Dubstep

"Wubwubwubwubwubwubwub..."

"Skrillex got famous for creating an album that tries to sonically represent the sound of two fax machines fucking."

- Cracked, 4 Artists Who Should Probably Just Take a Break For a While

Dubstep began in South London in the early 2000s, and has risen to become the most popular form of Electronic Music in years. It's difficult to describe exactly, but the main characteristics include a moderate tempo (typically around 140 bpm), hard hitting drums, and a heavy emphasis on bass, often (but certainly not always) with a distinctive "wobble" sound. Rhythmically, dubstep is in Common Time by definition, it usually has a snare hit on the third beat of the bar, and both drums and bass tend to make heavy use of triplets. A good rule of thumb: if you find yourself wanting to nod your head, it's probably dubstep. If you want to dance, it's most likely something else.

Originally minimalistic, dark, and atmospheric, dubstep evolved over the course of the last decade. Beats became heavier, bass more abrasive, and as the sound gained mainstream popularity, more attention was paid to big drops and "filthy" wobbles (usually preceded by a 30-60 second long intro) than atmosphere. This new form of the style became known (somewhat derogatorily) as "brostep"; that is, dubstep that "bros" could enjoy. Contrast "Midnight Request Line" by Skream, one of dubstep's first crossover hits, with the Flux Pavilion remix of "Cracks" by Freestylers, a popular song from about 2010. This division in sound has led to massive amounts of Fan Dumb and Broken Base in the dubstep community, and it will most likely only get worse, as dubstep is gaining mainstream popularity faster than ever. However, it remains one of the most exciting and diverse music scenes in the world today.


 * 16bit
 * Antiserum
 * Appleblim
 * Artwork
 * Benga
 * Blackleg
 * Boxcutter
 * Burial
 * Caspa
 * Chase & Status
 * Coki
 * Cookie Monsta
 * Culprate
 * Darkstar
 * Datsik
 * DJ Alex S.
 * Downlink
 * Doctor P
 * Digital Mystikz
 * Distance
 * DZ
 * Flux Pavilion
 * Excision
 * Jack Sparrow
 * James Blake
 * Joker
 * J:Kenzo
 * Kode9
 * Kromestar
 * Kuedo
 * LD
 * Loefah
 * Liquid Stranger
 * Magnetic Man (a Supergroup comprising Artwork, Benga and Skream)
 * Mala
 * Mount Kimbie
 * Noisia (styled as NOISIΛ. They've done a couple of songs in the style, although the majority of their music crosses this over with Drum and Bass)
 * Peverelist
 * Rusko
 * SBTRKT
 * They're probably better described as being post-dubstep (usually defined as being somewhat dubstep in sound, but with R&B sensibilities).
 * Scuba
 * Shackleton
 * Skream
 * Skrillex
 * V.I.V.E.K.
 * Vex'd
 * Zomby