Is Dubstep Electronic Music or Something Else?

This article is a collaborative effort, crafted and edited by a team of dedicated professionals.

Contributors: Andranick Tanguiane, Fred Lerdahl,

Contents

This is a question that has been debated for years, and there is still no clear consensus. Dubstep started out as a subgenre of electronic music, but it has since evolved into its own distinct sound. Some people argue that it is not truly electronic music, while others maintain that it is.

What is dubstep?

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the late 1990s. It is characterized by sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with prominent sub-bass frequencies. Dubstep is often used as a synonym for electronic dance music.

The history of dubstep

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 prominent sub-bass frequencies. The style emerged as a development of UK garage and jungle.

The name dubstep is derived from the dubstep sound, a style of Jamaican music which developed in the 1970s and was popularized by artists such as King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry. The genre often features sampling from reggae, dub, and other styles of electronic music; however, the use of samples is not essential to the genre.

Dubstep began to emerge as a distinct genre in 1999, when a group of producers working on tracks for Artful Dodger’s Hype Factor album began experimenting with unique sound synthesis and rhythmic patterns. These tracks were initially released on white label 12″ vinyl singles and later compiled intoArtful Dodger’s 2002 album It’s All About the Stragglers.

In 2003, record label Big Apple Recordings released a compilation album titled Back2Basics: The Dubstep soundclash,, which features tracks by various dubstep producers including Benga, Skream, and El-B. This release is credited with popularizing dubstep outside of London’s underground club scene.

In 2004, grime MC Dizzee Rascalreleased his debut album Boy in Da Corner,, which contained several tracks with elements of dubstep. Dizzee Rascal’s single “I Luv U” is often credited as being the first true dubstep track to gain mainstream success; it reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in May 2003.

In 2006, British electronic music duo Chase & Statusreleased thesingle “Saxon”, which contained elements of dubstep and grime. “Saxon” was included on their 2008 debut album More Than Alot,, which helped to further increase the popularity of dubstep among music fans outside of London’s club scene.

Since then, dubstep has continued to evolve and branch out into various subgenres; notable examples include wonky,, garage-influenced bassline,, post-dubstep,, future garage,, dark techno-influenced neurofunk,, and drill’n’bass -inspired half-time,. In 2010, British musician XXXTentacion released his song “Look at Me!,” which was widely regarded as one of the most significant early examples of SoundCloud rap – a subgenre that would come to be defined by its heavy use of distorted 808 basslines (a key element in most forms of dubstep) and lo-fi production values. Despite its experimental nature, SoundCloud rap would go on to achieve massive mainstream success in the early 2010s thanks to artists such as Lil Peep, Juice Wrld, Lil Uzi Vert, Ski Mask The Slump God, smokepurppand XXXTentacion himself.

The sound of dubstep

The first thing you need to know about dubstep is that it’s all about the bass. This music genre is characterized by heavy bass lines and dark, often eerie, atmospheres. The typical tempo of a dubstep track ranges from 140 to 150 beats per minute (bpm).

Dubstep started out as a subgenre of UK garage in the early 2000s. The earliest dubstep tracks were called “two-step garage” because they incorporated the broken beat characteristic of 2-step garage with the heavy bass lines of dub. As dubstep evolved, it began to incorporate elements of other genres, including grime, hip hop, and drum and bass.

While some people consider dubstep to be electronic music, it’s actually a hybrid genre that combines elements of many different musical styles. If you’re looking for a type of music to get your head bobbing and your feet moving, then dubstep is definitely worth checking out.

Is dubstep electronic music?

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 prominent sub-bass frequencies.

The definition of electronic music

Electronic music is a genre of music that is made with the help of electronic devices. These devices can create, store and manipulate sounds. The first electronic instruments were invented in the early 20th century. Today, electronic music is a very popular genre, and there are many different subgenres. Dubstep is one of these subgenres.

The elements of electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments and circuitry-based music technology. In general, a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means (e.g., traditional analog synthesis and tape music) and that produced using electronics only.

Electronic music was once associated almost exclusively with Western art music, but from the late 1960s on the availability of affordable music technology meant that electronic musical instruments and rock music came to overlap considerably, particularly in the area of rock drumming (see electronic drums) and guitar effects units such as fuzzboxes. Following the rise of disco in the 1970s, electronic dance music became firmly established in popular culture. By the middle of the 1980s, epitomized by groups like Depeche Mode and Yazoo, it had begun to spread from a niche interest within underground clubs to commercial success in both Europe and North America.

However, there is no clear consensus on what constitutes “electronic music.” One problem with this concept is that before the advent of inexpensive synthesizers in the late 1960s, most music that employed electronic resources consisted either of tape manipulation or electroacoustic treatments of acoustic sounds (e.g., musique concrète). These productions were usually not considered “electronic music” proper at the time, but later works that attempted to imitate or transcend them were often labelled as such.

In addition, late 20th century works by non-Western composers such as Ravi Shankar’s Swara Samveda (1975) and Uakti’s album Aldeia de Ogum (1987) also made use of extensive electronics without falling into Western categorizations. A more recent example is Bora Yoon’s Wireless imagination: sound exploration with Bluetooth technology (2011), which uses a laptop computer to wirelessly control external sound-making devices.

Dubstep and electronic music

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the early 2000s in the United Kingdom. It is characterized by a heavy bass sound, syncopated rhythms, and sparse melodies. Dubstep music often features samples from other genres of music, such as hip hop, dub, reggae, and drum and bass.

Conclusion

So, is dubstep electronic music or something else? Ultimately, it depends on your definition of electronic music. If you consider any music made with electronic equipment to be electronic music, then dubstep definitely falls into that category. However, if you define electronic music as a specific genre of music, then dubstep is its own separate genre that incorporates elements of other genres, such as hip hop and drum and bass.

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