Dubstep and House Music: What’s the Difference?

Dubstep and House Music: What’s the Difference? – two of the most popular genres of electronic dance music. But what exactly is the difference between them?

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between dubstep and house music? Both genres are electronic dance music (EDM), but they have different origins and characteristics.

Dubstep is a genre of EDM that originated in the early 2000s in the United Kingdom. It is characterized by its heavy bass and syncopated rhythms. House music, on the other hand, originated in the 1980s in Chicago. It is characterized by its four-on-the-floor beat and often contains elements of soul, funk, and disco.

So, what’s the difference between dubstep and house music? In a nutshell, dubstep is heavier and has more of a focus on the bass, while house music has a lighter feel and emphasizes the four-on-the-floor beat.

What is Dubstep?

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 2000s. It is characterized by a heavy bass sound and syncopated rhythms. Dubstep music is often created with electronic instruments, such as synthesizers, drum machines, and laptop computers.

Origins

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies.

The style emerged as an offshoot of UK garage, drawing on a lineage of related styles such as 2-step and dub reggae. In 2001, Music Week magazine published a now–infamous cover story entitled “Is Dubstep the New Rock’n’Roll?”, which helped to increase mainstream visibility of the genre.

The earliest dubstep releases date back to 1998, and were mostly experimental 12″ singles released on niche record labels. These early tracks generally bear little resemblance to the sound that would come to be defined as dubstep, being primarily influenced by 2-step garage and jungle music. Nevertheless, they are important in tracing the development of the genre, and several key tracks from this period (such as Artwork’s “Ghetto00001” and Horsepower Productions’ “King On The Horses”) would go on to exert a significant influence on subsequent dubstep productions.

Characteristics

Dubstep is characterized by its sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with kicks and snares often layered with sub-bass. It also tends to use a lot of bass wobbles, low-end growls, and pitchy screams (commonly known as “wub-wub”). The tempo of dubstep is mostly around 140 beats per minute (bpm), with half-time feel.

What is House Music?

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s. It is characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and often contains samples of older pop, R&B, or rock songs. House music quickly spread to other American cities such as Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles, and then to the rest of the world.

Origins

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Chicago club scene in the early 1980s. The style is characterized by a repetitive 4/4 beat and often features synthesizers, drum machines, and Soulful vocals.

Characteristics

The first thing to know about house music is that it is characterized by a repetitive 4/4 beat. This is sometimes accompanied by a “thump” on the second and fourth beats of the measure, giving it a pounding, driving sound. House music is often created with electronic instruments, and many tracks feature synthesizers, drum machines, and/or sampled sounds. House music is also known for its use of filters and effects to create interesting texture and sound.

Differences

There are several key differences between dubstep and house music. The most obvious difference is the tempo, or speed, of the music. Dubstep is generally slower than house, with a tempo ranging from 70 to 75 beats per minute, while house music is faster, with a tempo ranging from 110 to 130 beats per minute. This difference in tempo creates a different feeling in the two genres of music; dubstep is often described as being “darker” and “weightier” than house.

Another key difference between dubstep and house is the emphasis on the bassline. In dubstep, the bassline is often the most important element of the track, while in house music, the bassline generally plays a more supportive role. This difference is due to the origins of the two genres; dubstep evolved out of UK garage, which places a strong emphasis on groove and rhythm, while house music developed out of disco, which places more emphasis on melody.

Finally, another key difference between dubstep and house music is in the use of sampling. In dubstep tracks, samples are often mangled and distorted beyond recognition, while in house tracks they are usually used more conservatively. This difference again reflects the origins of the two genres; dubstep producers often come from a background in hip-hop or grime, where extensive sampling is common practice, while house producers have traditionally come from a background in club DJing, where using pre-recorded samples was not as common.

Conclusion

So, what’s the difference between dubstep and house music? Generally speaking, dubstep is characterized by its heavy bass and drum elements, while house music has a stronger focus on melody and groove. Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules, but in general, that’s how you can tell them apart.