I've been sifting through my analytics data and the most popular piece of content I have written was about dub music . I thought I would continue in a similar vein and provide an intro into the world of dubstep.
Dubstep is a dark brooding, minimal (at times), bass heavy experimental musical genre that Originated in the UK underground but is spreading across the gobe. As a musical style it tips its hat to traditional dub reggae, drum n bass/jungle, weird clattery sparse electronica, UK garage, grime and even elements of breaks and Techno.
A good jumping off point to explore this genre is Mary Anne Hobbs bbc radio one show which can be a challenging listen at times but also delivers serious gold (best listened to via IE as it seems to have issues with Firefox when listening outside the UK). Mary Anne has been seriously championing this sound since 2006 and is helping push it to the world. I have a copy of the Warrior Dubz compilation she produced a few years back. There are a a couple of cracking tunes that in my mind help define this genre with my favourites being The Digital Mystikz tune Anti-War dub, , Bengas tune Music Box, Burials tune Versus and a number of other gems. Probably my favourite tune from this genre is Burials tune "Unite" which is on his myspace page, I personally think its amazing.
The thing I like about some dubstep is the sparse moody sound, the beats and the blatant disregard for and commercial sensibilities. The downside of this adventurous production approach is at times the bass lines can be harsh, paranoid, heavy as F**K and almost un-listenable and it can all be a bit too much.
If you like your tunes on the more bass heavy side of things the dub step underworld is well worth an explore and if you have an internet connection it is all so easy. Other pages to check for a listen include:
- Kulture - I heard a wicked track of theirs/his "Vitamin D" on Mary Anne Hobbs show.
- Skream - A huge name in the scene
- NZ Dubstep - This style has taken hold in NZ, Kiwis dig bass heavy styles
