[MannyDuran]

Smut, bass and filthy lyrics; why you should give dubstep Borgore the time of day

'cause I love your pretty smile,
I love your needy style,
I love to be able to see that you are glamorous from a mile

Flashback circa 1988: Fresh Kid Ice and the gang were working on releasing their third studio album of filthy lyrics, Miami sounds, and 808 kicks. Uttering phrases referencing sex, big asses, and a menagerie of dick-sucking, pussy-fucking lyrics, they offended, disturbed, or, at times, simply put, just got the party started.

Fast forward through the rest of the 80s and 90s with the electroclash movement. Slutty music with the likes of filth such as Lords of Acid, Peaches, Avenue D, the advent of booty bass, ghettotech, and good ol' Miami Bass, lyricism became fun, smutty, slutty, and—above all—filthy!

I love the way you look,
I love the way you cook,
I spent a lot of time watching your pictures on the facebook,

Come forward; circa present day, when I found myself at The Vagabond's monthly dubstep event, GET LOW, presented by the never-fail-to-impress (((SHAKE))) crew. Standing on an elevated platform next to the DJ booth, I was face-to-face with the Israeli producer as he spat his sleaze into the crowd, as he destroyed any expectations of experience, as he dropped basslines with the eloquence and prowess that Porfirio Rubirosa dropped panties in his day. That instance was a continuum in the evolution of smut music.

More than just a DJ, Asaf “Borgore” Borger was a rock star that Thursday; smut and filth incarnate, but most of all, he was an impeccable performer with an understanding of how to get the crowd boisterously moving. I'll admit to bearing witness to many DJs, those of which I call Button Pushers—all they do is push a couple of buttons; the ones easily replaced by iPods or an iTunes playlist on shuffle, those who, through a false sense of pride, eternally elevate themselves by falling victim to delusions of grandeur—a good way to spot these guys is to check if their—using this word loosely—artist name is preceded by the letters D and J, but there are always exceptions. This button pushing schtick was not the case for Borgore, he lived up to all the weight that comes from the title DJ. But let's don't call the producer that, due to all the negative connotations that come with the title.

'cause I love to buy you flowers,
I love our hot showers,
I can watch you sleeping for hours and hours,

Shuffling between the microphone and the turntables, Borgore's bass blitzkrieg boomed in synchronicity with his slick—sexy?—voice, which complemented the intensity of the music and carried the air of a Brummie accent. I placed a sticker on my forehead; one which read: BORGORE RUINED DUBSTEP—one which he himself handed to me the previous night. I didn't quite understand the meaning or intention behind the phrase. I could have taken it as a sarcastic poke at the dubstep purist aristocracy—if such a thing exists, a cynical view on his own music, or even a humorous gimmick to get people listening. Whatever it may be, to me, BORGORE RUINED DUBSTEP meant and means only one thing: After listening to Borgore, you will never want to listen to any other dubstep. Thus ruining your ability to experience dubstep.

I would dare to say that Borgore's music transcends the limitations of the term dubstep. He refers to his style as “Gorestep”—a style which is very much infused with the intensely amplified distortion of heavy metal and the grit and energy of early punk rock, all of which are blanketed by enough humorous machismo—yes, things of that sort can be funny—to make even Bukowski cower.

In a song entitled “Act Like a Ho,” Borgore tackles subject matters dealing with male/female relationships and swiftly raps, “buy you lots of diamonds, spending tons of dough, you better watch some porn and show me tricks that I don't know,” and playfully continues with “ho, when we in bed act like a ho, but first do the dishes!”

More than being simply misogynistic, Borgore's lyrics are satirizing critiques on society and its view on women and, if you want to get philosophical, the phallogocentricity of the world.

I love the way you dance,
The way you shake that ass.
But the thing I love the most is coming on your face!

Back at The Vagabond as he continued his onslaught of heavy bass sounds on the crowd, his performance culminated when he jumped out of the DJ booth and into the screaming crowd which, like a single entity, carried and lifted and tossed him up and onto his feet, where he continued to dance and throw his elbows around with his fans, both new and old. And the crowd, kicking and screaming, chanting his name, knew that that instance, that continuum in the evolution of smut and music, was one of the greatest performances they have ever experienced; the ruining of dubstep.

Suck it bitch!




For more info, check out:
http://www.myspace.com/borgore

Interlude lyrics from Borgore's track, "Love"

Photographs by: Manny Duran
Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/MannyDuran

[redawn]

That sounds like fun! i wish I could have made it!