Dubstep

Dubstep is a vastly growing trend in the music industry in the United States.  Originating in the U.K. dubstep is defined by allmusic.com as “a genre of electronic dance music” said to be “tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals.”  This electronic, computerized sound started showing up in the middle of hits from artist such as Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Flo-Rida, Kanye West, Jay Z and many more.

Dubstep originated in South London, in 1999, and has been growing ever since.  I remember being introduced to dubstep for the first time in 2011 in a remix of Britney Spears’ song “Till The World Ends.”  When I heard it, I automatically loved it.  I loved the contrast from the normal basic music styles that have been released in the music industry for the last couple of years.  After hearing that song, I started to notice that almost every new release had an element of dubstep in it, and from then I knew it was the new sound.

 Because of the popularity of the dubstep movement, there are many websites and programs to help music producers and DJ’s create this sound.  MusicRadar and FLStudio Music are two sites that provide free dubstep samples that you can download directly from their website.  There are also more intricate kits that can be purchased but most sites offer these sounds for free.  There are also many video tutorials on YouTube that will take you step by step on how to create a dubstep track.

 When listening to dubstep, there is a difference between taking a song and adding a dubstep music break, and a song that is dubstep from beginning to end.  Some dubstep songs can feel to electronic for me.  However, I do like a good dubstep music break.  I also like how DJ’s have found a way to incorporate dubstep in many different genres, not just pop or hip hop music.  There has even been a dubstep remix to the John Denver’s ‘Country Roads.’

Even though dubstep has been around since 1999, I believe that it has only recently made its mark.  Since I am in the music industry, I am always interested to hear the new sounds of music, and I can’t wait to continue to see the impact that dubstep will continue to make on the industry.

References

Boy In A Band. (2009, May 2). Top 5 Dubstep artists you pretty much need in your life. Retrieved May 19, 2012, from Boy In A Band: http://www.boyinaband.com/2009/05/top-5-dubstep-artists-you-pretty-much-need-in-your-life/

UDubStep. (2012, January 1). The History of Dubstep. Retrieved May 19, 2012, from UDubStep: http://www.udubstep.com/the-history-of-dubstep/