

This track opens with a strong emphasis on a straight 32nd note feel over a 70bpm kick and snare pulse. Like most electronic genres, the tempo is intrinsic to the genre of music. This dubstep remix is certainly one of the finer pieces of work to explore in the phenomenon of dubstep remixes. It keeps true to the original vocals and builds the track around them quite well. You might hear a lot of dubstep remixes whilst searching YouTube that sound as if the track was made and then the vocals applied on the top without little thought about rhythmic and melodic compatibility. In fact some sound like it's just the original track 'as is' (maybe some filters) and then a long buildup before a brutal hit of bass.

The first synth that we hear follows this groove whilst being expanded to a greater volume and frequency range. I hear a low-pass filter automated in a curve drying out the signal until it reaches its full sound where the next transition occurs. The type of two part intro you hear in this remix can be quite useful for DJs who need to mix between tracks and don't want the hook to drop in before they've got out of the last track. I also believe that might be why we have such rigid tempo constraints for this music as they often begin with the drum groove for transitional intro time.

There's a lot of things to love about this remix but the combination of guitar like sounds into this genre extremely interesting to me. The guitar in some moments gives me the feel of a metal track but the bass is so distinctly dubstep that there's a nice crossover there. However, from my experience there are a lot of metal-heads who have heard 'their music' compared to dubstep with the latter being the 'electronic incarnation of metal' and hated that. With that in mind, that comparison was likely made based on dubstep tracks that don't have guitar like components to them. I've also seen live performances of dubstep combining acoustic drums, guitars and synths that shine more light on this comparison of sounds.

I can't write about this track without mentioning drums. Bare Noize have held the place in mind as having the best electronic drums in the dubstep game. The kick has enough 'thwack' and 'meatiness' to it to hold its own on the aggression element of the music. The snare is loud and you can hear a huge tail on it even when all other sounds are right up there in volume. This track makes use of a lot of reverse snares leading into the next which also helps with its intensity. Finally, go back to the start of this track and check out the variety of cymbals being used. The create the multitude of bright textures that probably sound great to anyone who plays drums... and maybe other people too. There's a wide pan between the sounds which creates nice intricate definition for each unique sound. Additionally, they continue to stand out in the loudest sections of the song (especially while wearing headphones).