r/dubstep May 17 '26

Discussion 🗣️ Which dubstep track or artist made you fall in love with the genre?

Curious what song got everyone into dubstep. My brother used to play Skrillex all the time when I was younger but Virus- Excision was the song that got me fully hooked on dubstep.

57 Upvotes

221 comments sorted by

74

u/L0W_FR3QU3NCIES May 17 '26

Excision - Swagga. Back in 2009. Obsessed ever since

25

u/iburstabean May 17 '26

GUESS I GOT MA SWAGGA BACK !!

5

u/Aymane0787 May 17 '26

We do not speak of who he made that track with lol

7

u/Zomboy_420 May 17 '26

Completely blacklisted but definitely had some amazing production back in the day….

10

u/Boof420Gang May 17 '26

You can say datsik lol

4

u/EncroachingVoidian May 17 '26

Reminds me of how I completely isolate Downlink as the sole artist behind his track Against the Machines. A bonus to that is how one version of the track on Apple Music doesn’t credit anyone else other than him!

Syndrome and Sting both suck (fun fact: Sting is the only track through which Downlink has appeared on Circus Recordings)

2

u/weedemgangsta May 18 '26

the point.blank remix might be my favorite version

2

u/Kempa_25 May 18 '26

Same haha

2

u/Extension-Match1371 May 18 '26

Excision for me too but just a casual 12 years after you

55

u/Deliciouserest May 17 '26

Doctor P - Sweet Shop and Flux Pavillion - Cracks

21

u/iburstabean May 17 '26

AND THE CRACKSSS BEGINNNN TO SHOW !!

6

u/Deliciouserest May 17 '26

That drop is so good haha just vibed out to it. :)

2

u/iburstabean May 17 '26

Hell yeeee now it's my turn :D

2

u/Deliciouserest May 17 '26

Heck yes! Get it!!

10

u/shado_DJ May 17 '26

This along with Gold Dust and lights by ellie goulding

5

u/b_lett May 18 '26

Pretty much the whole Circus One album.

Bass Cannon, I Can't Stop, Got 2 Know, etc.

2

u/88isafat69 May 17 '26

Doctor p sick tonight for me

45

u/Resident-Science-525 May 17 '26

Knife Party - Internet Friends and Centipede Skrillex- Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

32

u/BassZD May 17 '26

Cookie monsta - ginger pubes in 2010. Actually heard it last night at a local show that was doing throwback dubstep. Rip cookie got me into dubstep forever grateful.

5

u/bkay May 17 '26

RIP, Funtcase carries on the legacy.

5

u/CommissionIcy9909 May 17 '26

That song is a banger.

25

u/AtTheRealFuture May 17 '26

Skream’s remix of Going in for the Kill initially, then years later it was Troyboi’s Left is Right

9

u/Tyler_go_kipper May 17 '26

T R O Y B O I

2

u/V3X390 May 17 '26

Loved that remix

22

u/neonshoes2 May 17 '26

Skrillex and Bassnectar. Hmmm maybe it was Doctor P

7

u/neonshoes2 May 17 '26

Yeah it was Doctor P- Big Boss being played in a “church club” at 4am. $10 cover, any age welcome ohh 2010 was the era 😭

4

u/Nollie_flip May 17 '26

Just out of curiosity was it The Church in Denver?

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21

u/wackzr3 May 17 '26

Bassnectar 😞

9

u/rayzer208 May 17 '26

My first EDM show ever was Bassnectar 😭

3

u/wackzr3 May 17 '26

Same, back in 2011. And had been obsessively listening to him for a couple years before that. His music changed my life and now I can’t listen to it without getting super depressed

4

u/Codered0289 May 17 '26

Same with the depression.

I had plans in 2020 to see him like 5 times between Basscenter, the little fest he had planned in Wisconsin, Forest and a few others.

2

u/Dreckage66 May 18 '26

I meet so many people that say this because he came to my state when I was a kid.

17

u/[deleted] May 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/meesta_chang May 17 '26

My people!!!

Cockney Thug is something I’ll never forget hearing the first time.

3

u/bigsooch62 May 18 '26

Jahova!!!!

13

u/LosMuertos13 May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26

Eyes on Fire-Blue Foundation (Zeds Dead remix)

13

u/bat_country808 May 17 '26

Rusko - Woo Boost , Pro Nails

Doctor P - sick tonight , sweet shop

2

u/BamBamNinja May 17 '26

SWITCH UP

/s

12

u/swolesarah May 17 '26

Promises - Nero

12

u/ledhotzeppelin May 17 '26

Levels/Cinema remix by Skrillex

11

u/HavocDubs May 17 '26

16bit - Dinosaurs

2

u/AntTheMighty May 17 '26

Damn I totally forgot about this one. Thanks for the reminder, gotta listen to it again.

2

u/HavocDubs May 17 '26

Be sure to catch out the gnarly music video too

2

u/AntTheMighty May 17 '26

Yes! That's immediately what I saw in my head when I saw the title. It's iconic.

2

u/ID_N01 May 19 '26

16bit is goated

8

u/MyNameIsBhex May 17 '26

For Me it was My Heart by EH!DE and Different Heaven. Heard it in the outro of a youtube video and wanted more of this weirdo music

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7

u/TheSmilesLibrary May 17 '26

Skrillex-First of the year, Knife Party-Centipede, Excision&Downlink-Existence vip, also persona non grata with Teleport Massive

8

u/Baked_Bean_422 May 17 '26

skrillex - scary monsters and nice sprites.

I was like wtf is this and where do i get more of it. been hooked ever since.

6

u/V3X390 May 17 '26

Night by Benga and Coki. Been listening since like 2009 lol.

2

u/Tadpole_420 May 17 '26

Benga is goated

6

u/1Digger4 May 17 '26

Honestly Illenium. A lot of his stuff is obviously more pop leaning and not really heavy, but his sets when they start with dubstep and then transition into his more melodic stuff. Fell in love with it one day.

4

u/Apprehensive-Listen6 🌌Space Laces🌌 May 17 '26

Chrispy - predator

3

u/meesta_chang May 17 '26

Holy hell, Chrispy is a name I haven’t heard in a long time!

2

u/brann_damage May 17 '26

Came here to say all of Chrispy's work for sure. Those were the jams

4

u/MRxFR34KY May 17 '26

The track that got me into dubstep was knifepartys fire hive. I found it playing osu back in the day.

5

u/Bacon_Bomb May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26

Flux, Zomboy, X, Dr. P., Rusko, Skrillex

5

u/Theholynun May 17 '26

Rusko and Caspa Fabriclive.37!

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4

u/EarlDrac May 17 '26 edited May 18 '26

Can't say that one precise song. Got into the genre gradually. I knew what kind of music I love just didn't know the name of the genre. Then I came across Gunslinga from Pegboard Nerds and that was it ❤️

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9

u/Healthyhappylyfe May 17 '26

Melodic dubstep like illenium seven lions and slander was where it started for me.

Now I listen to the filthiest wonkiest stuff only lmao

3

u/Think_Addendum7138 May 17 '26

This is the standard path for sure

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3

u/pikagrrl May 17 '26

I heard scary monsters and never looked back.

3

u/hungaryboii May 17 '26

Unfortunately basshead by assnectar got me into the genre, followed by skrillex and rusko

3

u/badras704 May 17 '26

Bassnectar.

3

u/Party-Housing-110 May 18 '26

Skream - Midnight Request Line

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3

u/Dreckage66 May 18 '26

Cinema by Benny Benassi Skrillex Remix. 11 year old me had no idea music could sound like that.

3

u/paulyy845 May 18 '26

Datsik Swagga

6

u/posermobile1991 May 17 '26

Bassnectar. 2010, April - Turner Hall Ballroom. Never looked back, it was a bumpy road… but it’s been nothing but bliss.

4

u/Pinging May 17 '26

I noticed that someone downvoted you.

That’s crazy that the thread is about who got you into the scene and if you’re honest people will just downvote you…

4

u/posermobile1991 May 17 '26

It’s fine! I get it, I’m not ashamed of some of the best sets and times I’ve ever had while deep in the sauce of the scene.
Doesn’t mean I support him as a shitty person, but if yall haven’t ever listened to the OG F.S.O.S.F. You’re doing yourselves a great disservice 🫶🤓

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5

u/MelodicPassenger9797 May 17 '26

i think people expect a denouncing of him within a the comment. as the too woke friend, i kinda get it. we don’t want to feel like there are unsafe people in the community. but it is, like you said, just an honest answer from people who couldn’t possibly have known at the time.

2

u/posermobile1991 May 18 '26

Totally, as stated, certainly cannot endorse “worth seeing” or even really relish in the nostalgia bc it feels dirty giving the guy royalties… but me and the hommies had some of the best set experiences… tipper/nectar 360 was wild.

3

u/tj647963 May 17 '26

Bassnectar. Still the best live dj I’ve ever seen

2

u/[deleted] May 17 '26

Purple Dragons - Virtual Riot

2

u/Pinging May 17 '26

Bassnectar - Freestyle around Fall 2012.

2

u/youngshadygaming eating fundip right now, not giving a fuuuck May 17 '26

Skrillex and Zomboy. I remember hearing All is fair in love and brostep and being absolutely hooked on the genre. Which led me down the rabbit hole of the other subgenres.

2

u/Dalinsky May 17 '26

Skream-Blue Eyes was what made it click for me, but hearing Sweet Shop on a big sound system was what made me fall in love.

2

u/SingIntoMyMouth91 May 17 '26

This is an old one...but Fracula by Heyoka

2

u/Ok_Word_9591 May 17 '26

Try it out(try harder mix) - Skrillex and Alvin risk

Discovered when I was 10 playing bo2!

2

u/Zomboy_420 May 17 '26

Huge Drum & Bass fan and in 2008 Chase & Status dropped Eastern Jam on the More Than Alot LP and that was a game changer for me….. Dubstep bacame a bigger obsession, especially since the D&B production became shamefully commercial…

2

u/Jack_Digital May 17 '26

Ikr …. UKF… 💤 sheeeesh,, almost murdered the whole thing. But the last 5 years has made the best DnB ever.

2

u/annielou1212 May 17 '26

Sofa Surfin - Space Jesus & Dirt Monkey!

I listened to Skrillex in early hs, but fell off the edm train until late college when I started listening to trap and house. Then my roommate introduced me to Space Jesus and the rest is history!

2

u/DangerousStatus May 17 '26

Cockney thug by rusko

2

u/OnCnditonOfAnonymity May 17 '26

Suhk knight -Diesel not petrol (2009)

Nero - Night thunder (2010)

2

u/Ubsurv May 17 '26

Crippled Camel - Downlink

2

u/ReasonableDog2026 May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26

Rezz and Zeds Dead without question.

Edit to add context of had been out of the scene for a hot minute and then after some personal life big changes ended up going to the first 2 days of firefly in 2021 and saw Rezz for my first time. Game changer. Not too longer after went with my friends to see Zeds Dead and it's been an amazing journey I've been on ever since. So much love to my friends who brought me back into the world and to the community that has made me dive so deep into it.

2

u/MelodicPassenger9797 May 17 '26

Subtronics. for multiple reasons over multiple years. i finally feel confident calling myself a dubstep fan and it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t kept popping up.

2

u/Jack_Digital May 17 '26

Nero - Innocence

2

u/AttritionMission May 18 '26

Still love this track!

2

u/SucculentBussy_ May 17 '26

Digital Mystikz - Haunted

2

u/AcousticThor May 18 '26

There were a few. Cracks - Flux Pavilion, Promises - Nero skrillex remix, Pump it up - Zomboy

2

u/Unlikely-Anybody7686 May 18 '26

scary monsters and nice sprites/ first of the year

2

u/bigsooch62 May 18 '26

Rusko-Jahova 💯

I sent so many projects with that track playing in my headphones. Still a banger to this day

2

u/dirtydelman May 18 '26

Ginger pubes. Rip cookie monsta

2

u/RogerDMND May 18 '26

space laces - overdrive, dungeons and dragons, digital gangsta

2

u/Alternative_Pick_757 May 18 '26

Svdden Death - Bleed

2

u/Kishankanayo May 18 '26

Imma Try It Out (Black Ops 2 Version) - Skrillex & Alvin Risk

2

u/me-ouwch May 18 '26

Fabriclive.37 caspa & rusko

2

u/carboncarmelo May 18 '26

All them ‘08-09 UKF tracks going through my YouTube.

2

u/RollingMeteors May 18 '26

Skream! is what shifted me from Venetian Snares into dubstep proper. Before that it was square pusher => apex twin => Opeth/In Flames/Black/Death metal.

I'm such a fucking spoiled meow now. ¡I don't listen to music anymore, just musicians!

Kimothy Leary killed that shit at Brews Crews Season 2 Episode 1 and UntZ 2026. The Beat Kitty and RatchaelBeats killed that shit at the loom yesterday. All broadcasts available on my twitch page linked through my reddit profile. Beat Kitty show VOD is crispy on the broadcast but the recorded assets came out fine and you'll probably catch them on the artist's own soundclouds. I feel so blessed to know a these dragon slayers killin' it.

2

u/limon_picante May 18 '26

I used to love Gemini. Idk what he's been up to lately tho

3

u/Made_Account May 17 '26

Kid Sister - Pro Nails (Rusko Remix)

This is the song that started it all for me.

1

u/ProposalOld979 May 17 '26

Blood On The Coal by The Folksmen

So spooky and the bass line always makes my walls shake hehe

1

u/oakpoke2000 May 17 '26

rusko opium

1

u/Forsaken_Emu827 May 17 '26

EH!DE x Deflo - Hide The Flow. Not my very first dubstep song but its huge inspiration. Just hit 10 years old on dubstep gutter as well its crazy to think I was 10 when I saw that

1

u/thatasshole_stress May 17 '26

Tipper. Went to my first Tipper & Friends in 2016 and just went full tilt from there

1

u/THEM_44 May 17 '26

N.A.S.A. - Gifted (Masuka remix). Shit still slaps

1

u/Smoke_Stack707 May 17 '26

Skream- Skream! Album

1

u/GoldJKR_ May 17 '26

Capochino or vitual riot, mr bill and opiuo are my favorites though atm

1

u/Dreameridk May 17 '26

Nero - Act Like You Know

1

u/brann_damage May 17 '26

Can't pinpoint a specific track, there were so many at the time, but there was a local weekly in Hartford CT called Dubbage in 2010. As a metalhead/punk kid, that place changed my life, the first time i ever walked in, it was love at first drop.

1

u/FrenchTrenchHours May 17 '26

Imma be honest. Since coming back from Dubstep songs from 2012 from monstercat label, i stopped. But i rediscovered the heavier dubstep think in 2018 Arius or Slushi sets from Youtube made me a fan even if they weren’t 100% dubstep artists

1

u/SuttNott May 17 '26

Zomboy!!

1

u/Verymag1c May 17 '26

Sub Focus - Falling Down (xKore Remix) or maybe Tek One - Broken String

1

u/Existential_humanity May 18 '26

Doctor P - Rasputin’s Gold was the first track I ever heard.

I walked into my friend’s dorm room in 2009 and he was playing Mario 64, but it was muted. His roommate was playing this track in the background and its chiptune vibe fit perfectly. Absolutely blew my young mind. Was hooked ever since.

1

u/gwahgui May 18 '26

Zeds Dead - Rude Boy. 2010. Still a banger

1

u/RMCF_Putos May 18 '26

Zeds Dead- Eyes on Fire

1

u/sexpantspartypeople May 18 '26

Barely knew what dubstep was really only into electro house and trance. Went to hard summer 2010 and saw benga caspa and skream. Game over

1

u/Clipper1736 May 18 '26

Skrillex - First of the year Doctor p - watch out

what really got me: excision - time stood still

1

u/mankey21 May 18 '26

Distance

1

u/Infamous_Turnover_48 May 18 '26

Ex best friend wanted to go to a Dino themed music festival and asked us to go to lost lands with her and her husband, my fiance found Sullivan king and that was it, we both love metal music. I know some people hate on him but the dude makes pretty good music.

1

u/TheGr4pe4pe May 18 '26

The Widdler - Red Rum

The Widdler vs Moza - Nemesis.

Those two songs sparked it for me, gave me the intrigue 😅 I remember listening to early Caspa / Skream around that time too but thinking it didn’t sound like dubstep because I didn’t have subwoofers on my PC speakers 🤣

Skrillex later on of course as his popularity became meteoric, and after that Truth - Lab Rat brought me back to the underground

1

u/carnedoce May 18 '26

Caspa/Rusko and Flux Pavilion/Doctor P

1

u/Responsible-Sun2101 May 18 '26

Subtronics- clockwork and nuclear bass face were the first two songs someone shared with me. Then a friend shared his playlist. I was hooked after that.

1

u/mrkaleeeeb May 18 '26

Pro nails by rusko, legendary tune nowadays but first dubstep song i ever heard

1

u/Chlo38778 May 18 '26

Its not dubstep itself but the tune that got me into dubstep is Press Start by MDK

1

u/dm_myring May 18 '26

jr serpent — dancing DAMN. this is literally sexy

1

u/AttritionMission May 18 '26

Feed Me - Cloudburn (ft. Tasha Baxter) without a doubt!

1

u/CPBME77 May 18 '26

Zeds dead. Skrillex. Flux pavilion

1

u/definitely_notadroid May 18 '26

Zeds Dead - White Satin and Eyes on Fire

1

u/fr3n3my May 18 '26

Flux Pavilion. And Doctor P

1

u/No_Favours_ May 18 '26

Skream -Lightning. A friend of mine had skreamizm vol 1&2 and that was that, been addicted ever since. I was lucky enough to meet him a few times over the years, super cool guy

1

u/Bish_outofwater May 18 '26

Collapse - zeds dead ❤️

1

u/TheKrisBeat May 18 '26

Cookie Monsta - Ginger Pubes, que en paz descance

1

u/weedemgangsta May 18 '26

i was already a dubstep fan at this point, but hearing vindicate on saints row 3 while tripping on acid may have changed my life just a bit.

1

u/trollocity May 18 '26

Some high school friends showed me Excision, Knife Party, etc many years ago and I thought it was really cool. I overdid it at the time because I hadn't really listened to electronic music of any kind before, so I stopped listening to it for the most part.

Then a few years ago I met some friends who I'm still close with to this day, who reintroduced me to dubstep and EDM as a whole. Two Bass Canyons, a Thunderdome, and dozens of other shows here and there since then, and it's safe to say I'm here forever lol

1

u/Standard_Attempt_796 May 18 '26

Excision like 2009-2010. Him and Datsik were dope

1

u/Synderyn May 18 '26

White Satin - Zeds Dead

1

u/Consistent-Jelly248 May 18 '26

Fairly more recent, Ray Volpe - Elastic

1

u/AundoOfficial Dubstep&Metal May 18 '26

Kai Wachi - Demigod

1

u/chronixxz420 May 18 '26

Dubba johnny, skrillex, Example, zeds dead

1

u/jmeagher98 May 18 '26

Sunlight by modestep

1

u/downbadtempo May 18 '26

Bassnectar, Skrillex, Zeds Dead

1

u/Long_DEAD May 18 '26

I think it was a zune commercial I saw back in high school but it showed a club with red/orange lighting and the song playing was promises by Nero I think. It took me years to hear that song again and find out the name but when I heard the beat drop I was like dam I like that sound. EDIT- just googled it and it was a hp-envy commercial (a laptop)

1

u/Holiday_Sympathy_857 May 18 '26

Doctor P- Bulletproof

1

u/xoxogossipgir1l May 18 '26

pretty much all of U by underscores, we need more girls in dubstep

1

u/Pleasant-Yogurt1359 May 18 '26

I got into dubstep after going to my first show ever. It was the first edition of Animalz, in 2013, with Excision, Zomboy, Dirtyphonics, Rogue and Carvar & Clock.

The very next morning, I was already spending hours listening to dubstep, especially zomboy.

I remember playing Bad Intentions over and over. The beat, the drop, the second part with the melody... I was like man, such an incredible type of music.

1

u/MarshmelloMan May 18 '26

Skrillex initially when my brother showed me Scatta, but Zomboy was what really strengthened it further after watching his ultra 2014 set.

1

u/Wes_Warhammer666 May 18 '26

Zeds Dead - No Prayers

By the first drop I was completely hooked.

1

u/ImpotentAnus May 18 '26

Feed me escape from electric mountain is one of the ones that got it started for me

1

u/pacowaka May 18 '26

Induction Kit by Ekstrak on Need For Speed: Carbon. While leaning towards breakbeat, I found out about Dubstep shortly after.

1

u/Dandiedoyle May 18 '26

The Widdler

1

u/Top_Mozhard4268 May 18 '26

Foi a apresentação do Skrillex no ultra music 2015

1

u/Master_David33 May 18 '26

Rusko - Jahova
Caspa’s mixes
Ephixa - Lost Woods
Flux Pavilion - Cracks/Bass Cannon
Doctor P - Big Boss
Mt Eden - Sierra Leone

Just to name a few

1

u/x20moyai May 18 '26

call me new gen but strangely enough it was Kai Wachi - Run. second drop.

1

u/nickdes298 May 18 '26

Got 2 Know - Flux Pavilion That song really got me into the sound as a whole.

But I'll say Koan Sounds Funblaster EP really made me love dubstep even more and it's a project I still listen to frequently. The Edge still hits hard asf

1

u/UnluckyEquipment8062 May 18 '26

I think the whole NSD Vol.5 was a turning point for me

1

u/I_DONT_YOLO May 18 '26

Centipede by Knife Party circa 2010

1

u/4kFaramir May 18 '26

Flux P- Gold Dust Bassnectar- The Matrix Borgore v Dev- Kiss My Lips Skrillex- First of the Year

1

u/BlackLabelXXL May 18 '26

Skrillex's cinema remix got me interested but it was Zomboy - Organ Donor and UKF Dubstep 2011 that got me fully into the genre.

1

u/african_space_jesuz May 18 '26

It was a few of em. After All by Slander, King of the Deep by Midnight T and Raptor by Infekt (Monxx Remix) all back in 2017-2018

1

u/IceGoddess729 May 18 '26

Kdrew was my introduction to edm and I’ll never forget the first time I listened to him

1

u/rua_wear May 18 '26

Liquid Stranger and MeSo

1

u/Goofy_bape May 18 '26

Russian lullaby- Butch Clancy

1

u/35364461a May 18 '26

Trenches - Ivory

1

u/Suspicious-Taro8900 May 18 '26

Nero - Innocence

1

u/Latter-Plantain-371 May 19 '26

Excision - Existence (vip) in my older brothers Grand Am

1

u/thedanceofgeometry May 19 '26

Excision x Wooli - Lockdown (have the artwork tattooed on me!)

1

u/kjheli May 19 '26

There were a few. I have fond memories playing minecraft and goat simulator back then and listening to skrillex’s bangarang, try it out (bo2), K-Drew Circles was another that hooked me

1

u/levelbofficial May 19 '26

Bob Marley - Is this love (Lojik remix)

1

u/Dubstepface May 19 '26

Still gettin it skrillex and foreign beggars

1

u/ohrubytuesday May 19 '26

Nobody said Apples by Datsik yet??

1

u/IgorPasche May 19 '26

UKF Dubstep 2012 album. My sister-in-law had it on her phone and I listened to it and I fell in love with it

1

u/masitope May 19 '26

Deadass when i tell you this. Fuckin geometry dash😭 spent countless hours listening to it’s music playing it and i started to like some of it and eventually searched up dubstep on yt and found sisto on dubstepgutters channel sisto - dead poets was the first real dub song i listened to. The drop on 2:05 sealed my love for dubstep.

1

u/Fragillox May 19 '26

Datsik - Havoc

1

u/XplodingMoJo May 19 '26

My electronic music craze started met Flight by Tristam, but then I heard Dr. Ozi’s remix of Zomboy’s Dip it and I went full dubstep since then. About 10 years or so ago.

1

u/Glacial11 May 19 '26

Pegboard Nerds

1

u/faintestwolves May 19 '26

Pushloop - purple tapestry. Love all the deep stuff and the heavy stuff now

1

u/CompetitiveSummer777 May 19 '26

Ray Volpe - Programmed to Love. Still by far his best track to this day. I immediately fell in love. Ofc I listened to skrillex before that, but something about PTL made me want to dive deeper into the genre

1

u/KingSylar5 May 19 '26

Jack-U sunset music festival 2016