fbpx
Wikipedia

Dubstep

March 05, 2023

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot[1] that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken beat, grime, and drum and bass.[2] In the United Kingdom, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s.[2][3]

Dubstep
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly 2000s,
London, England, United Kingdom
Derivative forms
Other topics

Dubstep is generally characterised by the use of syncopated rhythmic patterns, with prominent basslines, and a dark tone. In 2001, this underground sound and other strains of garage music began to be showcased and promoted at London's night club Plastic People, at the "Forward" night (sometimes stylised as FWD>>), and on the pirate radio station Rinse FM, which went on to be considerably influential to the development of dubstep. The term "dubstep" in reference to a genre of music began to be used by around 2002 by labels such as Big Apple, Ammunition, and Tempa, by which time stylistic trends used in these remixes became more noticeable and distinct from 2-step and grime.[4]

A very early supporter of the sound was BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who started playing it from 2003 onwards. In 2004, the last year of his show, his listeners voted Distance, Digital Mystikz, and Plastician in their top 50 for the year.[5] Dubstep started to enter mainstream British popular culture when it spread beyond small local scenes in late 2005 and early 2006; many websites devoted to the genre appeared on the Internet and aided the growth of the scene, such as dubstepforum, the download site Barefiles and blogs such as gutterbreakz.[6] Simultaneously, the genre was receiving extensive coverage in music magazines such as The Wire and online publications such as Pitchfork, with a regular feature entitled The Month In: Grime/Dubstep. Interest in dubstep grew significantly after BBC Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs started championing the genre, beginning with a show devoted to it (entitled "Dubstep Warz") in January 2006.[7][8][9]

Towards the end of the 2000s and into the early 2010s, the genre started to become more commercially successful in the UK, with more singles and remixes entering the music charts. Music journalists and critics also noticed a dubstep influence in several pop artists' work. Around this time, producers also began to fuse elements of the original dubstep sound with other influences, creating fusion genres including future garage and the slower and more experimental post-dubstep. The harsher electro-house and heavy metal-influenced variant brostep, led by American producers such as Skrillex, greatly contributed to dubstep's popularity in the United States.[10]

Characteristics

 
Dubstep rhythm example
Excerpt demonstrating the rhythmic tension generated between the drum rhythm and bassline. This song features a very sparse rhythm almost entirely composed of kick drum, snare drum, and a sparse hi-hat, with a distinctly half time implied 71bpm tempo. The track is instead propelled by a sub-bass following a four-to-the-floor 142bpm pattern.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The music website Allmusic has described dubstep's overall sound as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals."[11] According to Simon Reynolds, dubstep's constituents originally came from "different points in the 1989—99 UK lineage: bleep 'n' bass, jungle, techstep, Photek-style neurofunk, speed garage, [and] 2 step."[2] Reynolds comments that the traces of pre-existing styles "worked through their intrinsic sonic effects but also as signifiers, tokenings-back addressed to those who know".[2]

Dubstep's early roots are in the more experimental releases of UK garage producers, seeking to incorporate elements of drum and bass into the 2-step garage sound. These experiments often ended up on the B-side of a white label or commercial garage release.[7][12][13] Dubstep is generally instrumental. Similar to a vocal garage hybrid – grime – the genre's feel is commonly dark; tracks frequently use a minor key or the Phrygian mode, and can feature dissonant harmonies such as the tritone interval within a riff.[14] Compared to other styles of garage music, dubstep tends to be more minimalistic, focusing on prominent sub-bass frequencies.[15] Some dubstep artists have also incorporated a variety of outside influences, from dub-influenced techno such as Basic Channel to classical music or heavy metal.[15][16][17]

Rhythm

Dubstep rhythms are usually syncopated, and often shuffled or incorporating tuplets. The tempo is nearly always in the range of 132–142 beats per minute, with a clap or snare usually inserted every third beat in a bar.[15] In its early stages, dubstep was often more percussive, with more influences from two‑step drum patterns. Many producers were also experimenting with tribal drum samples, such as Loefah's early release "Truly Dread" and Mala's "Anti-War Dub".

In an Invisible Jukebox interview with The Wire, Kode9 commented on a MRK1 track, observing that listeners "have internalized the double-time rhythm" and the "track is so empty it makes [the listener] nervous, and you almost fill in the double time yourself, physically, to compensate".[18]

Wobble bass

One characteristic of certain strands of dubstep is the wobble bass, often referred to as the "wub", where an extended bass note is manipulated rhythmically. This style of bass is typically produced by using a low-frequency oscillator to manipulate certain parameters of a synthesiser such as volume, distortion or filter cutoff. The resulting sound is a timbre that is punctuated by rhythmic variations in volume, filter cutoff, or distortion. This style of bass is a driving factor in some variations of dubstep, particularly at the more club-friendly end of the spectrum.[19] Wobble bass has been nicknamed, Wobble-step.[20]

Structure, bass drops, rewinds, and MCs

Originally, dubstep releases had some structural similarities to other genres like drum and bass and UK garage. Typically this would comprise an intro, a main section (often incorporating a bass drop), a midsection, a second main section similar to the first (often with another drop), and an outro.

Many early dubstep tracks incorporate one or more "bass drops", a characteristic inherited from drum and bass. Typically, the percussion will pause, often reducing the track to silence, and then resume with more intensity, accompanied by a dominant sub-bass (often passing portamento through an entire octave or more, as in the audio example). It is very common for the bass to drop at or very close to 55 seconds into the song, because 55 seconds is just over 32 measures at the common tempo of 140 bpm. However, this (or the existence of a bass drop in general) is by no means a completely rigid characteristic, rather a trope; a large portion of seminal tunes from producers like Kode9 and Horsepower Productions have more experimental song structures which do not rely on a drop for a dynamic peak – and in some instances do not feature a bass drop at all.

Rewinds (or reloads)[21] are another technique used by dubstep DJs. If a song seems to be especially popular, the DJ will "spin back" the record by hand without lifting the stylus, and play the track in question again. Rewinds are also an important live element in many of dubstep's precursors; the technique originates in dub reggae soundsystems, is widely employed by pirate radio stations and is also used at UK garage and jungle nights.[22]

Taking direct cues from Jamaica's lyrically sparse deejay and toasting mic styles in the vein of reggae pioneers like U-Roy, the MC's role in dubstep's live experience is critically important to its impact.[23]

Notable mainstays in the live experience of the sound are MC Sgt Pokes and MC Crazy D from London, and Juakali from Trinidad.[24][25][26][27] Production in a studio environment seems to lend itself to more experimentation. Kode9 has collaborated extensively with the Spaceape, who MCs in a dread poet style. Kevin Martin's experiments with the genre are almost exclusively collaborations with MCs such as Warrior Queen, Flowdan, and Tippa Irie. Skream has also featured Warrior Queen and grime artist JME on his debut album, Skream!. Plastician, who was one of the first DJ's to mix the sound of grime and dubstep together,[16] has worked with notable grime setup Boy Better Know as well as renowned Grime MC's such as Wiley, Dizzee Rascal and Lethal Bizzle. He has also released tracks with a dubstep foundation and grime verses over the beats.[28] Dubstep artist and label co-owner Sam Shackleton has moved toward productions which fall outside the usual dubstep tempo, and sometimes entirely lack most of the common tropes of the genre.[29]

History

1999–2002: Origins

 
The Big Apple Records shop, in Croydon, South London.

The early sounds of proto-dubstep originally came out of productions during 1999–2000 by producers such as Oris Jay,[17] El-B,[12] Steve Gurley[12] and Zed Bias.[30][31] Ammunition Promotions, who run the influential club night Forward>> and have managed many proto-dubstep record labels (including Tempa, Soulja, Road, Vehicle, Shelflife, Texture, Lifestyle and Bingo),[8][17] began to use the term "dubstep" to describe this style of music in around 2002. The term's use in a 2002 XLR8R cover story (featuring Horsepower Productions on the cover) contributed to it becoming established as the name of the genre.[30][32]

Forward>> was originally held at the Velvet Rooms in London's Soho and later moved to Plastic People in Shoreditch, east London.[15] Founded in 2001, Forward>> was critical to the development of dubstep, providing the first venue devoted to the sound and an environment in which dubstep producers could premier new music.[33] Around this time, Forward>> was also incubating several other strains of dark garage hybrids, so much so that in the early days of the club the coming together of these strains was referred to as the "Forward>> sound".[34] An online flyer from around this time encapsulated the Forward>> sound as "b-lines to make your chest cavity shudder."[35]

Forward>> also ran a radio show on east London pirate station Rinse FM, hosted by Kode9.[36] The original Forward>> line ups included Hatcha, Youngsta, Kode 9, Zed Bias, Oris Jay,[17] Slaughter Mob, Jay Da Flex, DJ Slimzee, and others, plus regular guests. The line up of residents has changed over the years to include Youngsta, Hatcha, Geeneus, and Plastician, with Crazy D as MC/host. Producers including D1, Skream and Benga make regular appearances.[33]

 
Mala of Digital Mystikz, one of the pioneers of dubstep music.

Another crucial element in the early development of dubstep was the Big Apple Records record shop in Croydon.[8] Key artists such as Hatcha and later Skream worked in the shop (which initially sold early UK Hardcore / Rave, Techno and House and later, garage and drum and bass, but evolved with the emerging dubstep scene in the area),[12] while Digital Mystikz were frequent visitors. El-B, Zed Bias, Horsepower Productions, Plastician, N Type, Walsh and a young Loefah regularly visited the shop as well.[8] The shop and its record label have since closed.[30]

2002–2005: Evolution

 
Dubstep producer Skream, one of the most widely known names on the scene since the beginning of the Dubstep movement.

All throughout 2003, DJ Hatcha pioneered a new direction for dubstep on Rinse FM and through his sets at Forward>>.[8][31] Playing sets cut to 10" one-off reggae-style dubplates, he drew exclusively from a pool of new South London producers—first Benga and Skream,[31] then also Digital Mystikz and Loefah—to begin a dark, clipped and minimal new direction in dubstep.[37]

At the end of 2003, running independently from the pioneering FWD night, an event called Filthy Dub, co promoted by Plastician, and partner David Carlisle started happening regularly. It was there that Skream, Benga, N Type, Walsh, Chef, Loefah, and Cyrus made their debuts as DJs. South London collective Digital Mystikz (Mala and Coki), along with labelmates and collaborators Loefah and MC Sgt Pokes soon came into their own, bringing sound system thinking, dub values, and appreciation of jungle bass weight to the dubstep scene.[30] Digital Mystikz brought an expanded palette of sounds and influences to the genre, most prominently reggae and dub, as well as orchestral melodies.[38]

After releasing 12-inch singles on Big Apple, they founded DMZ Records, which has released fourteen 12"s to date. They also began their night DMZ, held every two months in Brixton,[39] a part of London already strongly associated with reggae.[40] DMZ has showcased new dubstep artists such as Skream, Kode 9, Benga, Pinch, DJ Youngsta, Hijak, Joe Nice, and Vex'd. DMZ's first anniversary event (at the Mass venue, a converted church) saw fans attending from places as far away as Sweden, the United States, and Australia, leading to a queue of 600 people at the event.[41] This forced the club to move from its regular 400-capacity space[9] to Mass' main room, an event cited as a pivotal moment in dubstep's history.[17][42] Later Mala would also found the influential label Deep Medi Musik.[43]

In 2004, Richard James' label, Rephlex, released two compilations that included dubstep tracks – the (perhaps misnamed) Grime and Grime 2. The first featured Plasticman, Mark One and Slaughter Mob,[44] with Kode 9, Loefah, and Digital Mystikz appearing on the second.[45] These compilations helped to raise awareness of dubstep at a time when the grime sound was drawing more attention,[30] and Digital Mystikz and Loefah's presence on the second release contributed to the success of their DMZ club night.[46] Soon afterwards, the Independent on Sunday commented on "a whole new sound", at a time when both genres were becoming popular, stating that "grime" and "dubstep" were two names for the same style, which was also known as "sublow", "8-bar", and "eskibeat".[47]

2005–2008: Growth

 
Dubstep Section at Black Market Records, Soho, London.

In the summer of 2005, Forward>> brought grime DJs to the fore of the line up.[48] Building on the success of Skream's grimey anthem "Midnight Request Line", the hype around the DMZ night and support from online forums (notably dubstepforum.com)[15] and media,[9] the scene gained prominence after Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs gathered top figures from the scene for one show, entitled "Dubstep Warz", (later releasing the compilation album Warrior Dubz).[41] The show created a new global audience for the scene, after years of exclusively UK underground buzz.[15] Burial's self-titled album appearing in many critics' "Best of ..." lists for the year, notably The Wire's Best Album of 2006.[49] The sound was also featured prominently in the soundtrack for the 2006 sci-fi film Children of Men,[50] which included Digital Mystikz, Random Trio, Kode 9, Pressure and DJ Pinch.[51] Ammunition also released the first retrospective compilation of the 2000–2004 era of dubstep called The Roots of Dubstep, co-compiled by Ammunition and Blackdown on the Tempa Label.[52]

The sound's first North American ambassador, Baltimore DJ Joe Nice helped kickstart its spread into the continent.[15] Regular Dubstep club nights started appearing in cities like New York,[53] San Francisco,[32] Seattle, Montreal, Houston, and Denver,[54] while Mary Anne Hobbs curated a Dubstep showcase at 2007's Sónar festival in Barcelona.[17] Non-British artists have also won praise within the larger Dubstep community.[17] The dynamic dubstep scene in Japan is growing quickly despite its cultural and geographical distance from the West. Such DJ/producers as Goth-Trad, Hyaku-mado, Ena and Doppelganger are major figures in the Tokyo scene.[55] Joe Nice has played at DMZ,[56] while the fifth instalment of Tempa's "Dubstep Allstars" mix series (released in 2007) included tracks by Finnish producer Tes La Rok and Americans JuJu and Matty G.[57]

Techno artists and DJs began assimilating dubstep into their sets and productions.[17] Shackleton's "Blood on My Hands" was remixed by minimal techno producer Ricardo Villalobos (an act reciprocated when Villalobos included a Shackleton mix on his "Vasco" EP)[58] and included on a mix CD by Panoramabar resident Cassy.[17] Ellen Allien and Apparat's 2006 song "Metric" (from the Orchestra of Bubbles album),[59][60] Modeselektor's "Godspeed" (from the 2007's Happy Birthday! album, among other tracks on that same album) and Roman Flugel's remix of Riton's "Hammer of Thor" are other examples of dubstep-influenced techno.[17] Berlin's Hard Wax record store (operated by influential[61] dub techno artists Basic Channel)[62][63] has also championed Shackleton's Skull Disco label, later broadening its focus to include other dubstep releases.[16]

The summer of 2007 saw dubstep's musical palette expand further, with Benga and Coki scoring a crossover hit (in a similar manner to Skream's "Midnight Request Line") with the track "Night", which gained widespread play from DJs in a diverse range of genres. BBC Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson named it his record of 2007, and it was also a massive hit in the equally bassline-orientated, but decidedly more four-to-the-floor genre of bassline house,[64] whilst Burial's late 2007 release Untrue (which was nominated for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Music Prize in the UK) incorporated extensive use of heavily manipulated, mostly female, 'girl next door' vocal samples.[65] Burial has spoken at length regarding his intent to reincorporate elements of musical precursors such as 2-step garage and house into his sound.[66]

Much like drum and bass before it, dubstep started to become incorporated into other media. In 2007, Benga, Skream, and other dubstep producers provided the soundtrack to much of the second series of Dubplate Drama, which aired on Channel 4 with a soundtrack CD later released on Rinse Recordings. A track by Skream also featured in the second series of the teen drama Skins, which also aired on Channel 4 in early 2008.[67]

In the summer of 2008, Mary Anne Hobbs invited Cyrus, Starkey, Oneman, DJ Chef, Silkie, Quest, Joker, Nomad, Kulture and MC Sgt Pokes to the BBC's Maida Vale studios for a show called Generation Bass. The show was the evolution from her seminal BBC Radio 1 Dubstepwarz Show in 2006, and further documented another set of dubstep's producers.[68][69][70][71]

Silkie and Quest, along with Kromestar and Heny G would all come through the Anti-Social Entertainment crew, with a show on Rinse FM and later Flex FM.[72]

As the genre has spread to become an international rather than UK-centric scene, it has also seen a number of women making headway into the scene in a variety of ways. Alongside Soulja of Ammunition Promotions and Mary Anne Hobbs, an influx of female producers, writers, photographers and DJs all have broken through in the up-til-then male orientated scene. With key 12" releases on Hyperdub, Immigrant and Hotflush Recordings, producers Vaccine, Subeena and Ikonika have introduced a palette of new sounds and influences to the genre, such as double-time bass drums, 8-bit video game samples, hand percussion and lushly arranged strings.[73] Mary Anne Hobbs commented that, unlike "Grime and drum 'n' bass raves, the mood at dubstep nights is less aggressive, or more meditative, leading to a larger female attendance at events than with the genre's precursors. You see the female-to-male ratio constantly going up – it's got the potential to be 40:60".[73]

2009–2014: Mainstream popularity

 
Borgore performing for crowds on 7 July 2011 at the 10th Anniversary Camp Bisco Music Festival in Mariaville Lake, New York.

The influence of dubstep on more commercial or popular genres can be identified as far back as 2007, with artists such as Britney Spears using dubstep sounds; critics observed a dubstep influence in the song "Freakshow", from the 2007 album Blackout, which Tom Ewing described as "built around the 'wobbler' effect that's a genre standby."[74][75] Benga and Coki's single "Night" still continued to be a popular track on the UK dance chart more than a year after its release in late 2007, still ranking in the top five at the start of April 2008 on Pete Tong's BBC Radio 1 dance chart list.[76]

However, the year 2009 saw the dubstep sound gaining further worldwide recognition, often through the assimilation of elements of the sound into other genres, in a manner similar to drum and bass before it. At the start of the year, UK electronic duo La Roux put their single "In for the Kill" in the remix hands of Skream.[77][78] They then gave remix duties of "I'm Not Your Toy" to Nero and then again with their single "Bulletproof" being remixed by Zinc. The same year, London producer Silkie released an influential album, City Limits Vol. 1, on the Deep Medi Musik label, using 1970s funk and soul reference points, a departure from the familiar strains of dub and UK garage.[79] The sound also continued to interest the mainstream press with key articles in magazines like Interview, New York, and The Wire, which featured producer Kode9 on its May 2009 cover. XLR8R put Joker on the cover of its December 2009 issue.[80][81][82]

In April 2009, UKF Dubstep, a YouTube channel brand was founded by Luke Hood which introduced Dubstep to many young generations internationally at the time. UKF Dubstep has exploded in popularity as the music genre has hit the mainstream. In November 2010 the channel had 100,000 subscribers, and as of November 2019 has over one million.[83] "UKF features established and up and coming producers from around the world, featuring artists from Flux Pavilion / Knife Party to Friction / Hybrid Minds. We’re sent a huge amount of music so it’s our job to pick the best to upload on the channel for our audience to listen to. In just over 3 years our channels now have more than 2m subscribers and 4 channels – UKF Dubstep, Drum & Bass, Music and Mixes. The audience is getting more and more International and younger." Luke said on the interview with SoSoActive.[84]

In a move foreshadowed by endorsements of the sound from R&B, hip-hop and recently, mainstream figures such as Rihanna, or The Bomb Squad's Hank Shocklee,[85] Snoop Dogg collaborated with dubstep producers Chase & Status, providing a vocal for their "underground anthem", "Eastern Jam".[86] The 2011 Britney Spears track "Hold It Against Me" was also responsible for promoting dubstep tropes within pop music.[87] Rihanna's Rated R album released such content the very year dubstep saw a spike, containing three dubstep tracks.[88] Such events propelled the genre into the biggest radio markets overnight, with considerable airplay.[89] Other hip-hop artists like Xzibit added their vocals to dubstep instrumental tracks for the mixtape project Mr Grustle & Tha Russian Dubstep LA Embrace The Renaissance Vol. 1 Mixed by Plastician.[89][90] In summer 2009, rapper and actress Eve used Benga's "E Trips"; adding her own verses over the beat to create a new tune called "Me N My"; the first single from her unreleased album Flirt. The track was co-produced by Benga and hip hop producer Salaam Remi.[91][92]

Throughout 2010, the presence of dubstep in the pop charts was notable, with "I Need Air" by Magnetic Man reaching number 10 in the UK singles chart. This presented a turning point in the popularity of mainstream dubstep amongst UK listeners as it was placed on rotation on BBC Radio 1.[93] "Katy on a Mission" by Katy B (produced by Benga) followed, debuting at number 5 in the UK singles chart, and stayed in the top 10 for five more weeks.[94] Also in 2010, American producer Skrillex achieved moderate commercial success in North America with a dubstep-influenced sound. By 2011 his EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites had peaked at number three on the U.S.Billboard Dance/Electronic album charts.[95] In February 2011, Chase & Status's second album No More Idols reached No. 2 in the UK album chart.[96] On 1 May 2011, Nero's third single "Guilt" from their album reached number 8 in the Official UK Singles Chart.[97] DJ Fresh and Nero both had number one singles in 2011 with "Louder" and "Promises".[98] Strong baselines imported from dubstep continued in popular music with the Taylor Swift song "I Knew You Were Trouble", which made number 1 on Billboard's U.S. Mainstream Top 40 chart.[99][100]

2011: Post-dubstep

Main article: Post-dubstep
See also: List of post-dubstep musicians and UK bass
 
James Blake performing at Glastonbury Festival, June 2011

In early 2011, the term "post-dubstep" (sometimes known as "UK bass" or simply "bass music") was used to describe club music that was influenced by certain aspects of dubstep.[101] Such music often references earlier dubstep productions as well as UK garage, 2-step and other forms of underground electronic dance music.[102][103][104] Artists producing music described as post-dubstep have also incorporated elements of ambient music and early R&B. The latter in particular is heavily sampled by three artists described as post-dubstep: Mount Kimbie, Fantastic Mr Fox and James Blake.[105][106] The tempo of music typically characterised as post-dubstep is approximately 130 beats per minute.[101]

The breadth of styles that have come to be associated with the term post-dubstep preclude it from being a specific musical genre. Pitchfork writer Martin Clark has suggested that "well-meaning attempts to loosely define the ground we're covering here are somewhat futile and almost certainly flawed. This is not one genre. However, given the links, interaction, and free-flowing ideas ... you can't dismiss all these acts as unrelated"[101] The production duo Mount Kimbie is often associated with the origination of the term post-dubstep.[107] English music producer Jamie xx released remixes which are considered post-dubstep, including We're New Here (2011), a Gil Scott-Heron remix album.[102]

2011: Brostep and American developments

 
Skrillex performing in 2012

In 2011, dubstep gained significant traction in the US market, by way of a post-dubstep style known as brostep, with the American producer Skrillex becoming something of a "poster boy" for the scene.[108][109][110] In September 2011, a Spin Magazine EDM special referred to brostep as a "lurching and aggressive" variant of dubstep that has proven commercially successful in the United States.[111] Unlike traditional dubstep production styles, which emphasise sub-bass content, brostep accentuates the middle register and features "robotic fluctuations and metal-esque aggression".[112] According to Simon Reynolds, as dubstep gained larger audiences and moved from smaller club-based venues to larger outdoor events, sub-sonic content was gradually replaced by distorted bass riffs that function roughly in the same register as the electric guitar in heavy metal.[113]

The term brostep has been used by some as a pejorative descriptor for a style of popular Americanised dubstep.[108] The producer known as Rusko himself claimed in an interview on BBC Radio 1Xtra that "brostep is sort of my fault, but now I've started to hate it in a way ... It's like someone screaming in your face ... you don't want that."[114] According to a BBC review of his 2012 album Songs, the record was a muddled attempt by Rusko to realign his music with a "Jamaican inheritance" and distance it from the "belching, aggressive, resolutely macho" dubstep produced by his contemporaries.[115]

Commenting on the success of American producers such as Skrillex, Skream stated: "I think it hurts a lot of people over here because it's a UK sound, but it's been someone with influences outside the original sound that has made it a lot bigger. The bad side of that is that a lot of people will just say 'dubstep equals Skrillex'. But in all honesty it genuinely doesn't bother me. I like the music he makes."[116] Other North American artists that were initially associated with the brostep sound were Canadian producers Datsik and Excision. Their production style has been described by Mixmag as "a viciously harsh, yet brilliantly produced sound that appealed more to Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails fans than it did to lovers of UK garage".[117] The brostep sound also attracted the attention of metal bands. Nu metal band Korn's 2011 album The Path of Totality features several collaborations with electronic music producers, including Skrillex and Excision.[118]

2012–2013: Riddim

Main article: Riddim (EDM)

In the early 2010s, UK artists began to play with a style of dubstep reminiscent of a resurgence or continuation of original British dubstep styles. This became known as Riddim, a name coined by British producer Jakes around 2012. The name comes from the Jamaican Patois term riddim, which refers to the instrumental of dub, reggae and dancehall music.[119] Riddim is characterised by repetitive and minimalist sub-bass and triplet percussion arrangements, similar to original dubstep, with a sound described as "wonky".[119][120] Riddim is looked upon as a subgenre of dubstep, similarly to other sub genres like bro-step, drum-step, and wobble-step.[119] It started gaining significant popularity around 2015.[121] It is said that those who enjoy this style of music describe it as the "dirtier, swaggier" side of dubstep, whereas those looking at this from the outside, claim that it is "repetitive and chaotic".[119] Notable artists of the genre include Subfiltronik, Bukez Finezt, P0gman, Badklaat, 50 Carrot, Dubloadz and Coffi.[122] Notable tracks of the genre include "Yasuo" by Bommer and Crowell, "Orgalorg" by Infekt, and "Jotaro" by Phiso.[119][123] Some commentators have suggested that Riddim is not a genre in its own right and is instead just a style of dubstep. Riddim producer Oolacile states "A lot of people who have been around a lot longer have a different idea of what riddim is. Older fans consider riddim to be the swampy, repetitive sound, and newer fans will associate riddim with the sound of the underground."[119]

2014–present: Decline in mainstream popularity

Beginning in mid-2014, dubstep began to decline drastically in mainstream popularity, particularly in the United States, where many formerly successful dubstep artists became popular. Artists such as Skrillex, for instance, moved on to producing tracks for trap and pop artists,[124][125][126] while artists such as Mount Kimbie and James Blake shifted their sounds from post-dubstep into more experimental or soulful electronic influenced music.[127][128] Pioneers of dubstep such as Skream and Loefah moved away from the genre, moving on to other genres instead. Loefah stopped playing and producing dubstep and moved on to UK bass, founding his record label Swamp81 in the process.[129] Skream shifted away from dubstep, choosing to instead produce and play house and techno music in his DJ sets and releasing various techno songs on Alan Fitzpatrick's record label We Are The Brave.[130][131]

See also

References

  1. ^ AllMusic - Dubstep 23 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d Reynolds, S.(2012),Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Perseus Books; Reprint edition (5 January 2012), pages 511–516, (ISBN 978-1-59376-407-4).
  3. ^ The Big Big Sound System Splashdown 9 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, New Musical Express, 21 February 1981, ISSN 0028-6362.
  4. ^ IMO Records "Hatcha Biography" 12 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine, IMO Records, London, 17 October 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Keeping It Peel: Festive 50s – 2004". BBC Radio One. BBC. from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  6. ^ Wilson, Michael (1 November 2006). "Bubble and Squeak: Michael Wilson on Dubstep". Artforum International. from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b de Wilde, Gervase (14 October 2006). "Put a Bit of Dub in Your Step". The Daily Telegraph. London. from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e O'Connell, Sharon (4 October 2006). . Time Out London. Time Out Group. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  9. ^ a b c Clark, Martin (16 November 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  10. ^ Joe Moor (3 January 2012). "Dubstep: How Has It Become So Popular?". The Edge. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  11. ^ . AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d "The Primer: Dubstep". The Wire. No. 279. April 2011. ISSN 0952-0686.
  13. ^ Pearsall (18 June 2005). "Interview: Plasticman". Riddim.ca. from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  14. ^ Kuhn, Will; Manzo, V.J. (2015). Interactive Composition: Strategies Using Ableton Live and Max for Live. Oxford. p. 195.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g McKinnon, Matthew (30 January 2007). . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  16. ^ a b c Clark, Martin (23 May 2007). "Grime / Dubstep". Pitchfork. from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sande, Kiran (7 June 2007). "Dubstep 101". Resident Advisor. from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  18. ^ "Invisible Jukebox". The Wire. No. 269. July 2006. ISSN 0952-0686.
  19. ^ Clark, Martin (6 November 2009). "The Year in Grime / Dubstep: The Year in Dubstep, Grime, and Funky 2009". Pitchfork. from the original on 27 March 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011. No summary of the year in dubstep would be complete without the ever-expanding wobble side of the scene, recently hilariously and accurately renamed "brostep". In the UK, the wobble sound is now the default dubstep position for many fans, as the scene commands an increasing share of the Friday night/student/super club market.
  20. ^ Reynolds, Simon (20 March 2012). Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture. Soft Skull Press. ISBN 978-1-59376-407-4.
  21. ^ . GetDarker. 15 August 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  22. ^ Clark, Martin (14 July 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  23. ^ Earp, Matt (30 August 2006). . XLR8R. Amalgam Media. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  24. ^ Hammond, Bob (20 July 2008). "How Low Can it Go: The Evolution of Dubstep". New York Holdings. from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  25. ^ Warren, Emma (4 March 2007). "Rising Star: DMZ, Music Collective". The Observer. London. from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  26. ^ . Inyourbass.com. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  27. ^ . Kiss 100 London. Bauer Radio. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  28. ^ Gurney, Mark (18 December 2007). "Markle Said Wha?: Plastician Interview (as featured in ATM Magazine 7 Nov)". Markleman.blogspot.com. from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  29. ^ "Rave From the Grave: Skull Disco". The Wire. No. 281. July 2007. ISSN 0952-0686.
  30. ^ a b c d e Mugan, Chris (28 July 2006). "Dubstep: Straight outta Croydon". The Independent. London: Independent Print. from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  31. ^ a b c Clark, Martin (25 January 2006). "The Month In: Grime/Dubstep". Pitchfork. from the original on 19 March 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  32. ^ a b Keast, Darren (15 November 2006). "Dawn of Dubstep: Will this Bass-heavy Dance Phenomenon Blow Out Only Your Speakers or Will it Really Blow Up?". SF Weekly. from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  33. ^ a b Warren, Emma (1 August 2007). "The Dubstep Explosion!". DJ Magazine. No. 46. p. 32.
  34. ^ Clark, Martin (12 April 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  35. ^ . Forward>>. June 2006. Archived from the original on 16 June 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  36. ^ Fiddy, Chantelle (19 March 2006). "Introducing ... Kode 9". Chantelle Fiddy's World of Whatever. from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  37. ^ Clark, Martin (22 June 2005). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  38. ^ Clark, Martin (20 July 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  39. ^ Churchill, Tom (September 2009). . Clash. London. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  40. ^ Clark, Martin (25 May 2005). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  41. ^ a b . Rewind Magazine. London. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  42. ^ Clark, Martin (8 March 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  43. ^ "In Profile: A Plotted History of Deep Medi". Fabric. 11 May 2016.
  44. ^ Chan, Sebastian (June 2004). . Cyclic Defrost. No. 8. Sydney. ISSN 1832-4835. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  45. ^ Chan, Sebastian (January 2005). . Cyclic Defrost. No. 10. Sydney. ISSN 1832-4835. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  46. ^ Clark, Martin (11 September 2005). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
  47. ^ Braddock, Kevin (22 February 2004). . The Independent. London: Independent Print. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  48. ^ Martin, Clark (22 June 2005). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  49. ^ Butler, Nick (19 June 2007). "Burial: Burial". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  50. ^ Reynolds, Simon (30 January 2007). "Reasons to Be Cheerful (Just Three)". The Village Voice. from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  51. ^ "Cast and Credits for 'Children of Men'". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  52. ^ Chan, Sebastian (November 2006). . Cyclic Defrost. No. 15. Sydney. ISSN 1832-4835. Archived from the original on 3 September 2007.
  53. ^ "Brand New Heavy". Time Out New York. No. 544. March 2006. ISSN 1084-550X.
  54. ^ Palermo, Tomas (18 June 2007). . XLR8R. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  55. ^ McBride, Blair (19 March 2010). "Japan's Dubstep Forges Own Path". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  56. ^ Clark, Martin (8 March 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  57. ^ Warren, Emma (22 April 2007). "Various, Dubstep Allstars 5 – Mixed By DJ N-Type". The Observer. from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  58. ^ Finney, Tim (22 June 2008). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  59. ^ De Young, Nate (19 April 2006). "Ellen Allien & Apparat: Orchestra of Bubbles". Stylus Magazine. from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  60. ^ Sherburne, Philip (3 May 2006). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  61. ^ Wasacz, Walter (11 October 2004). "Losing Your Mind in Berlin". Metro Times. from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  62. ^ "philip sherburne: November 2005 Archives". Phs.abstractdynamics.org. from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  63. ^ Blackdown (1 April 2007). "Blackdown: One Friday night". Blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com. from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  64. ^ . Pitchforkmedia.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  65. ^ Porter, Christopher (20 May 2008). "Burial: Beautiful Dread, Inviting and Sinister : NPR Music". NPR. from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  66. ^ Goodman, Steve (1 November 2007). "Kode9 interviews Burial". Hyperdub. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
  67. ^ Q&A with Kyle Lynd - How to get your music on Skins 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, BBC Introducing blog, 10-Feb-2010
  68. ^ "Mary Anne Hobbs – TV". BBC. from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  69. ^ "Broadcast Yourself". from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2009 – via YouTube.
  70. ^ "Radio One Hosts Generation Bass " RWD". Rwdmag.com. 18 August 2008. from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  71. ^ . n3k4.com. 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  72. ^ "Jay 5ive - FABRICLIVE x Tempo Clash Mix - fabric blog". Fabric. 7 March 2013.
  73. ^ a b . Timeout.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  74. ^ Ewing, Tom (20 November 2007). . Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  75. ^ Segal, Dave (6 November 2007). . Heard Mentality:The OC Weekly Music Blog. Village Voice Media. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  76. ^ "Radio 1 – BBC Radio 1's Chart Show with Reggie Yates – UK Top 40 Dance Singles". BBC. 24 February 2007. from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  77. ^ Grundy, Gareth (15 March 2009). "Electronic review: La Roux, In For the Kill (Skream remix) | Music". The Observer. London. from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  78. ^ "Freeload: La Roux, "In for the Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) " The FADER". Thefader.com. 14 April 2009. from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  79. ^ Clark, Martin. "Grime/Dubstep". Pitchfork. from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  80. ^ Needham, Alex (23 December 2008). "The London Dubstep Scene". Interview Magazine. from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  81. ^ "Adventures in Modern Music: Issues". The Wire. from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  82. ^ . XLR8R. Archived from the original on 20 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  83. ^ Hick, Melanie (14 December 2011). "Luke Hood, The 19 Year Old From UKF Dubstep Tops YouTube Charts". from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  84. ^ . 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  85. ^ . Dazedgroup.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  86. ^ "Interviews: Chase & Status". M Magazine. PRS for Music. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  87. ^ Cragg, Michael (10 January 2011). "New music: Britney Spears – Hold It Against Me". The Guardian. London. from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  88. ^ Green, Thomas H (18 November 2009). "Chase & Status Interview". The Daily Telegraph. London. from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  89. ^ a b "Dubstep it up– Features, Music". The Independent. London. 24 April 2009. from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  90. ^ "Alexander Spit". Dubstepped.net. 19 May 2009. from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  91. ^ "Track Reviews: Eve – "Me N My (Up in the Club)"". Pitchfork. 12 August 2009. from the original on 18 November 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  92. ^ "Eve, "Me N My (prod. by Salaam Remi & Benga)" MP3 " The FADER". Thefader.com. from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  93. ^ Magnetic Man – 'I Need Air' 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC – Chart Blog
  94. ^ UK Charts: Week Ending 04-September–2010
  95. ^ David Jeffries. "Skrillex - Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  96. ^ "Chase & Status – No More Idols". Official Charts Company. from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  97. ^ UK Charts: Week Ending 07-May–2011
  98. ^ "All The Official Singles Chart Number 1s". from the original on 2 January 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  99. ^ Macsai, Dan (19 October 2012). "Taylor Swift on Going Pop, Ignoring the Gossip and the Best (Worst) Nickname She's Ever Had". Time. from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  100. ^ Trust, Gary (4 March 2013). "Chart Highlights: Demi Lovato 'Attack's Pop Songs". Billboard. from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  101. ^ a b c Clark, Martin (4 May 2011). "Grime / Dubstep". Pitchfork. from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  102. ^ a b Aaron, Charles (4 March 2011). "10 Post-Dubstep Artists Who Matter". Spin. from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  103. ^ Moore, Thad (12 July 2011). . The Daily Gamecock. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
  104. ^ Guidry, Jake (19 May 2011). . XLR8R. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011.
  105. ^ "Fantastic Mr Fox (No 910)". The Guardian. 6 January 2011. from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  106. ^ "A profile of James Blake – post-dubstep artist". BBC News. 6 January 2011. from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  107. ^ Jeffries, David. "Crooks & Lovers – Mount Kimbie". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  108. ^ a b "Bass Invasion". Miami New Times. 15 December 2011. from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  109. ^ "'The potential for disaster was just too big': small Canadian city shuts down Skrillex gig – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  110. ^ . Mixmag. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  111. ^ Dubstep 101: A U.S. Primer 22 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Andrew Gaerig, 12 September, Spin Magazine, Spin Media LLC.
  112. ^ "Dubstep Maker: The Software & Video Tutorial You Need". Ledger Note. from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  113. ^ Simon Reynolds, The Art of the Groove, in Computer Music, Computer Music Specials (p. 9), Wed 26 October 2011, Future Publishing Limited
  114. ^ Rietmulder, Michael. . Vita.mn. Star Tribune Media Company LLC. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  115. ^ Mellisa Bradshaw,"Dubstep producer tries aligning his output with Jamaican originals, with muddled results." BBC, March 2012.
  116. ^ I Like The Music Skrillex Makes': An Interview With Skream, The Quietus, 19 December 2011, TheQuietus.com
  117. ^ Muggs, Joe (12 December 2011). . Mixmag. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  118. ^ "Korn Team with Skrillex, More Dubstep Producers for New Album". Rolling Stone. from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  119. ^ a b c d e f . Insomniac. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  120. ^ . iedm.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  121. ^ Ullah-Blocks, Jayce (25 March 2018). . EDM Identity. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  122. ^ Conte, Chris (30 March 2017). "The Rise of Riddim: What's this latest bass craze all about?". Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  123. ^ Stevo (8 March 2017). . EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  124. ^ Sherborne, Philip (5 April 2016). "Popping the Drop: A Timeline of How EDM's Bubble Burst". Pitchfork.com. Conde Nast. from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  125. ^ Chris, Riemenschneider (13 August 2015). "Metalhead turned dance-music star Bassnectar is happy to headline this weekend's Summer Set fest because its lineup is more eclectic than "electronic."". Startribune.com. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018. Dubstep obviously is already a thing of the past.
  126. ^ Champagne, Jesse (14 March 2014). "Dubstep May Be Dying, Just Don't Tell Canadians That". Vice.com. VICE Magazine. from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018. Dubstep is DEAD… The movement is over.
  127. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (7 September 2017). "Mount Kimbie: Love What Survives review – electric wit and wisdom from London synth duo". The Guardian. from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  128. ^ Lozano, Kevin (10 May 2016). "James Blake: The Colour in Anything". Pitchfork Media. from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  129. ^ Szatan, Gabriel (14 February 2013). "Pleasure Principle: Loefah". Clash Magazine. from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  130. ^ Abbott, Jeremy (26 October 2017). "Skream shares the tracks lighting up his marathon Open-To-Close sets". Mixmag. from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  131. ^ Manganiello, Anthony (14 July 2018). "Skream goes full techno on new single, 'Poison' - Dancing Astronaut". Dancing Astronaut. from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dubstep.
  • GetDarker An online magazine full of interviews, articles, photos from events and videos.
  • 10 Years of ... Dubstep 19 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine A week dedicated to the movement by Drowned in Sound
  • The Month In: Grime/Dubstep Columns by Martin Clark on Pitchfork
  • BBC Collective dubstep documentary filmed at DMZ 1st Birthday, 2005. Interviews with Mala, Loefah, Skream, Kode9, Youngsta ...

March 05, 2023
dubstep, genre, electronic, dance, music, that, originated, south, london, early, 2000s, style, emerged, garage, offshoot, that, blended, step, rhythms, sparse, production, well, incorporating, elements, broken, beat, grime, drum, bass, united, kingdom, origin. Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot 1 that blended 2 step rhythms and sparse dub production as well as incorporating elements of broken beat grime and drum and bass 2 In the United Kingdom the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s 2 3 DubstepStylistic origins2 stepUK garagedubbreakbeatgrimereggaejungledrum and bassCultural originsEarly 2000s London England United KingdomDerivative formsBrostepfuture garagepost dubstepriddimTrap music EDM Other topicsList of musiciansDubstep is generally characterised by the use of syncopated rhythmic patterns with prominent basslines and a dark tone In 2001 this underground sound and other strains of garage music began to be showcased and promoted at London s night club Plastic People at the Forward night sometimes stylised as FWD gt gt and on the pirate radio station Rinse FM which went on to be considerably influential to the development of dubstep The term dubstep in reference to a genre of music began to be used by around 2002 by labels such as Big Apple Ammunition and Tempa by which time stylistic trends used in these remixes became more noticeable and distinct from 2 step and grime 4 A very early supporter of the sound was BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel who started playing it from 2003 onwards In 2004 the last year of his show his listeners voted Distance Digital Mystikz and Plastician in their top 50 for the year 5 Dubstep started to enter mainstream British popular culture when it spread beyond small local scenes in late 2005 and early 2006 many websites devoted to the genre appeared on the Internet and aided the growth of the scene such as dubstepforum the download site Barefiles and blogs such as gutterbreakz 6 Simultaneously the genre was receiving extensive coverage in music magazines such as The Wire and online publications such as Pitchfork with a regular feature entitled The Month In Grime Dubstep Interest in dubstep grew significantly after BBC Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs started championing the genre beginning with a show devoted to it entitled Dubstep Warz in January 2006 7 8 9 Towards the end of the 2000s and into the early 2010s the genre started to become more commercially successful in the UK with more singles and remixes entering the music charts Music journalists and critics also noticed a dubstep influence in several pop artists work Around this time producers also began to fuse elements of the original dubstep sound with other influences creating fusion genres including future garage and the slower and more experimental post dubstep The harsher electro house and heavy metal influenced variant brostep led by American producers such as Skrillex greatly contributed to dubstep s popularity in the United States 10 Contents 1 Characteristics 1 1 Rhythm 1 2 Wobble bass 1 3 Structure bass drops rewinds and MCs 2 History 2 1 1999 2002 Origins 2 2 2002 2005 Evolution 2 3 2005 2008 Growth 2 4 2009 2014 Mainstream popularity 2 4 1 2011 Post dubstep 2 4 2 2011 Brostep and American developments 2 4 3 2012 2013 Riddim 2 5 2014 present Decline in mainstream popularity 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksCharacteristics Dubstep rhythm example source source Excerpt demonstrating the rhythmic tension generated between the drum rhythm and bassline This song features a very sparse rhythm almost entirely composed of kick drum snare drum and a sparse hi hat with a distinctly half time implied 71bpm tempo The track is instead propelled by a sub bass following a four to the floor 142bpm pattern Problems playing this file See media help The music website Allmusic has described dubstep s overall sound as tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns clipped samples and occasional vocals 11 According to Simon Reynolds dubstep s constituents originally came from different points in the 1989 99 UK lineage bleep n bass jungle techstep Photek style neurofunk speed garage and 2 step 2 Reynolds comments that the traces of pre existing styles worked through their intrinsic sonic effects but also as signifiers tokenings back addressed to those who know 2 Dubstep s early roots are in the more experimental releases of UK garage producers seeking to incorporate elements of drum and bass into the 2 step garage sound These experiments often ended up on the B side of a white label or commercial garage release 7 12 13 Dubstep is generally instrumental Similar to a vocal garage hybrid grime the genre s feel is commonly dark tracks frequently use a minor key or the Phrygian mode and can feature dissonant harmonies such as the tritone interval within a riff 14 Compared to other styles of garage music dubstep tends to be more minimalistic focusing on prominent sub bass frequencies 15 Some dubstep artists have also incorporated a variety of outside influences from dub influenced techno such as Basic Channel to classical music or heavy metal 15 16 17 Rhythm Dubstep rhythms are usually syncopated and often shuffled or incorporating tuplets The tempo is nearly always in the range of 132 142 beats per minute with a clap or snare usually inserted every third beat in a bar 15 In its early stages dubstep was often more percussive with more influences from two step drum patterns Many producers were also experimenting with tribal drum samples such as Loefah s early release Truly Dread and Mala s Anti War Dub In an Invisible Jukebox interview with The Wire Kode9 commented on a MRK1 track observing that listeners have internalized the double time rhythm and the track is so empty it makes the listener nervous and you almost fill in the double time yourself physically to compensate 18 Wobble bass One characteristic of certain strands of dubstep is the wobble bass often referred to as the wub where an extended bass note is manipulated rhythmically This style of bass is typically produced by using a low frequency oscillator to manipulate certain parameters of a synthesiser such as volume distortion or filter cutoff The resulting sound is a timbre that is punctuated by rhythmic variations in volume filter cutoff or distortion This style of bass is a driving factor in some variations of dubstep particularly at the more club friendly end of the spectrum 19 Wobble bass has been nicknamed Wobble step 20 Structure bass drops rewinds and MCs Originally dubstep releases had some structural similarities to other genres like drum and bass and UK garage Typically this would comprise an intro a main section often incorporating a bass drop a midsection a second main section similar to the first often with another drop and an outro Many early dubstep tracks incorporate one or more bass drops a characteristic inherited from drum and bass Typically the percussion will pause often reducing the track to silence and then resume with more intensity accompanied by a dominant sub bass often passing portamento through an entire octave or more as in the audio example It is very common for the bass to drop at or very close to 55 seconds into the song because 55 seconds is just over 32 measures at the common tempo of 140 bpm However this or the existence of a bass drop in general is by no means a completely rigid characteristic rather a trope a large portion of seminal tunes from producers like Kode9 and Horsepower Productions have more experimental song structures which do not rely on a drop for a dynamic peak and in some instances do not feature a bass drop at all Rewinds or reloads 21 are another technique used by dubstep DJs If a song seems to be especially popular the DJ will spin back the record by hand without lifting the stylus and play the track in question again Rewinds are also an important live element in many of dubstep s precursors the technique originates in dub reggae soundsystems is widely employed by pirate radio stations and is also used at UK garage and jungle nights 22 Taking direct cues from Jamaica s lyrically sparse deejay and toasting mic styles in the vein of reggae pioneers like U Roy the MC s role in dubstep s live experience is critically important to its impact 23 Notable mainstays in the live experience of the sound are MC Sgt Pokes and MC Crazy D from London and Juakali from Trinidad 24 25 26 27 Production in a studio environment seems to lend itself to more experimentation Kode9 has collaborated extensively with the Spaceape who MCs in a dread poet style Kevin Martin s experiments with the genre are almost exclusively collaborations with MCs such as Warrior Queen Flowdan and Tippa Irie Skream has also featured Warrior Queen and grime artist JME on his debut album Skream Plastician who was one of the first DJ s to mix the sound of grime and dubstep together 16 has worked with notable grime setup Boy Better Know as well as renowned Grime MC s such as Wiley Dizzee Rascal and Lethal Bizzle He has also released tracks with a dubstep foundation and grime verses over the beats 28 Dubstep artist and label co owner Sam Shackleton has moved toward productions which fall outside the usual dubstep tempo and sometimes entirely lack most of the common tropes of the genre 29 History1999 2002 Origins The Big Apple Records shop in Croydon South London The early sounds of proto dubstep originally came out of productions during 1999 2000 by producers such as Oris Jay 17 El B 12 Steve Gurley 12 and Zed Bias 30 31 Ammunition Promotions who run the influential club night Forward gt gt and have managed many proto dubstep record labels including Tempa Soulja Road Vehicle Shelflife Texture Lifestyle and Bingo 8 17 began to use the term dubstep to describe this style of music in around 2002 The term s use in a 2002 XLR8R cover story featuring Horsepower Productions on the cover contributed to it becoming established as the name of the genre 30 32 Forward gt gt was originally held at the Velvet Rooms in London s Soho and later moved to Plastic People in Shoreditch east London 15 Founded in 2001 Forward gt gt was critical to the development of dubstep providing the first venue devoted to the sound and an environment in which dubstep producers could premier new music 33 Around this time Forward gt gt was also incubating several other strains of dark garage hybrids so much so that in the early days of the club the coming together of these strains was referred to as the Forward gt gt sound 34 An online flyer from around this time encapsulated the Forward gt gt sound as b lines to make your chest cavity shudder 35 Forward gt gt also ran a radio show on east London pirate station Rinse FM hosted by Kode9 36 The original Forward gt gt line ups included Hatcha Youngsta Kode 9 Zed Bias Oris Jay 17 Slaughter Mob Jay Da Flex DJ Slimzee and others plus regular guests The line up of residents has changed over the years to include Youngsta Hatcha Geeneus and Plastician with Crazy D as MC host Producers including D1 Skream and Benga make regular appearances 33 Mala of Digital Mystikz one of the pioneers of dubstep music Another crucial element in the early development of dubstep was the Big Apple Records record shop in Croydon 8 Key artists such as Hatcha and later Skream worked in the shop which initially sold early UK Hardcore Rave Techno and House and later garage and drum and bass but evolved with the emerging dubstep scene in the area 12 while Digital Mystikz were frequent visitors El B Zed Bias Horsepower Productions Plastician N Type Walsh and a young Loefah regularly visited the shop as well 8 The shop and its record label have since closed 30 2002 2005 Evolution Dubstep producer Skream one of the most widely known names on the scene since the beginning of the Dubstep movement All throughout 2003 DJ Hatcha pioneered a new direction for dubstep on Rinse FM and through his sets at Forward gt gt 8 31 Playing sets cut to 10 one off reggae style dubplates he drew exclusively from a pool of new South London producers first Benga and Skream 31 then also Digital Mystikz and Loefah to begin a dark clipped and minimal new direction in dubstep 37 At the end of 2003 running independently from the pioneering FWD night an event called Filthy Dub co promoted by Plastician and partner David Carlisle started happening regularly It was there that Skream Benga N Type Walsh Chef Loefah and Cyrus made their debuts as DJs South London collective Digital Mystikz Mala and Coki along with labelmates and collaborators Loefah and MC Sgt Pokes soon came into their own bringing sound system thinking dub values and appreciation of jungle bass weight to the dubstep scene 30 Digital Mystikz brought an expanded palette of sounds and influences to the genre most prominently reggae and dub as well as orchestral melodies 38 After releasing 12 inch singles on Big Apple they founded DMZ Records which has released fourteen 12 s to date They also began their night DMZ held every two months in Brixton 39 a part of London already strongly associated with reggae 40 DMZ has showcased new dubstep artists such as Skream Kode 9 Benga Pinch DJ Youngsta Hijak Joe Nice and Vex d DMZ s first anniversary event at the Mass venue a converted church saw fans attending from places as far away as Sweden the United States and Australia leading to a queue of 600 people at the event 41 This forced the club to move from its regular 400 capacity space 9 to Mass main room an event cited as a pivotal moment in dubstep s history 17 42 Later Mala would also found the influential label Deep Medi Musik 43 In 2004 Richard James label Rephlex released two compilations that included dubstep tracks the perhaps misnamed Grime and Grime 2 The first featured Plasticman Mark One and Slaughter Mob 44 with Kode 9 Loefah and Digital Mystikz appearing on the second 45 These compilations helped to raise awareness of dubstep at a time when the grime sound was drawing more attention 30 and Digital Mystikz and Loefah s presence on the second release contributed to the success of their DMZ club night 46 Soon afterwards the Independent on Sunday commented on a whole new sound at a time when both genres were becoming popular stating that grime and dubstep were two names for the same style which was also known as sublow 8 bar and eskibeat 47 2005 2008 Growth Dubstep Section at Black Market Records Soho London In the summer of 2005 Forward gt gt brought grime DJs to the fore of the line up 48 Building on the success of Skream s grimey anthem Midnight Request Line the hype around the DMZ night and support from online forums notably dubstepforum com 15 and media 9 the scene gained prominence after Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs gathered top figures from the scene for one show entitled Dubstep Warz later releasing the compilation album Warrior Dubz 41 The show created a new global audience for the scene after years of exclusively UK underground buzz 15 Burial s self titled album appearing in many critics Best of lists for the year notably The Wire s Best Album of 2006 49 The sound was also featured prominently in the soundtrack for the 2006 sci fi film Children of Men 50 which included Digital Mystikz Random Trio Kode 9 Pressure and DJ Pinch 51 Ammunition also released the first retrospective compilation of the 2000 2004 era of dubstep called The Roots of Dubstep co compiled by Ammunition and Blackdown on the Tempa Label 52 The sound s first North American ambassador Baltimore DJ Joe Nice helped kickstart its spread into the continent 15 Regular Dubstep club nights started appearing in cities like New York 53 San Francisco 32 Seattle Montreal Houston and Denver 54 while Mary Anne Hobbs curated a Dubstep showcase at 2007 s Sonar festival in Barcelona 17 Non British artists have also won praise within the larger Dubstep community 17 The dynamic dubstep scene in Japan is growing quickly despite its cultural and geographical distance from the West Such DJ producers as Goth Trad Hyaku mado Ena and Doppelganger are major figures in the Tokyo scene 55 Joe Nice has played at DMZ 56 while the fifth instalment of Tempa s Dubstep Allstars mix series released in 2007 included tracks by Finnish producer Tes La Rok and Americans JuJu and Matty G 57 BBC Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs Techno artists and DJs began assimilating dubstep into their sets and productions 17 Shackleton s Blood on My Hands was remixed by minimal techno producer Ricardo Villalobos an act reciprocated when Villalobos included a Shackleton mix on his Vasco EP 58 and included on a mix CD by Panoramabar resident Cassy 17 Ellen Allien and Apparat s 2006 song Metric from the Orchestra of Bubbles album 59 60 Modeselektor s Godspeed from the 2007 s Happy Birthday album among other tracks on that same album and Roman Flugel s remix of Riton s Hammer of Thor are other examples of dubstep influenced techno 17 Berlin s Hard Wax record store operated by influential 61 dub techno artists Basic Channel 62 63 has also championed Shackleton s Skull Disco label later broadening its focus to include other dubstep releases 16 The summer of 2007 saw dubstep s musical palette expand further with Benga and Coki scoring a crossover hit in a similar manner to Skream s Midnight Request Line with the track Night which gained widespread play from DJs in a diverse range of genres BBC Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson named it his record of 2007 and it was also a massive hit in the equally bassline orientated but decidedly more four to the floor genre of bassline house 64 whilst Burial s late 2007 release Untrue which was nominated for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Music Prize in the UK incorporated extensive use of heavily manipulated mostly female girl next door vocal samples 65 Burial has spoken at length regarding his intent to reincorporate elements of musical precursors such as 2 step garage and house into his sound 66 Much like drum and bass before it dubstep started to become incorporated into other media In 2007 Benga Skream and other dubstep producers provided the soundtrack to much of the second series of Dubplate Drama which aired on Channel 4 with a soundtrack CD later released on Rinse Recordings A track by Skream also featured in the second series of the teen drama Skins which also aired on Channel 4 in early 2008 67 In the summer of 2008 Mary Anne Hobbs invited Cyrus Starkey Oneman DJ Chef Silkie Quest Joker Nomad Kulture and MC Sgt Pokes to the BBC s Maida Vale studios for a show called Generation Bass The show was the evolution from her seminal BBC Radio 1 Dubstepwarz Show in 2006 and further documented another set of dubstep s producers 68 69 70 71 Silkie and Quest along with Kromestar and Heny G would all come through the Anti Social Entertainment crew with a show on Rinse FM and later Flex FM 72 As the genre has spread to become an international rather than UK centric scene it has also seen a number of women making headway into the scene in a variety of ways Alongside Soulja of Ammunition Promotions and Mary Anne Hobbs an influx of female producers writers photographers and DJs all have broken through in the up til then male orientated scene With key 12 releases on Hyperdub Immigrant and Hotflush Recordings producers Vaccine Subeena and Ikonika have introduced a palette of new sounds and influences to the genre such as double time bass drums 8 bit video game samples hand percussion and lushly arranged strings 73 Mary Anne Hobbs commented that unlike Grime and drum n bass raves the mood at dubstep nights is less aggressive or more meditative leading to a larger female attendance at events than with the genre s precursors You see the female to male ratio constantly going up it s got the potential to be 40 60 73 2009 2014 Mainstream popularity Borgore performing for crowds on 7 July 2011 at the 10th Anniversary Camp Bisco Music Festival in Mariaville Lake New York The influence of dubstep on more commercial or popular genres can be identified as far back as 2007 with artists such as Britney Spears using dubstep sounds critics observed a dubstep influence in the song Freakshow from the 2007 album Blackout which Tom Ewing described as built around the wobbler effect that s a genre standby 74 75 Benga and Coki s single Night still continued to be a popular track on the UK dance chart more than a year after its release in late 2007 still ranking in the top five at the start of April 2008 on Pete Tong s BBC Radio 1 dance chart list 76 However the year 2009 saw the dubstep sound gaining further worldwide recognition often through the assimilation of elements of the sound into other genres in a manner similar to drum and bass before it At the start of the year UK electronic duo La Roux put their single In for the Kill in the remix hands of Skream 77 78 They then gave remix duties of I m Not Your Toy to Nero and then again with their single Bulletproof being remixed by Zinc The same year London producer Silkie released an influential album City Limits Vol 1 on the Deep Medi Musik label using 1970s funk and soul reference points a departure from the familiar strains of dub and UK garage 79 The sound also continued to interest the mainstream press with key articles in magazines like Interview New York and The Wire which featured producer Kode9 on its May 2009 cover XLR8R put Joker on the cover of its December 2009 issue 80 81 82 In April 2009 UKF Dubstep a YouTube channel brand was founded by Luke Hood which introduced Dubstep to many young generations internationally at the time UKF Dubstep has exploded in popularity as the music genre has hit the mainstream In November 2010 the channel had 100 000 subscribers and as of November 2019 has over one million 83 UKF features established and up and coming producers from around the world featuring artists from Flux Pavilion Knife Party to Friction Hybrid Minds We re sent a huge amount of music so it s our job to pick the best to upload on the channel for our audience to listen to In just over 3 years our channels now have more than 2m subscribers and 4 channels UKF Dubstep Drum amp Bass Music and Mixes The audience is getting more and more International and younger Luke said on the interview with SoSoActive 84 In a move foreshadowed by endorsements of the sound from R amp B hip hop and recently mainstream figures such as Rihanna or The Bomb Squad s Hank Shocklee 85 Snoop Dogg collaborated with dubstep producers Chase amp Status providing a vocal for their underground anthem Eastern Jam 86 The 2011 Britney Spears track Hold It Against Me was also responsible for promoting dubstep tropes within pop music 87 Rihanna s Rated R album released such content the very year dubstep saw a spike containing three dubstep tracks 88 Such events propelled the genre into the biggest radio markets overnight with considerable airplay 89 Other hip hop artists like Xzibit added their vocals to dubstep instrumental tracks for the mixtape project Mr Grustle amp Tha Russian Dubstep LA Embrace The Renaissance Vol 1 Mixed by Plastician 89 90 In summer 2009 rapper and actress Eve used Benga s E Trips adding her own verses over the beat to create a new tune called Me N My the first single from her unreleased album Flirt The track was co produced by Benga and hip hop producer Salaam Remi 91 92 Throughout 2010 the presence of dubstep in the pop charts was notable with I Need Air by Magnetic Man reaching number 10 in the UK singles chart This presented a turning point in the popularity of mainstream dubstep amongst UK listeners as it was placed on rotation on BBC Radio 1 93 Katy on a Mission by Katy B produced by Benga followed debuting at number 5 in the UK singles chart and stayed in the top 10 for five more weeks 94 Also in 2010 American producer Skrillex achieved moderate commercial success in North America with a dubstep influenced sound By 2011 his EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites had peaked at number three on the U S Billboard Dance Electronic album charts 95 In February 2011 Chase amp Status s second album No More Idols reached No 2 in the UK album chart 96 On 1 May 2011 Nero s third single Guilt from their album reached number 8 in the Official UK Singles Chart 97 DJ Fresh and Nero both had number one singles in 2011 with Louder and Promises 98 Strong baselines imported from dubstep continued in popular music with the Taylor Swift song I Knew You Were Trouble which made number 1 on Billboard s U S Mainstream Top 40 chart 99 100 2011 Post dubstep Main article Post dubstepSee also List of post dubstep musicians and UK bass James Blake performing at Glastonbury Festival June 2011 In early 2011 the term post dubstep sometimes known as UK bass or simply bass music was used to describe club music that was influenced by certain aspects of dubstep 101 Such music often references earlier dubstep productions as well as UK garage 2 step and other forms of underground electronic dance music 102 103 104 Artists producing music described as post dubstep have also incorporated elements of ambient music and early R amp B The latter in particular is heavily sampled by three artists described as post dubstep Mount Kimbie Fantastic Mr Fox and James Blake 105 106 The tempo of music typically characterised as post dubstep is approximately 130 beats per minute 101 The breadth of styles that have come to be associated with the term post dubstep preclude it from being a specific musical genre Pitchfork writer Martin Clark has suggested that well meaning attempts to loosely define the ground we re covering here are somewhat futile and almost certainly flawed This is not one genre However given the links interaction and free flowing ideas you can t dismiss all these acts as unrelated 101 The production duo Mount Kimbie is often associated with the origination of the term post dubstep 107 English music producer Jamie xx released remixes which are considered post dubstep including We re New Here 2011 a Gil Scott Heron remix album 102 2011 Brostep and American developments Skrillex performing in 2012 In 2011 dubstep gained significant traction in the US market by way of a post dubstep style known as brostep with the American producer Skrillex becoming something of a poster boy for the scene 108 109 110 In September 2011 a Spin Magazine EDM special referred to brostep as a lurching and aggressive variant of dubstep that has proven commercially successful in the United States 111 Unlike traditional dubstep production styles which emphasise sub bass content brostep accentuates the middle register and features robotic fluctuations and metal esque aggression 112 According to Simon Reynolds as dubstep gained larger audiences and moved from smaller club based venues to larger outdoor events sub sonic content was gradually replaced by distorted bass riffs that function roughly in the same register as the electric guitar in heavy metal 113 The term brostep has been used by some as a pejorative descriptor for a style of popular Americanised dubstep 108 The producer known as Rusko himself claimed in an interview on BBC Radio 1Xtra that brostep is sort of my fault but now I ve started to hate it in a way It s like someone screaming in your face you don t want that 114 According to a BBC review of his 2012 album Songs the record was a muddled attempt by Rusko to realign his music with a Jamaican inheritance and distance it from the belching aggressive resolutely macho dubstep produced by his contemporaries 115 Commenting on the success of American producers such as Skrillex Skream stated I think it hurts a lot of people over here because it s a UK sound but it s been someone with influences outside the original sound that has made it a lot bigger The bad side of that is that a lot of people will just say dubstep equals Skrillex But in all honesty it genuinely doesn t bother me I like the music he makes 116 Other North American artists that were initially associated with the brostep sound were Canadian producers Datsik and Excision Their production style has been described by Mixmag as a viciously harsh yet brilliantly produced sound that appealed more to Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails fans than it did to lovers of UK garage 117 The brostep sound also attracted the attention of metal bands Nu metal band Korn s 2011 album The Path of Totality features several collaborations with electronic music producers including Skrillex and Excision 118 2012 2013 Riddim Main article Riddim EDM In the early 2010s UK artists began to play with a style of dubstep reminiscent of a resurgence or continuation of original British dubstep styles This became known as Riddim a name coined by British producer Jakes around 2012 The name comes from the Jamaican Patois term riddim which refers to the instrumental of dub reggae and dancehall music 119 Riddim is characterised by repetitive and minimalist sub bass and triplet percussion arrangements similar to original dubstep with a sound described as wonky 119 120 Riddim is looked upon as a subgenre of dubstep similarly to other sub genres like bro step drum step and wobble step 119 It started gaining significant popularity around 2015 121 It is said that those who enjoy this style of music describe it as the dirtier swaggier side of dubstep whereas those looking at this from the outside claim that it is repetitive and chaotic 119 Notable artists of the genre include Subfiltronik Bukez Finezt P0gman Badklaat 50 Carrot Dubloadz and Coffi 122 Notable tracks of the genre include Yasuo by Bommer and Crowell Orgalorg by Infekt and Jotaro by Phiso 119 123 Some commentators have suggested that Riddim is not a genre in its own right and is instead just a style of dubstep Riddim producer Oolacile states A lot of people who have been around a lot longer have a different idea of what riddim is Older fans consider riddim to be the swampy repetitive sound and newer fans will associate riddim with the sound of the underground 119 2014 present Decline in mainstream popularity Beginning in mid 2014 dubstep began to decline drastically in mainstream popularity particularly in the United States where many formerly successful dubstep artists became popular Artists such as Skrillex for instance moved on to producing tracks for trap and pop artists 124 125 126 while artists such as Mount Kimbie and James Blake shifted their sounds from post dubstep into more experimental or soulful electronic influenced music 127 128 Pioneers of dubstep such as Skream and Loefah moved away from the genre moving on to other genres instead Loefah stopped playing and producing dubstep and moved on to UK bass founding his record label Swamp81 in the process 129 Skream shifted away from dubstep choosing to instead produce and play house and techno music in his DJ sets and releasing various techno songs on Alan Fitzpatrick s record label We Are The Brave 130 131 See alsoList of dubstep musiciansReferences AllMusic Dubstep Archived 23 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine a b c d Reynolds S 2012 Energy Flash A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture Perseus Books Reprint edition 5 January 2012 pages 511 516 ISBN 978 1 59376 407 4 The Big Big Sound System Splashdown Archived 9 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine New Musical Express 21 February 1981 ISSN 0028 6362 IMO Records Hatcha Biography Archived 12 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine IMO Records London 17 October 2011 Retrieved 22 November 2011 Keeping It Peel Festive 50s 2004 BBC Radio One BBC Archived from the original on 26 September 2010 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Wilson Michael 1 November 2006 Bubble and Squeak Michael Wilson on Dubstep Artforum International Archived from the original on 13 May 2012 Retrieved 31 March 2011 a b de Wilde Gervase 14 October 2006 Put a Bit of Dub in Your Step The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 4 June 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 a b c d e O Connell Sharon 4 October 2006 Dubstep Time Out London Time Out Group Archived from the original on 29 July 2012 Retrieved 21 June 2007 a b c Clark Martin 16 November 2006 The Year in Grime and Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 28 May 2020 Retrieved 21 June 2007 Joe Moor 3 January 2012 Dubstep How Has It Become So Popular The Edge Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 7 June 2014 Explore Music Dubstep AllMusic Rovi Corporation Archived from the original on 29 April 2012 Retrieved 31 March 2011 a b c d The Primer Dubstep The Wire No 279 April 2011 ISSN 0952 0686 Pearsall 18 June 2005 Interview Plasticman Riddim ca Archived from the original on 9 June 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Kuhn Will Manzo V J 2015 Interactive Composition Strategies Using Ableton Live and Max for Live Oxford p 195 a b c d e f g McKinnon Matthew 30 January 2007 South London Calling Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Archived from the original on 8 December 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 a b c Clark Martin 23 May 2007 Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 1 December 2011 Retrieved 14 July 2007 a b c d e f g h i j Sande Kiran 7 June 2007 Dubstep 101 Resident Advisor Archived from the original on 22 May 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Invisible Jukebox The Wire No 269 July 2006 ISSN 0952 0686 Clark Martin 6 November 2009 The Year in Grime Dubstep The Year in Dubstep Grime and Funky 2009 Pitchfork Archived from the original on 27 March 2011 Retrieved 1 April 2011 No summary of the year in dubstep would be complete without the ever expanding wobble side of the scene recently hilariously and accurately renamed brostep In the UK the wobble sound is now the default dubstep position for many fans as the scene commands an increasing share of the Friday night student super club market Reynolds Simon 20 March 2012 Energy Flash A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture Soft Skull Press ISBN 978 1 59376 407 4 Interview Joe Nice GetDarker 15 August 2006 Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Clark Martin 14 July 2006 The Month In Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Earp Matt 30 August 2006 Low End Theory Dubstep Merchants XLR8R Amalgam Media Archived from the original on 22 May 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Hammond Bob 20 July 2008 How Low Can it Go The Evolution of Dubstep New York Holdings Archived from the original on 6 October 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Warren Emma 4 March 2007 Rising Star DMZ Music Collective The Observer London Archived from the original on 13 August 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2011 InYourBassTv Presents Sgt Pokes Dour Festival 2008 Inyourbass com 28 August 2008 Archived from the original on 13 July 2011 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Crazy D amp Hatcha Kiss 100 London Bauer Radio Archived from the original on 1 August 2008 Retrieved 31 March 2011 Gurney Mark 18 December 2007 Markle Said Wha Plastician Interview as featured in ATM Magazine 7 Nov Markleman blogspot com Archived from the original on 8 July 2011 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Rave From the Grave Skull Disco The Wire No 281 July 2007 ISSN 0952 0686 a b c d e Mugan Chris 28 July 2006 Dubstep Straight outta Croydon The Independent London Independent Print Archived from the original on 1 October 2017 Retrieved 1 April 2011 a b c Clark Martin 25 January 2006 The Month In Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 19 March 2009 Retrieved 4 July 2007 a b Keast Darren 15 November 2006 Dawn of Dubstep Will this Bass heavy Dance Phenomenon Blow Out Only Your Speakers or Will it Really Blow Up SF Weekly Archived from the original on 19 January 2012 Retrieved 2 April 2011 a b Warren Emma 1 August 2007 The Dubstep Explosion DJ Magazine No 46 p 32 Clark Martin 12 April 2006 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 25 June 2008 Retrieved 2 April 2011 FWD gt gt Friday 23 June Forward gt gt June 2006 Archived from the original on 16 June 2006 Retrieved 18 July 2007 Fiddy Chantelle 19 March 2006 Introducing Kode 9 Chantelle Fiddy s World of Whatever Archived from the original on 8 July 2011 Retrieved 3 April 2011 Clark Martin 22 June 2005 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 18 July 2007 Clark Martin 20 July 2006 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 6 June 2007 Retrieved 4 July 2007 Churchill Tom September 2009 Dmz Clash London Archived from the original on 1 April 2009 Retrieved 3 April 2011 Clark Martin 25 May 2005 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 18 July 2007 a b About 2 Blow Dubstep Rewind Magazine London Archived from the original on 7 January 2009 Retrieved 4 April 2011 Clark Martin 8 March 2006 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 10 July 2007 In Profile A Plotted History of Deep Medi Fabric 11 May 2016 Chan Sebastian June 2004 Various Artists Grime Rephlex DJ Slimzee Bingo Beats III Bingo Cyclic Defrost No 8 Sydney ISSN 1832 4835 Archived from the original on 14 June 2011 Retrieved 3 April 2011 Chan Sebastian January 2005 Various Artists Grime 2 Rephlex Cyclic Defrost No 10 Sydney ISSN 1832 4835 Archived from the original on 13 August 2011 Retrieved 3 April 2011 Clark Martin 11 September 2005 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 17 July 2007 Braddock Kevin 22 February 2004 Partners in Grime The Independent London Independent Print Archived from the original on 13 February 2011 Retrieved 3 April 2011 Martin Clark 22 June 2005 The Month In Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 18 July 2007 Butler Nick 19 June 2007 Burial Burial Sputnikmusic Archived from the original on 29 June 2012 Retrieved 16 July 2007 Reynolds Simon 30 January 2007 Reasons to Be Cheerful Just Three The Village Voice Archived from the original on 14 July 2010 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Cast and Credits for Children of Men Yahoo Movies Yahoo Archived from the original on 29 May 2007 Retrieved 19 July 2007 Chan Sebastian November 2006 Various Artists The Roots of Dubstep Tempa Cyclic Defrost No 15 Sydney ISSN 1832 4835 Archived from the original on 3 September 2007 Brand New Heavy Time Out New York No 544 March 2006 ISSN 1084 550X Palermo Tomas 18 June 2007 The Week in Dubstep XLR8R Archived from the original on 11 November 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2011 McBride Blair 19 March 2010 Japan s Dubstep Forges Own Path The Japan Times Archived from the original on 19 December 2012 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Clark Martin 8 March 2006 The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Warren Emma 22 April 2007 Various Dubstep Allstars 5 Mixed By DJ N Type The Observer Archived from the original on 27 December 2013 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Finney Tim 22 June 2008 Ricardo Villalobos Vasco EP Part 1 Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 5 April 2011 De Young Nate 19 April 2006 Ellen Allien amp Apparat Orchestra of Bubbles Stylus Magazine Archived from the original on 23 May 2011 Retrieved 14 May 2011 Sherburne Philip 3 May 2006 Ellen Allien Orchestra of Dubbles Pitchfork Archived from the original on 3 March 2009 Retrieved 14 May 2011 Wasacz Walter 11 October 2004 Losing Your Mind in Berlin Metro Times Archived from the original on 14 July 2011 Retrieved 14 May 2011 philip sherburne November 2005 Archives Phs abstractdynamics org Archived from the original on 28 January 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Blackdown 1 April 2007 Blackdown One Friday night Blackdownsoundboy blogspot com Archived from the original on 8 July 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Pitchfork Feature Column The Month in Grime Dubstep Pitchforkmedia com Archived from the original on 1 March 2009 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Porter Christopher 20 May 2008 Burial Beautiful Dread Inviting and Sinister NPR Music NPR Archived from the original on 5 May 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Goodman Steve 1 November 2007 Kode9 interviews Burial Hyperdub Archived from the original on 18 August 2013 Retrieved 14 November 2007 Q amp A with Kyle Lynd How to get your music on Skins Archived 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC Introducing blog 10 Feb 2010 Mary Anne Hobbs TV BBC Archived from the original on 7 February 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Broadcast Yourself Archived from the original on 1 July 2013 Retrieved 11 November 2009 via YouTube Radio One Hosts Generation Bass RWD Rwdmag com 18 August 2008 Archived from the original on 25 April 2013 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Generation Bass n3k4 com n3k4 com 18 August 2008 Archived from the original on 29 September 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Jay 5ive FABRICLIVE x Tempo Clash Mix fabric blog Fabric 7 March 2013 a b Women in dubstep Time Out London Timeout com Archived from the original on 13 April 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Ewing Tom 20 November 2007 Column Poptimist 10 Britney in the Black Lodge Damn Fine Album Pitchfork Archived from the original on 13 December 2007 Retrieved 21 November 2007 Segal Dave 6 November 2007 Have You Heard of This Britney Spears Chick Heard Mentality The OC Weekly Music Blog Village Voice Media Archived from the original on 9 November 2007 Retrieved 21 November 2007 Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 s Chart Show with Reggie Yates UK Top 40 Dance Singles BBC 24 February 2007 Archived from the original on 22 April 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Grundy Gareth 15 March 2009 Electronic review La Roux In For the Kill Skream remix Music The Observer London Archived from the original on 10 September 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Freeload La Roux In for the Kill Skream s Let s Get Ravey Remix The FADER Thefader com 14 April 2009 Archived from the original on 17 April 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Clark Martin Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 15 November 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Needham Alex 23 December 2008 The London Dubstep Scene Interview Magazine Archived from the original on 16 September 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Adventures in Modern Music Issues The Wire Archived from the original on 19 October 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 XLR8R s Favorites of 2009 XLR8R Archived from the original on 20 April 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2011 Hick Melanie 14 December 2011 Luke Hood The 19 Year Old From UKF Dubstep Tops YouTube Charts Archived from the original on 8 December 2017 Retrieved 7 December 2017 Interview with UKF Founder Luke Hood 6 July 2012 Archived from the original on 25 November 2015 Retrieved 7 December 2017 Dazed Digital Hank Shocklee Dazedgroup com Archived from the original on 30 August 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Interviews Chase amp Status M Magazine PRS for Music 5 March 2010 Retrieved 28 April 2011 Cragg Michael 10 January 2011 New music Britney Spears Hold It Against Me The Guardian London Archived from the original on 5 March 2017 Retrieved 14 December 2016 Green Thomas H 18 November 2009 Chase amp Status Interview The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 24 August 2011 Retrieved 2 April 2011 a b Dubstep it up Features Music The Independent London 24 April 2009 Archived from the original on 28 October 2017 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Alexander Spit Dubstepped net 19 May 2009 Archived from the original on 2 January 2010 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Track Reviews Eve Me N My Up in the Club Pitchfork 12 August 2009 Archived from the original on 18 November 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Eve Me N My prod by Salaam Remi amp Benga MP3 The FADER Thefader com Archived from the original on 26 November 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2009 Magnetic Man I Need Air Archived 15 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC Chart Blog UK Charts Week Ending 04 September 2010 David Jeffries Skrillex Awards AllMusic AllMusic Archived from the original on 17 January 2012 Retrieved 17 April 2012 Chase amp Status No More Idols Official Charts Company Archived from the original on 4 May 2015 Retrieved 5 April 2011 UK Charts Week Ending 07 May 2011 All The Official Singles Chart Number 1s Archived from the original on 2 January 2012 Retrieved 9 May 2018 Macsai Dan 19 October 2012 Taylor Swift on Going Pop Ignoring the Gossip and the Best Worst Nickname She s Ever Had Time Archived from the original on 26 September 2017 Retrieved 10 December 2012 Trust Gary 4 March 2013 Chart Highlights Demi Lovato Attack s Pop Songs Billboard Archived from the original on 7 March 2013 Retrieved 5 March 2013 a b c Clark Martin 4 May 2011 Grime Dubstep Pitchfork Archived from the original on 12 June 2011 Retrieved 12 June 2011 a b Aaron Charles 4 March 2011 10 Post Dubstep Artists Who Matter Spin Archived from the original on 19 July 2018 Retrieved 5 April 2018 Moore Thad 12 July 2011 SBTRKT adds to post dubstep genre The Daily Gamecock Archived from the original on 28 September 2011 Guidry Jake 19 May 2011 Blawan takes post dubstep and UK house out of its comfort zone XLR8R Archived from the original on 20 May 2011 Fantastic Mr Fox No 910 The Guardian 6 January 2011 Archived from the original on 10 May 2017 Retrieved 14 December 2016 A profile of James Blake post dubstep artist BBC News 6 January 2011 Archived from the original on 26 March 2012 Retrieved 20 December 2019 Jeffries David Crooks amp Lovers Mount Kimbie AllMusic Rovi Corporation Archived from the original on 24 March 2011 Retrieved 6 April 2011 a b Bass Invasion Miami New Times 15 December 2011 Archived from the original on 26 April 2012 Retrieved 31 December 2011 The potential for disaster was just too big small Canadian city shuts down Skrillex gig FACT Magazine Music News New Music Archived from the original on 12 July 2012 Retrieved 16 November 2012 Is dubstep the new metal Mixmag Archived from the original on 16 October 2012 Retrieved 16 November 2012 Dubstep 101 A U S Primer Archived 22 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Andrew Gaerig 12 September Spin Magazine Spin Media LLC Dubstep Maker The Software amp Video Tutorial You Need Ledger Note Archived from the original on 11 March 2016 Retrieved 14 October 2015 Simon Reynolds The Art of the Groove in Computer Music Computer Music Specials p 9 Wed 26 October 2011 Future Publishing Limited Rietmulder Michael Fall preview 2011 Dubstep takes over the dance floor Vita mn Star Tribune Media Company LLC Archived from the original on 12 January 2016 Retrieved 19 July 2017 Mellisa Bradshaw Dubstep producer tries aligning his output with Jamaican originals with muddled results BBC March 2012 I Like The Music Skrillex Makes An Interview With Skream The Quietus 19 December 2011 TheQuietus com Muggs Joe 12 December 2011 United Bass of America Mixmag Archived from the original on 7 January 2012 Retrieved 4 January 2012 Korn Team with Skrillex More Dubstep Producers for New Album Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 22 September 2017 Retrieved 26 August 2017 a b c d e f How to Talk to Your Kids About Riddim Insomniac Insomniac Archived from the original on 30 April 2019 Retrieved 30 April 2019 What is this Riddim Everyone Keeps Talking About iedm com Archived from the original on 26 April 2019 Retrieved 26 April 2019 Ullah Blocks Jayce 25 March 2018 What We Like Riddim EDM Identity Archived from the original on 1 May 2019 Retrieved 1 May 2019 Conte Chris 30 March 2017 The Rise of Riddim What s this latest bass craze all about Retrieved 7 December 2017 Stevo 8 March 2017 30 Best Riddim Songs of All Time EDM Sauce Archived from the original on 30 April 2019 Retrieved 30 April 2019 Sherborne Philip 5 April 2016 Popping the Drop A Timeline of How EDM s Bubble Burst Pitchfork com Conde Nast Archived from the original on 4 January 2018 Retrieved 23 January 2018 Chris Riemenschneider 13 August 2015 Metalhead turned dance music star Bassnectar is happy to headline this weekend s Summer Set fest because its lineup is more eclectic than electronic Startribune com The Minneapolis Star Tribune Archived from the original on 24 January 2018 Retrieved 23 January 2018 Dubstep obviously is already a thing of the past Champagne Jesse 14 March 2014 Dubstep May Be Dying Just Don t Tell Canadians That Vice com VICE Magazine Archived from the original on 23 January 2018 Retrieved 23 January 2018 Dubstep is DEAD The movement is over Aroesti Rachel 7 September 2017 Mount Kimbie Love What Survives review electric wit and wisdom from London synth duo The Guardian Archived from the original on 11 November 2017 Retrieved 23 January 2018 Lozano Kevin 10 May 2016 James Blake The Colour in Anything Pitchfork Media Archived from the original on 17 August 2018 Retrieved 25 August 2018 Szatan Gabriel 14 February 2013 Pleasure Principle Loefah Clash Magazine Archived from the original on 18 November 2015 Retrieved 24 August 2018 Abbott Jeremy 26 October 2017 Skream shares the tracks lighting up his marathon Open To Close sets Mixmag Archived from the original on 17 January 2018 Retrieved 22 August 2018 Manganiello Anthony 14 July 2018 Skream goes full techno on new single Poison Dancing Astronaut Dancing Astronaut Archived from the original on 31 August 2018 Retrieved 22 August 2018 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dubstep GetDarker An online magazine full of interviews articles photos from events and videos 10 Years of Dubstep Archived 19 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine A week dedicated to the movement by Drowned in Sound The Month In Grime Dubstep Columns by Martin Clark on Pitchfork BBC Collective dubstep documentary filmed at DMZ 1st Birthday 2005 Interviews with Mala Loefah Skream Kode9 Youngsta Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dubstep amp oldid 1140535365, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.