Steve PMHEver heard the word Dubstep but couldn’t exactly associate it with a certain musical genre? I get you.
The thing about music these days is that there are too many genres to count. This is more evident in the last two decades where technology took huge leaps in the music industry.
While only musical instruments were used to create songs, our own computers have doubled as guitars, bass, keyboards, etc. As a result, we have techno, electropop, and dubstep to name a few modern genres. But what is dubstep music anyway?
In this article, we’ll discuss everything related to this upbeat, catchy musical genre.
Let’s dive in!
What Is Dubstep Music?
To keep it short, dubstep is a subgenre of electronic dance music that originated in London around the beginning of the 21st century. While several characteristics make dubstep unique, the most notable feature of this music is the heavy bass.
But what else is special about dubstep, and how did it come to be? We’re about to find out in the following sections.
What Are the Characteristics of Dubstep?
Besides its defining deep bass, dubstep is also known for its skittering beats. Of course, these two key features are usually accompanied by more elements to give dubstep its irresistible flavor.
For instance, you can easily recognize dubstep by picking up reverberating sub-bass in songs. A composer or DJ will reverberate the sub-bass at different speeds so that, when you listen to the music, you’ll feel as if the bass is constantly in motion
Another characteristic of dubstep music is its fast-paced rhythm. Most dubstep tracks will have a speed of 138 to 142 beats per minute.
As a subgenre of dance music, you can’t expect anything less to get you moving, right?
Plus, dubstep relies on low-end frequencies and spatial atmospherics, not to mention that it utilizes a lot of distorted sound effects.
The best thing we can say to describe dubstep is that listening to it makes you want to dance but in a smooth, vibey way.
How Did Dubstep Music Come to the Surface?
Before we talk history, you should know that dubstep is the love child of many genres including Drum & Bass, techno, reggae, and 2-step garage. Now, let’s explore the origins of dubstep music.
Of course, there’s no record of the exact year that dubstep made its way to the music world. However, the genre started making appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In London, 2-step garage music was the rage back in that time, and remixers took so much joy in creating more upbeat versions of 2-step tracks.
Remixers experimented with Dub in their remixes, creating a whole new genre that required a special name.
Soon enough, the term ‘dubstep’ was used by people in the music industry to describe 2-step garage music that had elements of reggae, techno, and more.
The genre started gaining more popularity in 2005, and it was recognized in magazines and online publications.
Since then, dubstep has evolved a great deal, and this is thanks to the room it has for variations and modifications. Therefore, it’s only normal that the genre would branch to several subgenres.
But first, have you wondered what exactly the word ‘dubstep’ means?
What Is the Secret Behind Dubstep’s Name?
It’s pretty easy to understand why dubstep is called that. The first half of the term, ‘dub’, refers to a type of music that is slowed down to give you the smooth beats and deep bass that people can vibe to.
The second half of ‘dubstep’ is derived from the musical genre that dubstep has originated from, which is 2-step garage.
Yet, dubstep is a stripped-down version of 2-step garage, so the word ‘step’ could have more than one meaning.
Some music experts say that the ‘step’ in ‘dubstep’ can also refer to the general movement of dancing. Others believe it merely means ‘rhythm.’
No matter the case, there’s no denying that when you hear the word ‘dubstep,’ your mind instantly conjures breathtaking bass drops and intense build-ups.
What Are the Types of Dubstep?
Remember how we mentioned that this genre evolved through the years following its breakthrough in 2000 to 2005? Music experts have lost count of the subgenres that branched off dubstep from that time until today.
However, some of the more popular genres have more defining features, and they’ve ended up having their own names.
In this section, we’ll address several types of dubstep including classic dubstep, neurostep, filthstep, techstep, chillstep, and more.
Classic Dubstep
We can safely say that classic dubstep is the most basic form of dubstep music. This genre is best known for its deep and consistent bass sounds, but it doesn’t feature any tweaks that change its original sound.
Besides that, classic dubstep also includes wobbly sound effects, subtle touches of glitches, and sound twitches.
The following types of dubstep were results of tinkering with classic dubstep by enhancing or altering one or more of its elements.
Neurostep
As the name implies, neurostep sounds more like a sci-fi version of dubstep. Instead of sounding mechanical, neurostep includes many effects that can make you feel like you’re in outer space.
Some people describe the vibes that neurostep gives off as cold. Others insist that neurostep tracks have a philosophical quality.
All in all, audio experts like to think of neurostep as a balanced fusion of Drum & Bass, Neurofunk, and dubstep.
Filthstep
Despite its funny name, filthstep’s most prominent feature is that it sounds more lo-fi than dubstep. Think of its sound as something you’d associate with a computer game from the ‘90s. You get the vibe, right?
Because of its lo-fi quality, more and more people started calling this direction of dubstep filthstep.
Another reason behind this name is that filthstep tends to sound aggressive thanks to the banging effects that the tracks include. Filthstep DJs usually favor bass and beat over melody.
Techstep
Techstep brings new flavors to the dubstep genre much like neurostep. However, while neurostep includes extraterrestrial vibes, techstep borrows mechanical sounds from techno music.
Hence the ‘tech’ part in its name.
What defines this subgenre is the heavy use of synthetic noises, which sound abstract but will still give you that post-apocalyptic feel.
Robostep shares that feature with techstep, which is why some people talk about these two genres interchangeably. Yet, Robostep has unique aspects that make it special.
Robostep
Robostep features a lot of mechanical sounds. But, as the name suggests, it will make you feel as if you’re hearing a rusty robot move around or even talk.
The subgenre promotes futuristic and science fiction vibes, which a lot of people enjoy.
The metallic effects add to the appeal of the genre, especially when combined with the heavy bass that’s always present in every dubstep track.
Glitchstep
Glitchstep is another popular subgenre of dubstep that has a wide fan base.
As the name implies, glitchstep tracks rely on the abundant use of the glitch effect, focusing on this element of dubstep more than anything else.
Sometimes, glitchstep tracks will neglect deep bass and wobbles in favor of the glitch sound. Usually, those glitches tend to be high-pitched and fast-paced.
Wobblestep
It’s pretty easy to guess where this subgenre is headed, right? Wobblestep is a type of dubstep that emphasizes the wobble element of the music genre.
If you’re not sure what wobbles are, they’re the sound that comes out when you synthesize bass to a heavy degree and mix it with pitch bends.
The resulting effect will tackle the frequency spectrum’s low pitch, giving you those satisfying wobbles that many people like to dance to.
Chillstep
Remember how techstep, robostep, and neurostep give off the same vibes that you might get if you’re reading science fiction or space travel stories?
Well, chillstep has this quality, too, except that it’s more like you’re reading a fairy tale when you listen to it.
Chillstep sounds like you’re taking a calming hike in the forest. It’s all thanks to the music’s soothing effects and peaceful pacing. A lot of people see chillstep tracks as the perfect candidates for a fantasy movie.
Deathstep
Deathstep sounds a bit different from all the previous subgenres of dubstep. This type of music depends on a balanced mix of Death Metal vocals and dubstep beats.
The result is a unique mixture that may appeal to both classic dubstep and Metal fans.
When you listen to deathstep, you can expect to hear a lot of Screamo vocals, heavily distorted electric guitar sounds, and many more Death Metal elements.
Ganjastep
The last subgenre of dubstep we’d like to introduce you is ganjastep.
Ganjastep tracks are known as the combination of dubstep and reggae. So, while this subgenre features quick beats, the reggae side of it gives it relaxing vibes.
Some people like to describe ganjastep as a genre that mixes reggae beats and the Drum and Bass sounds that you can hear in dubstep.
What Are Some of the Most Popular Dubstep Artists?
As dubstep evolved through the years and became a mainstream music genre, many artists rose to fame and even made it to the top of music billboard lists.
Sure, these DJs are best known for their techno music, but they’ve also created many dubstep tracks.
Skrillex is one you’ve probably already heard of. He’s made many contributions to dubstep music that make people think of him instantly when they mention the genre.
Besides Skrillex, the following DJs have produced many dubstep tracks.
- Major Lazer
- Seven Lions
- Diplo
- Krewella
- Zeds Dead
- Borgore
- DJ Snake
- Flux Pavilion
- Kill the Noise
Why Does Dubstep Suffer a Decline in Mainstream Popularity?
We’ve all seen it happen through the years. A music genre will keep gaining fame until it reaches that point where at least one person in each household will listen to it.
Then, after getting to a certain height, that music genre will face a decline in popularity. That’s a natural process in today’s world, especially with the fast-paced rhythm of our lives.
Dubstep faced this issue around 2014 when people’s tastes started to shift to other musical styles.
Sure, there are many loyal fans who still love dubstep until this day, but the genre doesn’t have the same influence as it used to years ago.
But what are the main reasons behind this phenomenon?
Change of Music Taste
First of all, people began to feel like there were other genres of music that were easier to listen to.
Genres like electro pop, rap, pop rock, and more always bring new ideas and productions to the musical world, easily overtaking any other genre.
Also, people who like rock, metal, and R&B struggle to listen to music that has too many electronic and synthetic sounds in it.
Let’s not forget that dubstep has no vocals or lyrics, so not everyone can connect to its tracks.
Even though this versatile genre has brought people of different backgrounds together, some think of it as something they’ll only listen to in the club.
Furthermore, a few skeptics don’t consider dubstep real music because the tracks are entirely computer-generated.
Despite the existence of many people who think the opposite, it apparently wasn’t enough to keep the popularity of dubstep.
Fewer Dubstep Artists
Plus, dubstep musicians faced the challenge of having to constantly come up with innovative ideas to grasp people’s attention. This required advanced technical skills, evolving software, and more.
But not all DJs had that. In fact, some started going in other directions entirely.
For example, some artists like Skrillex and Skream began to make music for other genres.
However, some artists, like Mount Kimbie, stuck to their dubstep roots. They experimented with the original sounds of this genre and added more electronic elements to it.
Ultimately, that seemed to match the general taste of electro-pop fans.
All and all, despite the decline in dubstep’s popularity, we couldn’t deny the amount of creativity that made this genre what it is.
The ability to morph musical tracks, play with bass, and enhance effects to make appealing sounds is a skill that no one can’t help but admire.
