Dubstep is a still-growing genre of electronic dance music that incorporates elements of drum and bass in the already-established 2step UK garage sound. A young genre, Dubstep originated in the UK right around the turn of the millennium, but it has quickly spread to the US, Spain, Trinidad, and Finland among others.
The term “Dubstep” was established as the genre’s name in 2002 when XLR8R Magazine used it in their cover story about Horsepower Productions (a prominent Dubstep band that helped to pioneer the genre). Club Forward>> in London became an influential hub of the Dubstep genre, allowing artists to experiment with different, darker styles of the UK garage sound. Forward>> encouraged this particular new style so much that it became referred to as the “Forward>> sound.” Since then, clubs in cities across America have started holding weekly “Dubstep” nights. It continues to become more mainstream as television shows, movies, and video games have used the Dubstep sound for their soundtracks.
The Dubstep “sound” is largely instrumental, with a minor key, almost omnipresent sub-bass, and a dark feel. When present, vocals add an atmospheric layer to the music rather than lyrical content. The drum beat, though, is what really characterizes the sound of Dubstep. Sparse rhythmic patterns full of syncopation and triplets abound, usually with a single snare sound on the third beat of each bar. A technique often used in Dubstep that contributes to the sparse feel of the drum track is giving the drums a half-time feel. The bass line and other elements of songs proceed at normal tempo (almost all Dubstep falls between 138-142 beats per minute) and the drums appear to be playing a rhythm at half-tempo. This adds an interesting tension to the music. The song structure typically allows this tension to drop off in a sparse midsection then build up again in a second main part (often including a bass drop). There is also usually an intro and conclusion on either end of these two main sections.
Dubstep makes pretty good background music for various activities and functions, as it’s unlikely to offend anyone and isn’t going to draw too much attention to itself. However, this isn’t to say that there’s nothing more redeemable about it than its unobtrusiveness. There is clearly an art to crafting this type of music, and there are a lot of subtleties to it that make it interesting. It’s very dark and mellow, and a good thing to just chill to if you’re in “one of those moods.” Some of the more prominent Dubstep artists include Horsepower Productions, Skream, Benga, and Kode9.
Just as the drum and bass style segued into Dubstep, Dubstep is being slowly incorporated into other genres. Hip Hop figures are collaborating with drum and bass producers to produce Dubstep-flavored Hip Hop. Rap groups such as Wu-Tang Clan are releasing albums combining Dubstep beats with remixes of verses from older songs (Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture Vol 2: Enter the Dubstep). Dubstep is growing at an increasing rate, and is being incorporated into more and more mainstream music – and it will continue to do so.