Line #13 Main/Dubstep


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/This-was-a-popular-rhythmic_8653.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:[[{{Pun}} I wub you.]]]]
3
4	[floatboxright:
5	Primary Stylistic Influences:
6	+ UK Garage (especially the 2-Step subgenre), Dub {{Reggae}}
7	]
8	[floatboxright:
9	Secondary Stylistic Influences:
10	+ HouseMusic, {{Techno}}, {{Trance}}, occasional {{Industrial}}, HarshNoise, IndustrialMetal and HeavyMetal influences on harder-edged artists, and occasional {{Ambient}} and ClassicalMusic influences on the softer artists
11	]
12
13	->''"Wubwubwubwubwubwubwub...''
14
15	->''Music/{{Skrillex}} got famous for creating an album that tries to sonically represent the sound of two fax machines fucking."''
16	-->-- '''{{Website/Cracked}}''', [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-artists-who-should-probably-just-take-break-while 4 Artists Who Should Probably Just Take a Break For a While]][[note]]Skrillex was actually not among said artists.[[/note]]
17
18	Dubstep is a genre of ElectronicMusic that began in [[UsefulNotes/{{London}} South London]] in [[TurnOfTheMillennium the early 2000s]], and has risen to become one of the most popular forms of electronic music in TheNewTens. Branching off from UK garage and grime, dubstep primarily became known for a moderate tempo (typically around 140 bpm), a heavy emphasis on bass and frequencies under 100Hz and often (but certainly not always) with a distinctive "wobble" sound, commonly achieved by playing disharmonious bass tones in unison. Many artists even delve into infrasonic territory below 20Hz, which is not so much ''heard'' as ''felt''. Rhythmically, dubstep is in CommonTime by definition and owes a lot of its sound to dub reggae: both usually have a snare hit on the third beat of the bar, and both drums and bass tend to make heavy use of triplets.
19
20	Originally minimalistic, dark, and atmospheric, dubstep evolved rapidly. 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 (first derogatorily, then as an AppropriatedAppellation) as "brostep"; that is, dubstep that "[[{{Main/Fratbro}} bros]]" could enjoy. Contrast [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDU1Cy152S4 "Midnight Request Line" by Skream]], one of dubstep's first crossover hits, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1VLaXoRRdk the Flux Pavilion remix of "Cracks" by Freestylers]], a popular song from about 2010. This division in sound has led to massive amounts of FanDumb and BrokenBase in the dubstep community, and it will most likely [[ThisIsGonnaSuck only get worse]], as dubstep has, as of 2012, appeared even in advertisements for films, television shows and products. Many artists that once associated with the genre are splintering off and working on other forms of electronic music, such as post-dubstep (dubstep meets R&B/soul), bass music and glitch hop.
21
22	There are two popular varieties of dubstep; the aforementioned "brostep", which is harder and more abrasive, featuring a "filthy" sound, start-stop basslines, heavy drops and more emphasis on heavily distorted riffs as opposed to the conventional "wobble" sound of classic dubstep, and often with significant HeavyMetal influences (hence the alternative name "metalstep"); and "chillstep", a LighterAndSofter take on traditional dubstep which features less distorted bass, a more spacey sound, little to no wobble riffs, less emphasis to near-absence of drops and a generally "angelic" or "uplifting" feel, although many other varieties exist, such as drumstep (dubstep + DrumAndBass), glitchstep (dubstep + {{glitch}} music, occasionally with some chiptune thrown in) and noisestep (dubstep + noise/{{industrial}}). Dubstep is known among artists for its ease of fusion with non-electronic music genres, such as classical, hip-hop and soul music. Its influence has also been felt in other genres of electronic music, particularly in {{EBM}} (electronic body music), IDM (intelligent dance music), IndustrialMetal and some hard varieties of {{Techno}} and {{Trance}}.
23
24	While the fans and critics of dubstep will doubtless be trolling each other in music forums for years to come over its artistic merits or lack thereof, the impact dubstep has had on the electronic music world is undeniable.
25	----
26	!!Notable Artists:
27	* 12th Planet
28	* 16bit (TropeMaker[=/=]co-TropeCodifier for noisestep and glitchstep)
29	* [[index]]2562
30	* 501
31	* 50 Carrot
32	* Music/AlexS
33	* Music/AlstroemeriaRecords
34	* Music/AlvinRisk
35	* Music/{{Antiserum}}
36	* Music/{{Appleblim}}
37	* Music/{{Artwork}}
38	* [=Au5=]
39	* Bar 9
40	* Music/BarelyAlive
41	* [[/index]]Music/{{Bassnectar}} (Major contributor for modern dubstep; possibly a TropeMaker for brostep)[[index]]
42	* Music/{{Benga}}
43	* Music/{{Blackleg}}
44	* Music/{{Blackmill}} (Major contributor for the chillstep genre)
45	* Music/BlackTigerSexMachine
46	* [[/index]]Music/{{Borgore}} (TropeCodifier for brostep)[[index]]
47	* Music/{{Boxcutter}}
48	* Music/{{Burial}}
49	* Music/{{Caspa}}
50	* [[/index]]Chase & Status (mixed with UK garage, drum and bass and electro house; Co-TropeCodifier for drumstep)[[index]]
51	* Music/{{Coki}}
52	* Music/CookieMonsta
53	* Music/{{Culprate}}
54	* Music/{{Darkstar}}
55	* Music/{{Datsik}}
56	* Music/DeltaHeavy
57	* Destroid (supergroup consisting of Music/{{Excision\|Musician}}, Music/{{Downlink}} and [[Music/{{Pendulum\|Band}} KJ Sawka]])
58	* Music/DillonFrancis (mixed with moombahton; TropeCodifier for moombahcore)[[index]]
59	* Music/{{Downlink}}
60	* Music/DoctorP (one of the heavier brostep artists around)
61	* Music/DodgeAndFuski
62	* Music/DigitalMystikz
63	* Music/{{Dirtyphonics}} (mixed with drum and bass)
64	* Distance
65	* Music/{{DZ}}
66	* El-B
67	* Music/{{Ephixa}}
68	* Music/{{Eptic}}
69	* Music/{{Excision\|Musician}} (TropeCodifier for death metal-influenced brostep, also known as deathstep)[[/index]]
70	* Music/FarTooLoud (mixed with breakbeat and IDM; Co-TropeCodifier for drumstep)[[index]]
71	* Music/FeedMe[[/index]]
72	* Music/{{Figure}} (mixed with drum'n'bass and frequently samples from classical horror movies)
73	* Music/FluxPavilion (Co-TropeCodifier for noisestep, though he is much more influenced by reggae music than other dubstep artists)[[index]]
74	* Music/{{Funtcase}}
75	* Music/{{Gemini}}
76	* Music/{{Getter}}
77	* Music/{{Hadouken}} (3rd album onwards)
78	* Music/HorsepowerProductions
79	* Music/IllGates
80	* [[/index]] Music/InfectedMushroom (overlaps with {{trance}} and AvantGardeMetal)[[index]]
81	* Music/JackSparrow
82	* Music/JamesBlake
83	* Music/JoeFord
84	* Music/{{Joker}}
85	* J:Kenzo
86	* Music/KatyB
87	* Music/KillParis
88	* Music/KillTheNoise
89	* Music/{{Killsonik}} (formerly known as Chasing Shadows)
90	* Music/KnifeParty
91	* [=Kode9=]
92	* Music/KOANSound (though they mostly do Glitch-Hop)
93	* Music/{{Krewella}} (mostly before Kris Trindl's messy departure; now lean more towards Trap)
94	* Music/{{Kromestar}}
95	* Music/{{Kuedo}}
96	* Music/LazerSword
97	* Music/{{LD}}
98	* Music/LiquidStranger
99	* Music/{{Loefah}}
100	* [[/index]] Music/MagneticMan (a {{Supergroup}} comprising Artwork, Benga and Music/{{Skream}})
101	* Music/{{Mala}}
102	* Music/{{Modestep}} - Full-fledged live band which plays brostep very blatantly influenced by {{hard rock}} and {{thrash metal}}.
103	* Music/{{Monsta}} (brostep trio led by R&B singer Music/BrynChristopher[[note]]Yes, their songs do have full, discernible lyrics[[/note]]; renamed in 2013 as Music/ISeeMonstas)[[index]]
104	* Music/{{Nero}}
105	* Music/MountKimbie
106	* Music/{{Noisia}} (Although they've only done a few songs in the style, their main Neurofunk/Drum and Bass style was quite influential to the "brostep" style.)
107	* Music/{{OMNI}}
108	* Music/PegboardNerds (though they usually venture into other EDM genres)
109	* Music/{{Peverelist}}
110	* Music/{{Pinch}}
111	* Music/{{Posij}}
112	* Music/{{Reso}} (Started out as this, but now mostly creates more experimental material)
113	* [[/index]]Music/{{Rusko}} (Either the TropeMaker or UrExample of brostep)[[index]]
114	* Music/{{Savant}}
115	* Music/{{Scuba}} (originally, now he does UK garage mixed with deep house)
116	* Music/SelfInsert mixes elements of dubstep with experimental hip-hop, industrial, and electronic music overall. They are known for building entire songs where the vocal is surrounded by pounding and crackling hyperactive dubstep synths.
117	* Music/SevenLions (mixed with trance, making music that can best be described as either "bassy trance" or "melodic dubstep")
118	* Music/{{Shackleton}}
119	* Music/{{SKisM}}
120	* Music/{{Skream}} (co-TropeCodifier (chillstep))
121	* Music/{{Skrillex}} (co-TropeCodifier (brostep))
122	* [=SMOR3S=]
123	* Music/LindseyStirling
124	* Music/{{Stoger}}
125	* Music/SubFocus
126	* Music/SubmotionOrchestra (a vocal jazz band featuring dubstep producer Music/{{Ruckspin}} at the helm)
127	* [[Anime/JapanAnimatorExpo TeddyLoid]]
128	* Music/{{Terravita}} (A prime example of the hardest side of Glitchstep.)
129	* [[/index]] Music/{{Varien}} ([[GenreBuster Genre steamrolling]] artist with one foot in high classical[=/=]opera and BigBand, and the other firmly in {{metalcore}}, EDM, and hard core brostep. Described her song "The Scarlet Dawn" as "[[GenreBusting It's Finnish-Viking-Epic-Orchestral-Nightwish-Trance-Metal-Movie-Trailer-EDM at 140bpm.]]") [[note]]This is a highly accurate description.[[/note]]
130	* V.I.V.E.K.
131	* Vex'd
132	* Music/{{Vexare}}
133	* Music/VirtualRiot
134	* Music/{{Xilent}} - Polish rising star who fuses {{chiptune}} music with pounding brostep, with influences from [[MelodicDeathMetal melodeath]] and {{metalcore}} here and there.
135	* [[index]]Music/{{xKore}}
136	* Music/{{Xtrullor}}, made popular due to his music's inclusion in VideoGame/GeometryDash.
137	* Music/{{Zomby}}
138	* [[/index]]Music/{{Zomboy}} - Mixes Dubstep with {{Grindcore}}, {{Trance}}, {{Industrial}}, SynthPop, Reggaeton, SpeedMetal, and [[ClassicalMusic classical (yes, as in symphony) influences]]. [[GenreBusting All in a single song, when possible.]] Particularly known for producing demented wacky upbeat hardcore brostep tracks, rapid-fire {{Song Style Shift}}s capable of causing whiplash, and [[HiddenDepths complex, melancholy melodic lines bordering on tone poems]].
139	----
140	!!Tropes associated with the dubstep genre:
141	* AutoTune: Commonly used by artists in the genre, mostly to add vocal effects rather than cover up bad singing. The results can range from [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound angelic vocal runs]] to [[IndecipherableLyrics incomprehensible singing]].
142	* BrokenBase: One of the most divisive genres in modern music; fans are divided over whether to listen to the more atmospheric "chillstep", or to the more metallic "brostep". The dubstep fandom continues to schism at an alarming rate due to the ever-increasing number of dubstep variants in the current scene.
143	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Where most dubstep tends towards a dark or even harsh tone, Zomboy's music is best described as a mix of wacky AffectionateParody, beautiful chillstep melodies bordering on {{Trance}}, and [[MoodWhiplash sudden plunges into speaker-destroying brostep]]. These shifts happen ''multiple times mid-song'', mind you.
144	* DigitalPiracyIsOkay: Well it ''generally'' is, as the dubstep scene is mostly filled with indies musicians. [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Some musicians actively encourage fans to do this]].
145	* EnsembleDarkhorse: While the genre as a whole isn't particularly well-received by fans of heavy music and fans of any genre, the scene is also notable for putting forth some of the most highly acclaimed and pioneering artists in ElectronicMusic, some of which include the following...
146	** Music/{{Nero}}, is ''by far'' the most respected brostep act, as their debut album, ''Welcome Reality'', received highly positive reviews from critics, rave fan response and stepped up brostep's mainstream popularity up a notch thanks to their constant inclusion in modern media. In fact, they have even produced a song for the soundtrack of the 2013 movie reenactment of ''The Great Gatsby''.
147	** Music/LindseyStirling has become one in some circles.
148	** Excision also gains massive respect from not only dubstep fans but also from fans of heavy music in general, thanks to his furious sound influenced by genres such as brutal death metal and HarshNoise. This respect led to the sudden bump in popularity of the otherwise obscure "noisestep" genre, ultimately bridging the gap between established heavy ElectronicMusic styles and experimental subgenres such as noise and {{industrial}} and bringing a new, more futuristic vibe to an otherwise stagnant style of music.
149	** Zomboy, thanks to his [[SongStyleShift seamless fusion]] in his songs, is regarded by many as a rising force in brostep.
150	** Savant is also very well-respected due to his much darker imagery than other dubstep artists.[[note]]Well, he does come from UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, and his imagery is very BlackMetal-influenced.[[/note]] He also has his own licensed game, ''Savant: Ascent'', a huge feat for an underground artist.
151	** Seven Lions also has gained a devoted following for his seamless shifts between both melodic and hard styles of dubstep and chillstep, as well as his occasional smatterings of trance in his material (having initially gained attention for a remix of Above & Beyond's "You Got to Go").
152	** [=Au5=] receives a lot of respect from the electronic music fandom for the sheer complexity of his music, featuring a massive smattering of technical, varied sound design and frequent forays into trance. He is renowned by his fanbase for his ability to maintain consistent structure and musicality throughout even the heaviest of his work, while not sacrificing the variety of his bass design.
153	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Dubstep artists often use a wide variety of musical instruments, despite what [[PublicMediumIgnorance most people think]]. Guitars, basses, synthesizers, drums, violins, wind instruments, computer software, theremins and sequencers are commonly used instruments in dubstep, but sometimes artists opt for rather bizarre instrument choices. The use of jackhammers and circuit boards is not unheard of...
154	* GatewaySeries: A great number of EDM fans that got into ElectronicMusic around the late 00's/early 10's would credit dubstep as their gateway genre.
155	* IndecipherableLyrics: Dubstep artists, especially more modern acts, tend to throw in vocals for whatever reason. Combining vocals with the SensoryAbuse the genre is known for often results to this. The vocal work in Music/{{Skrillex}}' "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" is a particularly extreme example.
156	* ItsPopularNowItSucks: A common perception from longtime fans of the genre.
157	* HarshNoise: A very, very big influence to brostep, with artists such as Skrillex, Excision and Kill The Noise being the most blatantly influenced by it. Noisestep artists tend to draw even more inspiration from the genre, leading to some overlap with {{industrial}} (especially the power electronics and EBM subsets).
158	* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Many dubstep releases (especially the older ones) tend to be very hard to find; [[ArchivePanic much of the traditional dubstep that still exists today has virtually gone out of print]], and new artists rarely release professional studio records, therefore the only practical way of obtaining most dubstep is through file sharing sites. Some artists have taken advantage of this by deliberately releasing albums for free, and making money through other means, such as performing live or selling dubstep-related merch.
159	* PublicMediumIgnorance: Anyone who has a passing knowledge of what dubstep is would immediately think of Music/{{Skrillex}} upon hearing the word, not knowing that a whole scene of active dubstep musicians exists. This knowledge often reaches FanDumb levels as they continue to associate Skrillex with the genre,[[note]]when in fact, Skrillex usually produces house music and {{trance}}, but his dubstep has become so well-known that even his non-dubstep works are easily overlooked.[[/note]] to the point where the rest of the dubstep scene is perecived as irrelevant. This can get particularly grating in some cases, as many music [[FanDumb fans]] now believe that Skrillex is an even better composer than Music/HansZimmer, Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart, or Music/YoshikiHayashi simply because [[InsaneTrollLogic Skrillex makes dubstep]].
160	** Moreover, many people have grown so accustomed to the brostep sound, to the point where they have come to believe that "all dubstep is brostep" or "brostep is the one true dubstep" and shun all other varieties due to not being "filthy" enough.
161	** It has gotten progressively worse in recent years, as dubstep continues to displace established electronic music genres such as eurobeat, industrial and trance, to the point where some ignorant listeners have begun calling all forms of electronic music "dubstep". [[{{Techno}} This sounds eerily familiar...]]
162	* RearrangeTheSong: Dubstep musicians frequently rearrange songs from within and outside the genre. Some even go as far as making multiple versions of their own songs.
163	* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: Frequently inverted with brostep musicians, who tend to look very normal despite the intensity of their music.
164	* SensoryAbuse: Fans of the brostep and noisestep flavors would add "but in a good way!". Particularly harsh tracks tend to be fondly referred to as "dirty" or "filthy", playing off of those being the next level of grit up from "grungy".
165	* TheScrappy: Was one to ElectronicMusic fans for a while, mostly due to its over-saturation and mainstream prominence that ended up burying several other genres under the rug. By 2013, however, its Scrappy status was superseded by [[ElectroHouse Big Room House]] due to its formulaic and even more over-saturated nature. Non-electronic music fans still tend to hold Dubstep in relatively low regard, however.
166	** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Many dubstep artists, meanwhile, have achieved better critical success outside the confines of the genre, notable examples include Excision and Borgore.
167	** Music/{{Skrillex}} has become this, [[CondemnedByHistory thanks in part to the proliferation of artists who produce brostep and his generally formulaic songwriting]].
168	* SpiritualSuccessor: To NuMetal, in that both brought their respective genre (ElectronicMusic and HeavyMetal) to the mainstream while being TheScrappy to both music critics and purists of those genres, as well as non-fans in general.
169	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: To the fans of classic 2000s UK dubstep, American brostep has little to nothing to do with the original scene.
170	* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: While most dubstep makes use of melodies, they tend to sound more simple in comparison with other ElectronicMusic genres. This trope comes into play in many "bass drops" where musicality is dropped in favor of rhythmic "wobble" bass riffs. Brostep eschews bass wobbles for heavily distorted riffs reminiscent of {{industrial}} music, although there are exceptions: some artists, such as Flux Pavilion and Borgore, subvert this trope, as they keep a certain amount of musicality in the drop. Chillstep artists, and even a handful of brostep artists[[note]]Examples are Feed Me and Monsta[[/note]], however, avert this trope altogether.
171	* TropeCodifier: Skream or Music/{{Skrillex}}, debates are continuing.
172	* UncommonTime: Usually used in the harder varieties of brostep, such as noisestep and glitchstep, to make the already-harsh drops even more harsh and disorienting. Borgore, Excision and Kill The Noise have made time-signature torture an art form in brostep. From an aesthetic viewpoint, by fluidly warping, stuttering, and halting the actual timing of tracks independently of one another ''and'' as a whole, a skilled producer can wrangle a chaotic tangle of dissonant notes into incredibly complex [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychord polychord harmonies]] and meta-rhythms with multiple levels of syncopation and cross-beat. This phenomenon has been observed in only a handful of other genres, most notably modernist ClassicalMusic, [[GrooveMetal djent]], [[DoomMetal drone metal]], freeform {{jazz}}, HarshNoise, and AvantGardeMetal.

Context Main / Dubstep