“It was bound to happen.”

Dubstep: A noun characterizing a genre of electronic dance music, relatively underground years ago but now sliding its way into the mainstream (think of the recent Britney Spears track, “Till the World Ends.”)

Blame its bass-heavy reliance or its unique capability for impregnating listeners, but this once relatively unknown genre is capturing attention among varying audiences.

There is a downside to this popularity, however, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find quality amid the variety out there today.

Luckily for Madison rave-goers, Toronto-based Zeds Dead is bringing its own brand of hip-hop influenced beats, shaking bass and infamous drops to the Majestic this weekend.

In a recent email correspondence with The Badger Herald, Hooks and DC spoke about the genre, the evolution of their sound and what Madison can expect Saturday.

“The term dubstep encompasses so many different sounds now that it’s hard to put a solid definition to it without being very vague and general,” Zeds Dead said. “On the one side of it you have very mellow, dark, atmospheric, dub-sounding tunes, and on the other side there’s the chainsaw and dentist drill heavy metal stuff, and then there’s everything in between.”

“The one thing that unites it all is sub frequencies to make the woofers purr,” they added.

Hooks and DC met while both were immersed in the hip-hop realm and decided to team up to form Massive Productions in the aims of garnering more notice.

“Our music tastes and productions were very similar, and we figured if we released both of our productions under the same name, we had a better chance of success,” Zeds Dead said. “Back then, our goals were to produce beats for rappers or do instrumental albums like Pete Rock or RJD2.”

Becoming Zeds Dead just over two years ago, this collaboration proved worthwhile, as Hooks and DC have already built a strong reputation for themselves on the dubstep market.

With an uncanny ability to remix artists including Radiohead, the Rolling Stones and Sublime, the two have been included in sets by EDM heavyweights such as Deadmau5, Skream, Skrillex and Borgore.

Zeds Dead originals defy categorization with tracks that range through the multiple avenues offered. While one tune may be chill and mellow, something one might play on, say, a “Coffee Break,” others carry danceable beats composed of pure bass.

Despite this innovation and a sound that is constantly evolving, Zeds Dead music has managed to remain faithful to its hip-hop origins.

“Our sound has become all over the place these days. We’ve always been into mixing nice melodies with dirtiness,” the duo said. “When we made hip-hop, the dirty part came when the drums kicked in over the sample and the verse began – now it’s when the bass drops.”

Needless to say, listening to Zeds Dead’s music evokes images of writhing bodies all to an epic drum line created through the duo’s masterful manipulation of bass. 

This is the filth Zeds Dead strives to bring to the dance floor. Each set is hand-tailored to the crowd and capitalizes on both improvisation and high-energy.

“Some things are planned, but a lot of it is based on how we’re feeling and what the crowd is into,” they said.

Using Ableton and FL Studio to mix their tracks, the members of Zeds Dead said their creative process is something they usually “stumble upon” either deliberately by playing with keyboards or by everyday occurrences.

“Sometimes I get ideas walking down the street or before I fall asleep,” Zeds Dead said. “I hum them into my voicemail.”

Recognizing the importance of live performances, the duo also mentioned this was an important skill for any aspiring DJ, as the amount of music bought anymore is slim.

This skill can only prove beneficial to the audience this Saturday during the duo’s largest tour yet.

Madison is the third stop on Zeds Dead’s Graveyard Tour, which kicked off Thursday in Orlando, Fla. The duo will be returning to Wisconsin in December to play in Milwaukee’s Turner Ballroom.

“This tour is going to be our biggest one yet, with over 50 cities across the US in just two months,” they said.

As they said, it was bound to happen – and Zeds Dead’s music is well on its way to taking over the states.

Zeds Dead will be playing at the Majestic Theater Saturday, Oct. 1. Doors open at 9 p.m. with music slated to start at 10 p.m. Tickets are $20.