Dubstep
South London bass style with heavy sub-bass and sparse half-step drums.
History
Dubstep began in South London in the early 2000s s1. It grew from UK garage and mixed 2-step rhythms with sparse dub production s1s2. It also used ideas from broken beat, grime and drum and bass s1. The music has syncopated rhythms, heavy bass and a dark mood s1. In 2001 the sound was played at the London club Plastic People at the Forward night s1. It was also played on the pirate radio station Rinse FM s1. The word dubstep first appeared in 2001 s1. Labels such as Big Apple and Tempa used it from 2002 s1. BBC DJ John Peel played dubstep in 2003 s1. Interest grew after 2005 through websites and music magazines such as The Wire s1. Skream, Digital Mystikz and Burial became well-known artists s1. The style later became a global sound and changed a lot s1. It is usually played at about 140 beats per minute s1.
Sound
- Heavy sub-bass
- Sparse, syncopated half-step drums
- A dark, tense mood
- Echo and reverb like Jamaican dub
- A tempo around 140 beats per minute
Key figures
- Skream — Producer behind a defining early dubstep record
- Digital Mystikz — South London duo central to the scene
- Burial — South London producer known for atmospheric dubstep
- Kode9 — Producer, DJ and founder of Hyperdub
Labels
- Tempa — London , 2000
- DMZ — London , 2004
- Hyperdub — London , 2004
- Big Apple Records — London , 2001
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: UK Garage , 2-Step Garage , Drum and Bass , Dub
Led to: Future Garage , Riddim , UK Bass
Sources
- Dubstep — Wikipedia
- The Wire 300: Simon Reynolds on the Hardcore Continuum — The Wire