DubStep : A new Kind of Music
What is dubstep? Dubstep has a long and influential history on its path from underground to becoming mainstream in the late 2000′s. As early as 1998, dubstep tracks were released however they had a darker feel to them as they attempted to incorporate the drum and bass and breakbeat elements with small clips of vocals finding their place in the music too. The origination and spreading of dubstep actually came from south London, England where it first started creeping into the night club known as Plastic People sometime in 2001. At the time it was completely experimental however the club set the groundwork for the popularity of the genre.
Dubstep is different from techno, house and other forms of electronic music because it typically involves the drop, bigger loops and wobble bass. Wobble bass refers to the changing of bass rhythmically, for an extended time frame often resulting in distortion and other variations of the beat.It wasn’t till around 2002 that the moniker “dubstep” was finally attached to the genre and it separated itself from other 2-step tracks. Big Apple, Tempa and Amunition were the key labels who helped spread the popularity of the music by association with the term dubstep. The name for the genre quickly caught on and distinguished a formerly underground form of melodic-rhythmic deep bass and limited vocal form of music from the other genres it was being lumped with at the time.Around 2006, dubstep really started to take off as dedicated websites to the genre spawned and began growing the popularity and its worldwide reach. The power of the internet and being able to quickly share, comment and listen to music online is often taken for granted in today’s world. It might’ve taken a bit longer for dubstep to really take off it were to rely on local clubs and notoriety through traditional forms of coverage like newspapers, word of mouth and magazines. The magazine known as The Wire also played a key role in spreading the genre to the mainstream as well however.Not all dubstep tracks will feature the popular drop, however most early tracks did include at least one; usually around the fifty-five second mark of the song. The reason behind this is that it just surpasses the usual thirty-two measures that are associated with the familiar 140 beats per minute. The “bass drop” is a fan favorite amongst a lot who follow the genre however because it leads into the rest of the song. Another key element used by DJs is the rewind or ‘reload’ which can be noticed when a DJ does a spin-back of the record using his hand without ever removing the stylus from the record itself.In 2006 dubstep began spreading into other continents with the help of DJ Joe Nice; and night clubs in major cities like San Francisco, New York, Montreal and Houston started playing the genre quite regularly. Another supporter of the cause known as Mary Anne Hobbs did a 2007 dubstep festival over in Barcelona. Dubstep has even began to reach Japan were it is quickly becoming widespread and popular; especially in Tokyo. The internet once again has played an integral role in the adoption and exposure of the dubstep genre. There are even internet based radio stations that are completely dedicated to the cause where they produce 24 hour live streams of the genre; one popular one being DubstepFM.The genre was typically male-based with females only providing the cover art and notions of sensuality, however with the growth of dubstep, females like Mary Anne Hobbs are quickly becoming producers, writers and DJs in the ever expanding musical haven. More females are attending dubstep heavy clubs and shows as the DJs travel the world, and spread their rhythmic genius-ness. Hobbs attributes the adoption rate to the meditative mood that dubstep has on people, rather than the almost irritated effect that techno or house music can have on women. You will never hear a straight male complain about more female attendance at the clubs and dubstep shows, I can guarantee you that.
One of the quickly growing artist names in dubstep is an American producer known as Skrillex. Skrillex was recently nominated for the best new artist award which is proof that the genre is really becoming mainstream. They have also effectively pioneered their own genre within the genre of dubstep which is known as “brostep.” Brostep is growing quickly and is associated with the aggressive and lurching nature of the rhythmic dubstep songs. Not everyone supports the new wave of “Americanized dubstep,” as they call it, as many wish to still have the genre remain underground for its dark and exclusive appeal, and it has even been referred to as “garbage dubstep” as well. Brostep separates itself from traditional dubstep with its “robotic fluctuations and metal-esque aggression.
”The man behind Skrillex is known as Sonny Moore, a male producer from Los Angeles, California. The hard and aggressive nature to brostep was heavily influenced by Rusko who is an English producer and he has his resentments to the sub-genre as it has its association with the irritating capabilities of techno. He once referred to brostep as “someone screaming in your face for an hour,” and that he despises much of what it represents now, likely because the aggressive hard nature of it has moved the pointer away from the meditative nature of the genre.Some other popular dubstep musicians include Kevin Martin, Mount Kimbie, Kode9, Clubroot, Cyrus, Joe Nice, Plastician, Digital Mystikz, Dirtyphonics, DJ SFR, Nero, Joy Orbison, Doctor P (aka Slum Dogz), Flux Pavillion, Forensics, FS, Truth, Various, Vaccine, Zeds Dead, Vex’d, Zed Bias, Zomby, Jakwob, Horsepower Productions, Deadmau5, Juakali, and Jazzsteppa. All of the influential and big names in the genre can be found on the Dubstep Artists and Bio page.
One rewarding part of dubstep is the fact that many old tracks are relived through the reincarnation via dubstep, as is seen with a lot of the Ellie Goulding songs that have become extremely popular from dubstep musician Jakwob. New tracks from Ellie Goulding and other artists get a lot of love from the DJs who make dubstep possible, including hits like Bad Romance and Alejandro by Lady Gaga which were remixed in brostep fashion by Skrillex.Placing dubstep on the radio and by artists collaborating with producers to incorporate the genre into their tracks has also fueled the popularity and mainstream appeal to the dubstep sound. In the UK, Louder by DJ Fresh was the first dubstep track to ever hit number 1 on the charts, and Nero’s popular track “Promises” was the second song to accomplish such a legendary feat. Transitioning back over the U.S. artists like Rihanna, Britney Spears (“hold it against me” 2011), and Xzibit collaborated with the big players in dubstep to virtually explode the roof off the exposure of the genre. You can see three tracks containing dubstep on Rihanna’s Rated R album which experienced tremendous plays over the airways of your hip-hop and pop radio stations. At the time Rihanna was exploding in popularity as well which only added further fuel to the flame under the dubstep exposure taking over the mainstream.
Popular streaming and music sharing sites like YouTube and SoundCloud have been linked to being one of the biggest influences, as producers, and fans can instantly upload dubstep tracks and spread them amongst the online masses; creating buzz in the process. Utilizing popular forums, YouTube videos can be embedded into threads allowing for a producer to release a new track and be all over the internet virtually instantaneously. Dubstep has evolved into a few select sub-genres or “post-dubstep” as most people refer to new forms of styles and influences that are created on the groundwork of dubstep. Post-dubstep closely follows a usual pattern of 130 beats per minute and can be evidenced by the artist: Mount Kimbie. Enough dubstep history, go tickle your eardrums and tease your sound coils by listening to your favorite genre, DUBSTEP.
Dubstep is different from techno, house and other forms of electronic music because it typically involves the drop, bigger loops and wobble bass. Wobble bass refers to the changing of bass rhythmically, for an extended time frame often resulting in distortion and other variations of the beat.It wasn’t till around 2002 that the moniker “dubstep” was finally attached to the genre and it separated itself from other 2-step tracks. Big Apple, Tempa and Amunition were the key labels who helped spread the popularity of the music by association with the term dubstep. The name for the genre quickly caught on and distinguished a formerly underground form of melodic-rhythmic deep bass and limited vocal form of music from the other genres it was being lumped with at the time.Around 2006, dubstep really started to take off as dedicated websites to the genre spawned and began growing the popularity and its worldwide reach. The power of the internet and being able to quickly share, comment and listen to music online is often taken for granted in today’s world. It might’ve taken a bit longer for dubstep to really take off it were to rely on local clubs and notoriety through traditional forms of coverage like newspapers, word of mouth and magazines. The magazine known as The Wire also played a key role in spreading the genre to the mainstream as well however.Not all dubstep tracks will feature the popular drop, however most early tracks did include at least one; usually around the fifty-five second mark of the song. The reason behind this is that it just surpasses the usual thirty-two measures that are associated with the familiar 140 beats per minute. The “bass drop” is a fan favorite amongst a lot who follow the genre however because it leads into the rest of the song. Another key element used by DJs is the rewind or ‘reload’ which can be noticed when a DJ does a spin-back of the record using his hand without ever removing the stylus from the record itself.In 2006 dubstep began spreading into other continents with the help of DJ Joe Nice; and night clubs in major cities like San Francisco, New York, Montreal and Houston started playing the genre quite regularly. Another supporter of the cause known as Mary Anne Hobbs did a 2007 dubstep festival over in Barcelona. Dubstep has even began to reach Japan were it is quickly becoming widespread and popular; especially in Tokyo. The internet once again has played an integral role in the adoption and exposure of the dubstep genre. There are even internet based radio stations that are completely dedicated to the cause where they produce 24 hour live streams of the genre; one popular one being DubstepFM.The genre was typically male-based with females only providing the cover art and notions of sensuality, however with the growth of dubstep, females like Mary Anne Hobbs are quickly becoming producers, writers and DJs in the ever expanding musical haven. More females are attending dubstep heavy clubs and shows as the DJs travel the world, and spread their rhythmic genius-ness. Hobbs attributes the adoption rate to the meditative mood that dubstep has on people, rather than the almost irritated effect that techno or house music can have on women. You will never hear a straight male complain about more female attendance at the clubs and dubstep shows, I can guarantee you that.
One of the quickly growing artist names in dubstep is an American producer known as Skrillex. Skrillex was recently nominated for the best new artist award which is proof that the genre is really becoming mainstream. They have also effectively pioneered their own genre within the genre of dubstep which is known as “brostep.” Brostep is growing quickly and is associated with the aggressive and lurching nature of the rhythmic dubstep songs. Not everyone supports the new wave of “Americanized dubstep,” as they call it, as many wish to still have the genre remain underground for its dark and exclusive appeal, and it has even been referred to as “garbage dubstep” as well. Brostep separates itself from traditional dubstep with its “robotic fluctuations and metal-esque aggression.
”The man behind Skrillex is known as Sonny Moore, a male producer from Los Angeles, California. The hard and aggressive nature to brostep was heavily influenced by Rusko who is an English producer and he has his resentments to the sub-genre as it has its association with the irritating capabilities of techno. He once referred to brostep as “someone screaming in your face for an hour,” and that he despises much of what it represents now, likely because the aggressive hard nature of it has moved the pointer away from the meditative nature of the genre.Some other popular dubstep musicians include Kevin Martin, Mount Kimbie, Kode9, Clubroot, Cyrus, Joe Nice, Plastician, Digital Mystikz, Dirtyphonics, DJ SFR, Nero, Joy Orbison, Doctor P (aka Slum Dogz), Flux Pavillion, Forensics, FS, Truth, Various, Vaccine, Zeds Dead, Vex’d, Zed Bias, Zomby, Jakwob, Horsepower Productions, Deadmau5, Juakali, and Jazzsteppa. All of the influential and big names in the genre can be found on the Dubstep Artists and Bio page.
One rewarding part of dubstep is the fact that many old tracks are relived through the reincarnation via dubstep, as is seen with a lot of the Ellie Goulding songs that have become extremely popular from dubstep musician Jakwob. New tracks from Ellie Goulding and other artists get a lot of love from the DJs who make dubstep possible, including hits like Bad Romance and Alejandro by Lady Gaga which were remixed in brostep fashion by Skrillex.Placing dubstep on the radio and by artists collaborating with producers to incorporate the genre into their tracks has also fueled the popularity and mainstream appeal to the dubstep sound. In the UK, Louder by DJ Fresh was the first dubstep track to ever hit number 1 on the charts, and Nero’s popular track “Promises” was the second song to accomplish such a legendary feat. Transitioning back over the U.S. artists like Rihanna, Britney Spears (“hold it against me” 2011), and Xzibit collaborated with the big players in dubstep to virtually explode the roof off the exposure of the genre. You can see three tracks containing dubstep on Rihanna’s Rated R album which experienced tremendous plays over the airways of your hip-hop and pop radio stations. At the time Rihanna was exploding in popularity as well which only added further fuel to the flame under the dubstep exposure taking over the mainstream.
Popular streaming and music sharing sites like YouTube and SoundCloud have been linked to being one of the biggest influences, as producers, and fans can instantly upload dubstep tracks and spread them amongst the online masses; creating buzz in the process. Utilizing popular forums, YouTube videos can be embedded into threads allowing for a producer to release a new track and be all over the internet virtually instantaneously. Dubstep has evolved into a few select sub-genres or “post-dubstep” as most people refer to new forms of styles and influences that are created on the groundwork of dubstep. Post-dubstep closely follows a usual pattern of 130 beats per minute and can be evidenced by the artist: Mount Kimbie. Enough dubstep history, go tickle your eardrums and tease your sound coils by listening to your favorite genre, DUBSTEP.
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