Alright, ravers.
Last time we here at Crossfade ran through our list of the five most annoying buzzwords, reactions were mixed. Some of you thought we were the most evil, hate-mongering, misinformed monsters to ever walk the Earth. Others gave us so many virtual high-fives that our e-hand is still tingly.
There were even who asked, "How come you didn't put ______ on the list?" Well, we're going to buck the haters (it's hella ironic being told to "burn in hell" by someone who thinks they're PLUR) and give it another go.
Are you ready?
See also:
-Hip-Hop: Five Most Annoying Buzzwords
-EDM: Five Most Annoying Buzzwords
"Banger"
This word reared its ugly head sometime around 2008 or '09. The rise of American dubstep stoked its buzz-iness. And by 2010, it was everywhere. Now it's like every song on the planet is described as a "banger." Knife Party just released an EP of bangers, much like their last EP of bangers. Lady Gaga goes on tour and Zedd opens with "bangers." Shit, that new-ish Justin Bieber song is a "banger." We're starting to feel the underground reject the entire "banger" culture, but go to Ultra Music Festival, and it feels like nothing will ever change. How about you bang your head against a wall, slip into a coma, and call it a day.
"Rage"
Irony alert: The same culture that espouses peace, love, unity, and respect walks around in neon hats that read "RAGE." Look, pick a stance and go with it. Are you happy? Or are you mad? Do you want to mosh? Or do you want to spin pretty lights? Or are you just on drugs? EDM, you're faced ... Go home.
"Killin' It"
When Ultra ended this year, and we went home exhausted and dirty, all our friends watching the live stream had one thing to say: "If I hear someone say 'killin' it' one more time, I'm going to punch them in the face." Apparently, whoever was working the backstage interview mics had a one-note party vocab, and so do most party-goers. We even find ourselves overusing the phrase. Krewella's got a whole song dedicated to this slang cadaver. Let's put this dead body to rest.
"Preview"
Alright. What the fuck is this, music industry? Maybe it's just because we're bloggers, but we just want to take a moment to say "fuck you" to everyone who releases a "preview" of their song, as if we're supposed to get excited about it. Why don't you just release the fucking song, instead of a giant cock tease of a build and drop that sounds like shit taken out of context anyway. We see the word "preview" and we just throw up. Like, have a single, or don't. No one should blog a "preview." Are we here for music? Or are we here for hype? We can't tell. Because right now, the scene looks like an obnoxious child running around the room screaming for attention. Real material or GTFO.
"Festival Lineup"
Let's face it. They're pretty much all the same.