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Music genre

Dubstep

Dubstep is a music genre that emerged in United Kingdom in the 2000s. It is usually classed as a form of bass music (EDM). Its influences include dub music and 2-step garage. Explore its 4 subgenres, key artists and related styles.

Listen: Dubstep examples

Blackleg - Smoke Test (excerpt)
1:53CC BY-SA 3.0by Blackleg aka. Jacek MalickiWikimedia Commons
1:53
Wobble bass dubstep
0:06
8-Bit Dubstep IV by Ross Bugden
1:24CC BY 4.0by Ross Bugden (…Wikimedia Commons
1:24

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

About Dubstep

Dubstep is a music genre that emerged in United Kingdom in the 2000s. It is usually classed as a form of bass music (EDM). Its influences include dub music and 2-step garage.

Among the best-known names in the style are Era Istrefi, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, Dizzee Rascal, Katy B and Knife Party.

Dubstep has given rise to 4 subgenres on this site, such as Brostep, Chillstep, Reggaestep and Riddim.

From Wikipedia

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music or Bass Music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style, whose roots trace to the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s, emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken beat, grime, and drum and bass.

Dubstep is generally characterised by syncopated rhythmic patterns, prominent basslines, and a dark tone. In 2001, this underground sound and other strains of garage music began to be promoted at the London nightclub Plastic People, at the "Forward" night (sometimes stylised as FWD>>), and on the pirate radio station Rinse FM. The term dubstep first appeared in 2001, and was then used by labels such as Big Apple and Tempa from 2002 to describe remixes more distinct from 2-step and grime.

Genre family tree

Parent genres (↑) and subgenres (↓) of Dubstep.

Key artists

  • Era Istrefi
  • Tinie Tempah
  • Labrinth
  • Dizzee Rascal
  • Katy B
  • Knife Party

Questions people ask

Real questions from the Stack Exchange community – follow a link to read the discussion.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dubstep?

Dubstep is a music genre that emerged in United Kingdom in the 2000s. It is usually classed as a form of bass music (EDM). Its influences include dub music and 2-step garage.

Where and when did Dubstep originate?

Dubstep originated in United Kingdom in the 2000s.

Who are famous Dubstep artists?

Era Istrefi, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, Dizzee Rascal, Katy B and Knife Party.

Sources & credits