Womp womp womp, wobble wobble wobble, womp womp. Sound familiar? These seemingly meaningless words have taken a whole generation by the throat bringing to mind only one thing — Dubstep.
This quickly propagating musical phenomenon is making its mark on youth across the globe and has become the new “it” genre of music, touted by ravers and hipsters alike. This trans-figurative sound is also breaking into mainstream pop culture with artists like Britney Spears and Rihanna.
Although many perceive the genre as relatively new, true aficionados of dubstep know that the bass-led movement was born in South London in the late 90s.
The love child of instrumental dub and two-step garage style electronic music (thus, dubstep) began in the Big Apple Records in Croydon when musicians explored with electronic dance music (EDM) with the hopes of making it darker and more instrumental.
A handful of artists, including Skream, Benga, and Artwork from Magnetic Man (a popular dubstep collaboration), 
were at the forefront of this movement. Artwork wrote a piece for the Guardian in 2010 in which he described Big Apple Records as “a bit like a bass university,” where the artists would meet to set up the blueprints for what would become known as dubstep.
Nowadays the Internet has a hand in all aspects of the music industry, and dubstep is no exception. In fact, without this widespread access, Artwork believes that the genre would not be what it is today. It has “helped spread dubstep across the world almost instantly. At the same time, dubstep is constantly changing, incorporating different sounds and styles all the time.”
But what exactly is dubstep? It’s not merely a musical style revolving around a heavy bass drop, but is built upon experimentations in musical styles and classical harmonies. Artists such as Flying Lotus and Excision play around with the classical concept of four-part harmonies, and others incorporate sounds from different styles ranging from heavy metal to classical and jazz.
This is why referring to a song as “dubstep” can even lead to arguments between fans.
“I think the fact dubstep artists embrace other genres is a big part of why it’s so difficult to define the music,” Artwork explained in his article. “The borders are becoming increasingly blurred between dubstep, grime, drum’n’bass, techno, house, funky … everything. However, there is one element that links all of these genres together and that is … BASS.”
Thanks to its versatility and ever-expanding popularity, even more mainstream artists are beginning to follow the bassline. Pop Princess Britney Spears tried her hand at dubstep in her song “Hold it Against Me,” which debuted at No. one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2011. Hip-hop group Cypress Hill is currently collaborating with Rusko, and heavy metal band Korn produced a track with popular disc jockey Skrillex.
In fact, the lead singer of Korn, Jonathan Davis, was quoted by Billboard as saying “We were dubstep before there was dubstep. Tempos at 140 with half-time drums, huge bassed-out riffs. We were all about the bass.”
As it is a relatively young movement, it will be interesting to see how dubstep grows and develops, and its impact on other music genres. Already, it has branched out to the classical music world, led by NERO’s collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on their “Dubstep Symphony.”
This dynamic sub-genre of EDM is not just all about Skrillex or Flux Pavilion, but a movement that has evolved from the London underground music scene to headlining massive raves. There is indeed a method to the madness, with the heavy bass, the instrumental dub and the two-step style of garage.
When listening to dubstep, regardless of the style, it’s going to be filthy.
To check out or specialized dubstep track, click here.
