It’s the new craze that has taken over the world. It’s a dirty, filthy beat that makes people gravitate toward it. It’s the fastest-growing music genre of the 21st century. So can you dub it?
The sound is dubstep — the U.K.-born music revolution that has become internationally famous.
It began as dark strains of U.K. garage music and two-step in South East London and was first showcased in London’s nightclub, Forward (FWD), in 2001. With the aide of the Internet and sites like www.dubstepforum.com, the phenomenon has spread to the states and has gathered thousands of different artists and fanatics along its trip across the Atlantic. The beat is music heavily centered on bass and sub-bass. Dubstep draws on many musical genres like techno, electronic, U.K. garage, reggae and D’n’B.
The songs usually consist of long percussion patterns mixed in with choppy electronic and techno segments. The tempo is often in the range of 138 to 142 bpm, and its fast pace and machine-like sounds are not for everyone. In the United States, the largest following of the genre is in New York City and northern California.
Roya Heydari, a junior majoring in biology, describes dubstep as having “orgasmic vibrations that just make you want to move your body.”
In fact, it isn’t unusual to hear dubstep at parties and raves hosted by promoters like www.nycravers.com.
“I love to bop around in my room listening to dubstep,” said Heather Priest, a sophomore majoring in political science. “It’s a strange, exciting sound that I can’t get enough of.”
So have you finally found your calling? Is dubstep the beat that you’ve been waiting for?
For you newbie dubsteppers, I would suggest the following:
“Tron” — Joker
“Dank Dub” — The Widdler
“Night” — Benga and Coki
“Midnight Request Line” — Skream
“Woo Boost” — Rusko
“Pro Nails (Remix)” — Rusko
“White Satin” — Zed’s Dead
“Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” — Skrillex
“In For the Kill” — Skrillex
“Sierra Leone” — Mt. Eden
“Act Like You Know” — Nero
If these tracks catch your eye and stimulate your senses, I would recommend checking out more songs at http://www.dubstepforum.com. A whole new kind of music awaits you.