EDM Isn't Just Laptops, A Guy Has Recreated Dubstep Songs Using an Electric Guitar

Sonic Innovation #8 - Recreating Dubstep Songs Using an Electric Guitar

I’ve witnessed several things that I didn’t think possible; a sausage filled with mac’n’cheese, humans speeding through the air with wingsuits and now, someone playing dubstep songs on an electric guitar.

Electronic music and guitar music, usually, are enemies. At Coachella, Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler gave a “shout-out to all the bands still playing actual instruments”, suggesting that EDM artists don’t play music and press play on a laptop. But the two worlds don't’ have to be that far apart - twenty year old virtuoso guitarist Cole Rolland has mastered the art of recreating the wub wub sound by shredding his guitar. He’s covered a bunch of songs - Skrillex’s “Bangarang” to Krewella’s “Alive” - and can play his instrument faster than humanly possible.

I chatted to Cole about the influence of dubstep on his sound, the reaction from the dubstep fanboys, and how he conquered the wub.

Noisey: How long have you been playing guitar?

Cole: 10, almost 11 years. I started when I was 10 and I am self taught.

What technique are you using to imitate the dubstep sound?

It's a combination between using slides/vibrato along with my whammy bar at appropriate times. There is some layering done in recording to give it an ‘'electronic' feel.

Why did you want to imitate dubstep songs using a guitar? Why not do it properly?

I was in first year college when Skrillex was taking off and all of my friends were into him. This is about the same time I started doing YouTube covers so I figured, why not, this could turn out alright! I'd seen some people do guitar covers of similar songs but nothing really stood out to me as truly mimicking the dubstep sound.

What are your favourite artists/tracks from the genre?

I'm a big fan of what Krewella and Pegboard Nerds are doing.

How have the dubstep community reacted?

I'd say pretty well, I mean, my dubstep videos are some of my most popular ones because it's not something you see everyday. Some people aren't big on the fact that I recorded the audio separately from the video but the purpose of this was to give viewers the full experience. I could one-take it but that would rob people of hearing the best of what I can emulate by layering and producing.

If Van Halen had started in this era of music, do you think they'd be playing dubstep?

Probably not! I'm trying to picture this and it just seems weird to me haha. But a Van Halen dubstep remix would be tight!

What sound are you attempting next on guitar?

I'm working on my production skills. Trying to take the sound of my tracks to the next level, experimenting with some sounds that I haven't really shown people on my channel yet. Short of giving anything away, I'm working on a pretty popular song right now and giving it a much more driving/heavier feel with a personal touch.

Thanks Cole!

Follow Dan on Twitter: @KeenDang