5788793041_7593c2439c.jpg

BY: RYAN WEISSER

A new form of music is taking over weekend raves. Instead of bubblegum techno and trippy dance tunes reminiscent of the disco age, warehouses filled with sweaty and intoxicated college students are pumping out dub-step, a genre of house music that prides itself on “making people’s ears bleed.”

At least that’s what Kayvon Nik, the creator of SauceWithThat.com and former George Mason University student, a music website dedicated to everything electronica, said.

Dub-step, house, moombahton and other forms of techno/electronica are the least bit traditional. There are hardly any instruments used besides a keyboard or electric piano and a switchboard fit for only the greatest of DJs.

“There are hardly any lyrics in a dub-step song, and if there are, you can bet they’ll be auto-tuned and altered,” said Nik, a 21-year-old from Vienna, Va. who transferred as a sophomore to Virginia Tech and is now a junior studying business information technology. “It’s a weird form of music that has A LOT of bass going on. But it’s also a very awesome experience for your ears – you never know what sound to expect next.”

Nik, while visiting friends at Mason, realized that the D.C.-area was a hub for this bass-thumping form of music.

“I’d never heard of so many people on a campus listening to dub-step before. It’s even playing at some of the restaurants on campus,” Nik said, who’s referring to a few Skrillex and Deadmau5 hits. “It’s unbelievably awesome. You know, the kids who listened to Deadmau5 and Daft Punk were the major weirdoes and probably druggies when I was growing up. Now, I see sorority girls and frat stars listening to Bassnectar on their way to class – it’s awesome.”

Nik puts only “the sickest of the sickest” tunes on his website.

“People want to listen to awesome music, and other than Pandora and Spotify, there’s no place to do that for free and without commercials,” Nik said. “So a few of my friends and I fixed that problem.”

SauceWithThat.com is still in its beginning stages, as Nik and the co-creators want to add style, fashion, art and other forms of media that go along with the “best and probably one of the most intelligent forms of music.”

“I think Mason students are really going to love seeing this site grow,” Nik said. “Mason seems so hip – excuse me if that sounds lame – but I feel like this campus loves new and different things and of course all things saucy.”

Well Mason is the place where “innovation is tradition” and students seem to be taking a liking to this new, different and definitely saucy form of music called dub-step.

“I’ve always liked dub-step and house music, but it’s never been one of my favorites until this year,” said Skyler King, a 20-year old Mason junior and government major from Murietta, Ca. “I was surprised to see them playing it at The Rat and at Ike’s, but I think it’s a nice change of pace.”

Alyssa Bilewski at first hated the dup-step music her boyfriend plays.

“But after a while it grew on me,” said the  20-year-old Mason forensic science major and sophomore from Woodbridge, Va. “Now I absolutely love it! It’s so interesting and upbeat — perfect for dancing.”