Who Invented Dubstep Music?

Who Invented Dubstep Music? is a question that has been asked since the genre’s inception. While there is no one definitive answer, we can explore some of the key players in its development.

Introduction

The origins of dubstep music are often debated. Some say it started in the early 2000s in the London underground music scene, while others claim it has its roots in Jamaican dancehall and dub music of the 1970s. Regardless of its exact origins, there’s no denying that dubstep has become one of the most popular genres of electronic dance music in recent years.

So who invented dubstep? That’s a question that doesn’t have a clear answer. While there are a few artists who are often credited with helping to pioneer the sound, there is no one person who can be said to be the “inventor” of dubstep. Rather, it seems to be a genre that has evolved over time, with various producers and DJs contributing to its development.

Some of the earliest and most influential pioneers of dubstep include producers such as Ridley Scott, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and King Tubby. These artists were all highly influential in the development of Jamaican dub music, which would go on to be a major influence on dubstep. Dubstep producer Skream has also cited Jamaican dub artist Mad Professor as an influence on his own work.

Another early influence on dubstep was two-step garage, a UK-based genre of electronic music that emerged in the late 1990s. Two-step garage was characterised by its use of breakbeats and drum machines, which would go on to become hallmarks of dubstep as well. Producers such as El-B and Zed Bias were early innovators of two-step garage, and their work would go on to inspire many later dubstep producers.

In the early 2000s, a new generation of producers began to experiment with combining elements of garage, 2-step, grime, and other genres to create a new sound that would come to be known as dubstep. Producers such as Benga, Skream, and Artwork were at the forefront of this new sound, and their tracks helped to propel dubstep into the mainstream consciousness. Since then, dubstep has continued to evolve and grow in popularity, with new producers emerging all the time who are pushing the boundaries of what the genre can achieve.

What is 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 an offshoot of UK garage, drawing on a lineage of related styles such as 2-step and dub reggae. In the early 2000s, the popularity of dubstep grew from clubs to mainstream radio and festivals. By the 2010s, the genre had become one of the most influential in contemporary music, with artists such as Burial and Skrillex helping to shape the sound of electronic dance music.

The Origins 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 drum and percussion patterns with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies. Other distinguishing features often found in dubstep include half-time, or dub, rhythm tracks and encyclopedic sound effects and samples.

The earliest dubstep tracks were often produced by bedroom producers using inexpensive electronic equipment, such as Acorn Archimedes computers, Microsoft Sound Editor software, and thrift store turntables. These early tracks were generally released on vinyl 12-inch singles or CDs and circulated within the underground pirate radio scene and local clubs. In 2001, a local record label called Big Apple Records began releasing dubstep tracks on vinyl, which helped to increase the genre’s popularity.

The term “dubstep” is believed to have been first used in 2002 by DJ Busta (real name Jonnessey Isaac), a jungle and garage DJ from Croydon, South London. Busta used the term to describe a style of music that he was playing at the time that contained elements of both dub and 2-step garage. The word “dub” refers to the process of reworking an existing piece of music, while “step” refers to the stuttered, syncopated rhythms typically found in 2-step garage.

The First Dubstep Tracks

The first dubstep tracks began to emerge in the late 1990s, with a handful of producers experimenting with the sound. The earliest known dubstep track is “Phaze 2018,” released in 1998 by Oris Jay. This track, along with others from around the same time period, laid the foundations for the genre by incorporating elements that would become staples of dubstep, such as dark, bass-heavy beats and distorted sub-bass sounds.

In the early 2000s, dubstep began to gain more traction within the underground music scene in London. Producers such as Benga and Skream started to gain recognition for their innovative and dark take on garage music. This new style of garage, which became known as “dark garage” or ” bassline,” laid the groundwork for what would eventually become dubstep. 2006 marked a turning point for dubstep, as both Benga and Skream released tracks that would go on to define the sound of the genre. These tracks, “Night” and “Midnight Request Line,” respectively, are often cited as being among the first true dubstep tracks.

From there, dubstep continued to evolve and grow in popularity throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. In 2010, Burial’s critically acclaimed album Untrue cemented dubstep’s place within the wider world of electronic music. In recent years, dubstep has undergone something of a renaissance, with producers pushing the boundaries of the genre in new and exciting ways.

The First Dubstep Producers

The first dubstep producers were a group of producers and DJs from London, England who started making music in the early 2000s. These producers included Skream, Benga, and Horsepower Productions. Dubstep was originally a subgenre of two-step garage, which is a style of UK garage music. Skream’s track “Midnight Request Line” is often credited as being the first dubstep track.

The Rise of Dubstep

Though it’s hard to say who exactly “invented” dubstep, the genre first began to take shape in the late 1990s in the London borough of Croydon. South London native Darren Tetley, better known as DJ Hatcha, was one of the first DJs to play dubstep when he began spinning at the Big Apple Records store in 1998. His record label, Big Apple Records, was also one of the first labels to release tracks in the dubstep style. Another key early figure in the development of dubstep was Youngsta, a DJ who began hosting a weekly show on Kiss FM in 2000.

The Mainstream Success of Dubstep

In the late 2000s, dubstep began to be slowly assimilated into the mainstream music scene in both the United Kingdom and North America. This was largely due to the success of a handful of artists and songs that managed to cross over into the mainstream consciousness. One of the first and most successful examples of this was British artist La Roux, whose song “In for the Kill” became a top ten hit in both the UK and the US. Another early success was Canadian artist Joel Zimmerman, better known as deadmau5, whose song “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” also became a top ten hit in both countries.

Despite these early successes, it wasn’t until 2010 that dubstep truly blew up in the mainstream. That year, British artist Ellie Goulding topped the charts in both the UK and US with her song “Lights”, which featured a dubstep-inspired drop. American artist Skrillex also had a very successful year, releasing a number of hits including “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”, “Bangarang”, and “Levels”. These songs helped to cement dubstep’s place in the mainstream music scene, and ushered in a new era of EDM-inspired pop music.

The Future of Dubstep

In the 2010s, dubstep’s place in popular music began to change. In late 2011, the British music magazine NME declared that dubstep had “gone mainstream”, while Spin magazine placed it on its end-of-year list of the 40 best albums of 2011, dubstep artists such as Calvin Harris and Skrillex achieved mainstream success with their dubstep-influenced tracks.. By late 2012, Time magazine had included dubstep in its annual “The 25 Best Inventions of 2012” list, describing it as “the most influential musical trend of the past few years.”