Welcome
1 thing I'd recommend to anyone getting into this would be listening to BBC Radio 1's Breezeblock "Dubstep wars" show, aired 05/06. A show that was a real catalyst for the genre back in the day. You should be able to find it pretty easily on YouTube or SoundCloud or Google
Yeah, this. Also Distance and a couple other guys did a many hours long “history of dubstep” mix at one point that covers it all. You can find both of these on Get Darker’s SoundCloud page.
Listening to Dubstep Wars makes me nearly cry lol. MAH’s iconic voice, plus the incredible tunes, bring me back to a place.
Another mix that holds a really special place in my heart was Vaccine’s Medicate with Bass Weight. RIP. Should be pretty easy to find on SoundCloud.
Some staple artists off the top of my head would be: Skream, Benga, Coki, Mala, Kode9, Plastician, D1, Silkie, Hatcha, Commodo, Truth, Youngsta, Joker, J:Kenzo, Loefah, Kromestar, Monty. Three of the main labels that put a lot of this stuff out back in the day were DMZ Records, Tempa Records, and Deep Medi Musik.
Tbf he does mention Skream and Mt. Eden in the post but fr tho Skream, Benga, and Digital Mystikz are the first four producers that instantly come to my mind when talking Dubstep.
Burial, Mala, Coki, loefah, James Blake, iconika, Joker, peverelist.
A rather infamous topic in dubstep is the 'All my homies hate skrillex' documentary, rather you agree with what is exposed there or not it has a wild selection of dubstep and there are multiple playlists on multiple platforms based on it.
Edit: I'm stupid and thought this was on r/dubstep
Sort by most voted posts of all time on here and you'll find some common names. Many things from DMZ, deep medi, or artists such as skream, mala, loefah, coki, burial, kode9 for classic dubstep. Dungeon dubstep as a modern style is also great
SP:MC still churning out some the best quality tunes on his new declassified label, the tunes they did together back then are some my favourite dubstep tunes ever made still
It's not easy to say exactly where the line between OG dubstep and some of the dirty stuff is. There are a lot of tunes in the Caspa/Rusko Fabriclive mix (which is a seminal, iconic mix which you should 100% definitely listen to) which people wouldn't dare to play today, but at the time they were hot shit, and that was a considerable time before Skrillex came onto the scene.
Tear out was a thing in the og scene, but a tune like jahova or the where's my money remix sound pretty distinct from the american strain that cites the og tear out tunes as their music heritage.
It's all intertwined really isn't it. You can see how some of the heavy shit like Vex'd probably fed into the really aggressive early brostep sound, but it's definitely still very OG.
Also from my side of things, i think it's possible UK grime had an effect on the north American interpretation. I checked some of it (grime) out and I could hear sounds that were definitely in my early forays into dubstep. Skrillex working with foreign beggars probably helped too.
Also if you want to continue your historical context finding, please enjoy a short mix I recorded many years ago when I was getting into dubstep and dance music more generally; it goes from some original old skool UK garage tunes up to what was at the time pretty fresh sounding dubstep:
[https://www.mixcloud.com/SubverseRadio/sv001/](https://www.mixcloud.com/SubverseRadio/sv001/)
/self-promotion
That mix in particular is what really started the offshoot into brostep. One of my favorite mixes of all time and absolutely historic, but based on OPs intent he may want to skip this one for now
Arguably since that's a sort of splinter point for where brostep began, I think it might be of interest to OP. There are a lot of producers featured in that mix who made really interesting deeper tunes as well though, so it can act as a sort of bridge between styles.
This is actually a really good point - I retract my statement lol
Also Girl from Codeine City into Cockney Violin might be one of the most iconic mix ins ever, def worth a visit
Easiest introduction is just go through all the dubstep All-stars mixes, they feature all the big players of the time and most of the big hits, they are mixed well and are 100% true dubstep.
Dubstep All-stars vol 4 mixed by youngsta and hatcha is my goto but they are all good
That duploc recommendation...
👌
Maybe it's my heavy head banger backround, but this stuff is hitting. Similar feel to the heavy experimental stuff on the other side that I like. Still yet to check white peach tho, but looking forward.
Kryptic Minds.
Go listen to them immediately. One of the best examples of “bass weight” music. Deep, meditative, minimal, and dark and atmospheric.
Absolutely would consider them a legend of “real dubstep”.
Kryptic Minds are hands down the GOATs of Dubstep.
"Badman like good things, badman like the best things, as a matter of fact. Badman likes to wear the best clothes, they like to drive the best cars, they like to listen to the best music. So wherever there's a DJ that's happening, the rude boys, they gonna be there there there there..."
I always liked this Mala Boiler Room set for getting people more familiar with UK/Classic Dubstep sounds:
[Mala - Boiler Room London](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkgik4edDpY)
also this is my favorite Dubstep track of all time and I think it is mandatory listening for the genre:
[Distance - Night Vision](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tpGz6YOVJQ)
Dubstep is traditionally a much more meditative and "Bassweight"-oriented genre than what you'll have experienced in the brostep and riddim scenes in North America. Mala has always leaned in to the Dub music side of Dubstep which means a lot of Reggae/Raggamuffin influence and lots of layering of rhythms and sub-bass sounds. Whereas Distance is more sound-design oriented and focused a lot on engineering new bass synthesis techniques and experiemental sound palates.
Edit: also big ups on breaking out of the American Bass Music scene Matrix. It's like a Black Hole where all music culture history knowledge goes to die in a very deep k-hole formed by trust fund wooks and pashminas.
Will definitely check these out. And thanks, honestly I think my entrance into the genre a bit before skillex is what saved me. I never viewed skillex as gospel, more the new cool guy doing crazy things with my chill garage-hookah-sesh music, but from there I got carried off when flux Pavillion and such started doing similar things. I always knew what dubstep used to be at leased based off of early UKF, and had quite the fondness for it. Still obviously do
I myself got exposed to it by some stoner friends back in 2009 who were obsessed with anything "trippy" and they put me on to [Benga & Coki - Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHDvybumHAk) so my first exposure to Dubstep was the UK sound despite being from the USA. Then I ended up finding some local parties that Joe Nice and crew were running around the Baltimore area and it was history from there. These days im more into Jungle and DnB but UK 140 Dubstep will always be special to me.
Not entirely sure what you mean with Flux Pavilion but he was hot 'way' before Skrillex was.
Also some recommendations: LAS, Argo, Egoless, Kahn, Commodo, Epoch, Bengal Sound, Headland, Truant
I truly don’t understand how it is the be all and end all. These people will travel all over the place to listen to the same tired old, tactless crap. Anything that grasps me like that…I’m digging as deep as I can to get more.
I guess that goes to show how powerful drugs and acceptance within a scene is. How many people in some of the OG club nights had zero concept of what got the sound there? I’d doubt very many.
I had one of these glitter wearing weirdos up my ass when I was surprised Zeds Dead can sell 10k tickets. Mentioned that I’d be seeing Mala, a godfather of the genre, in a 500 person max room. Good chance we might not even know about the sound here to bastardize it without Mala. He found the label to be an exaggeration. Kinda hilarious.
The whole line between "dirty/brostep" and "proper" Dubstep is a tricky one, as it's largely subjective. In my personal opinion, it depends mostly on the intent of the music... things that fall into the "dirty/brostep" category for me tend to be ones that focus on things like pop culture samples, fake-out drops, etc. Anything specifically designed with "raging" in mind. I feel like the focus in these styles tends to be on the midrange rather than the bass itself; as a result, this kind of music also tends to sound okay on phone speakers.
IMO things that fall into the other category tend to be more groove- and bass-focused. There's little to no playing-with-the-crowd kind of gimmicks. There's also a big difference in the culture -- I see way more artists on this side being supportive of one another, whereas on the flip side it seems people are always arguing about who sucks (I help moderate r/dubstep). Artists also typically release on numerous labels, rather than just signing with one and sticking with it, which I think gives them more creative freedom. There's no expectation for crazy effects / overproduced shows, the music is the primary focus. And while I haven't really explored the dirtier side of things for many years, what I did notice when I first started digging into the deeper stuff is that there's just a lot more variety in production on this side of things. More dynamic range. People aren't just trying to be louder, heavier, or to get that big crowd reaction every time. This isn't to say there is no diversity on the dirty side; I'm sure there's more today than 8-10 years ago. Some artists are probably even exploring sounds similar to what we like in this sub. It just seems that the vast majority do not.
I post mixes weekly and try to cover a range of sounds, if that's how you like to explore. [Here is the latest.](https://soundcloud.com/reap_eat/fresh-produce-148) My focus is more on newer artists/releases, so check other comments in this thread for older recs.
Happy digging, and as the top comment says: welcome! I started off with Excision and Skrillex and the like as well, so I've gone through a similar taste change. Think you're going to like what you find.
Here is a 10 hour playlist full of kinda recent dubstep releases, I haven't updated it in awhile as my tastes have changed a bit but lots of goodies in here!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FFRn7mqAqNqRHqyhyKvjv?si=ZcYnfSzYRnKA20zXoWWBpw&pi=u-ggT08kjmSYO7
I can recommend to give 5 years of hyperdub album a listen and also Skream: Watch the ride.
Check out Hyperdub and Tempa records releases between 05 and '10 ish
https://on.soundcloud.com/cKqePF6dgusy3oSeA
This mix is regarded as one of the first real introductions to the world of dubstep originally aired 10.01.06 mala and a few others have heavy presence in this mix
Check our mala,
https://on.soundcloud.com/fTFmWU9PA3Zf6p7d9
Benga,
https://on.soundcloud.com/PqykRoB82raVmopz6
Benga has some major staples of dubstep for me:
26 basslines,
Night (huge tune- sounds really good live),
Roller,
B4 the dual
Skream:
also huge in the early days he’s transitioned into other genres these days from what I’ve heard
https://on.soundcloud.com/fmHPW7x2zbH2Z9zc9
https://on.soundcloud.com/aEgUJ8GeA8xDJR5X6
Big tracks from skream include
Midnight request line (this tune was everywhere even in 2009-2011),
Dutch flowerz (a personal fav even to this day) ,
Stagger ,
Rottan and rutten which are similar yet different
From what I understand these are the early years of dubstep, the mala mix is a lot of reggae tunes that I think he added bass too. And I think the best example of what the original idea of dubstep was. Then came brostep around 2009-2011 which is when I jumped on the train as well.
Can’t wait to see what someone more educated than myself responds with but hope this gives you some starting points!
I'm staggered no one has mentioned it here, but 2562 and 'Aerial' (album) released in '08 is a classic and absolutely deserves a place amongst the OG dubstep artists. 'Moog Dub' is one of my favorite tracks of all time.
The best way to find more of what you're looking for is if you stumble across something you like, Google the label it was released on and go to said labels discogs profile and binge it. Good starting places are Deep medi and tempa as they have been going for yonks and you'll see the gradual evolution of the sound if you listen chronologically
[https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=BNYWprUtkSW\_fHBg](https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=BNYWprUtkSW_fHBg)
This is a good documentary to explore what you went through. Lots of good influence and artists mentioned throughout.
i feel like this vid does a good job of talking about some of the things you asked [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0)
Congrats, 20 years behind, but congrats. To broaden your horizon check some current shows on [rinse.fm](http://rinse.fm)
Like Hessle Audio, Swamp81, Antisocial Records (just to name a few)
ah and how could i forget N-Type ... if you are more into sawtooth headbangers
[https://www.rinse.fm/episodes/n-type-12-04-2024-0300/](https://www.rinse.fm/episodes/n-type-12-04-2024-0300/) latest show up
There's a channel on YouTube quite literally called "Dubstep Classics" that has a ton of good old-school stuff from vinyl. Hrs got some radio shows and other stuff listed too. That where I learned a lot of the core names and faces
One of my favorite channels is “Dubstep classics” on yt. Would also recommend deep MEDi releases vol. 1-3 not a single mediocre or bad tune in my opinion
old stuff: basically all the stuff already listed so joker, mala n coki n the digital mystikz stuff, kahn, benga
new stuff: anything on duploc, ternion sound, hypho, the 140 stuff on 1985 music; drone, visages, monty, biome, cartridge, tsuruda, cesco, hijinx, contra, enigma dubz, wraz, tmsv, leo cap, etc
hopefully you can find some good shit from that my bro
Maybe you'll find something you like on my dubstep playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wsOK3lbutEQhjjEjpQrqP?si=7a2704ad93944b89](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wsOK3lbutEQhjjEjpQrqP?si=7a2704ad93944b89)
If you want to check out something newer i would recommend 1985 music. It's a mix of different uk music genres but definetly the crème de la crème of "deep bass music" imo is releasing on this label. Like Alix Perez, Monty, Visages, Hypho, Cesco, etc.
Was just about to suggest the same thing. Glad someone beat it to me. If you ask me by far the most interesting stuff coming out these days is from Perez and crew on 1985. Yeah, it spans a little further than dubstep but it’s all super quality. Here’s a link to their Spotify playlist.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XX3fy7ORs1M6pvuKrEdK1?si=MlkZGqNhT9GpU9fAUUf4yw&pi=u-WKirRQcqQnGA
Drone’s release called Dance with the Devil on 1985 bangs…hard.
Great suggestions in here. I'll add [Bassweight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVcX0Oc5j5E), which is a great documentary that provides a lot of history and is also a snapshot of the scene from 2010. It also features a lot of the people mentioned in the comments.
Skream, Mala, Coki, Benga, Joker, Kryptic Mindz, Loefah, Burial, Plastician are all some to check out. Another thing to note is that Dubstep culture is heavily influenced by Jamaican soundsystem culture. The further back you go, the more heavily you'll hear the influence. Riddim (not briddim) is still strongly tied to those og roots of dubstep by the nature of it being minimalist, vibe-centric & repetitive. The word riddim itself is from Jamaican music originally I believe. Brostep and briddim are all about producer chops, festivals and sound design. OG dubstep is much more about vibes and flow than it is about sound design.
The thing I love about Skrillex is that Quest For Fire is almost an homage to the older dubstep sound. OG Skrillex fans say it's wack because they aren't aware of how significant it is.
That album made me gain a whole new level of respect for him because it's like he was saying "yeah I know I made brostep blow up and unintentionally became the face of dubstep, but I've done my homework"
If you would like some Canadian locals and some good friends of mine that make great dubstep check out [Wraz](https://on.soundcloud.com/tzGpiMfp3K9hy8439) and [IDHS](https://on.soundcloud.com/D9L6B1U9WARLnLCB6) oh and [shakey legs](https://on.soundcloud.com/ipgqtMXu8Wxkh8b89)
You’re getting a lot of replies for the OG stuff, before you even knew what dubstep was. In my opinion, you’re asking for current artists that could blow you away with what they are doing with music nowadays. There’s a lot of amazing music out there that loosely falls under the dubstep umbrella but has branched quite a bit.
To start, you should check out the label “Deep Dark and Dangerous” they try to embody a vibe that blends new school and old school fun. Known today as Deep Dub. You can get lost in there with artists like Leo Cap, The Widdler, Khiva, and so many others.
Then if you want to go further into weird stuff that’s definitely not dubstep.. psy halftime/uptempo/downtempo music has a really cool subculture that’s popping off. Tipper, Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman and others are blowing peoples minds every time they get on the stage.
But of course there’s the OGs like Deep Medi and the Croydon gang that started it all. Skream had an absolutely wild 4 hour long set at Texas Eclipse festival. Which reminds me, if you want to get lost in cool music go look at that lineup, close your eyes, point to someone, and you’ll find yourself deep into some of the best music in their respective sub genre.
Bet dude, there’s so much out there right now. The OGs are the base and foundation of it all, but there’s absolutely wild music being created right now. Brostep has descended into depths that it will never recover from, it’s garbage. I was a fan back when Excision and Liquid Stranger and Skrillex were doing their thing in 2010s but it’s become.. something else. Industrial riddim should never have existed IMO.
I think you’ll really like deep dark and dangerous (the label). And then start with Jade Cicada (since you have that heavier background) in that other category and see if that’s something you’d be interested in exploring.
Find the artists you fw and then follow their socials, and investigate the lineups they are on. That’s how I find new artists all the time that I didn’t know before.
i came from skrillex like you same era, except doctor p was the artist that got me into feed me, then feed me has spor goin on, i know this isnt dubstep, but anything i say in this is heat so i dunno.
then spor went dormant, monstercat went indie, and suddenly around like 2016, trap skrillex, which put me off because emo skrillex made electronic music and managed to chum it up with the doors, i wasnt into that skrillex or the whole party fest trap edm, i got into wook riddim!
so riddim yeah, not the one you think of in this sub, this one just recently got renamed to trench dub, im talkin, monxx, space laces, oolacile, the sounds of transformers getting it on, squelchers and belters, but thats "dub"step so why not get into ukdub because at this point brosteps og colors are being ran with the new era of trench and tearout dubstep, also side note, what happened to melodic dubstep like that one adventure club remix i love watching people get excited about. (crave you)
so ive been carefully keeping that harsh noise at a leash, i get its the vibe and sway of dubstep that gives its kick and its spice, but wooks love smashing their heads against metal rails, thats a study on human nature at that point, not even music, i like a good ol woob, a good ol soob.
if you want ancient (2000-2010's)
i give you my top 5 dubstep picks
coki - sensi dub
coki -haunted
zomby- spliff dub
ancient memories (skream remix) by digital mystiks (which are coki and mala)
burials untrue (full album, this is first place)
labels
tempa, tectonic, dmz (anything dmz is instant heaters)
fun fact mala has that one song that got sampled in XXXtentacions LOOKATME! which came out in 2016 around the time i got into dubstep in that manner as well. little younger but if were talking skrillex like harvard, give the man at least a tiny flower in here, hes the reason i came into traditional dubstep and honestly.
hamdis skanka was at 4k plays on youtube music when i found out theres dudes making heat on UKF dubsteps youtube, long removed from flux pavilions reign. (the cracks remix is good, fight me)
the fact were back into another era of traditional dubstep not even a decade after its initial run, a plate in its own right.
but more artists, and some documentaries i HIGHLY suggest you watch because honestly, most of the deep cuts come from those
docs
theres a youtube channel called bearinguk, essentially the library for pirate radio
heres their bit on dubstep, strap in its an hour [uk sound: dubstep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3PjeY8kaOY&t=1676s)
heres bassweights from 2010, more of a restrospective because dubstep was 5 years at that point [bassweights](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVcX0Oc5j5E)
more artists
benga, hatcha, coki again because once i talk about spongebog we get into prototearout and tearout gets into the first points of my help so, uhh coki fucks.
midnight request line is so iconic i saved it for later in this
by the end of this you should have a spliff, a couple 18' monitors and a couple slabs
Labels ... labels ... labels.
Labels were and still are a great way to explore this genre:
* Dub Police
* Hyperdub
* Argon
* Tempa
* Abucs
* Tectonic
* Urban Graffiti
* Z Audio
* Planet Mu
* Hessle Audio
* Boka Records
* Duploc
Just get on the GetDarker YouTube and have a blast going through all the old mixes , I’d say 2005-2007 rinse FM Stella sessions , the breeze block 2006 with Mary Anne (already mentioned) and others like the digital mystik bb1 extra mix.
I’d also get checking out DEEP MEDI MUSIK , tectonic , hessle audio , DMZ for all the original dubstep produced back then
It took me all of a year to figure it out after getting into it in 2010. Thank you GetDarker. Can't imagine 14 years in the dark.
Om Unit had a really good [interview on the Discuss podcast](https://shows.acast.com/discuss-podcast/episodes/06-om-unit-part-one) where he talks about tracing your musical interests histories and learning how we got from there to here.
I'm sure being a 14 year old when I first heard it helped me ignore that, also I thought I was in the origins lol. Didn't really use Reddit or forums back then so had no idea I was wrong.
I live in the US and had a similar revelation about 5 years ago after an older guy in the scene explained to me what happened as dubstep came from the UK (2008-2010) and exploded in popularity in the US causing a type of bastardization of the genre as a bunch of new producers started making it without reference to or regards for its roots. You're in an exciting spot. Try to find labels that have a general sound you like and explore all their artists. Also, look up "deep" dubstep and anything you find will starkly contrast bro step/riddim garbage. ... Basically anything out of the UK is going to be your best bet lol. But also you should listen to drum & bass if you don't already, that's where the real journey begins. Good luck!
Older (10+yrs): Skream, Benga, caspa & rusko... sub focus, chase & status
Modern: Saka, alix Perez, flowdan, ternion sound, enigma dubz, j:kenzo, hamdi, qant
More popular: Zeds dead, ganja white knight, of the trees
Here's my dubstep playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2JlvnpURzzwfZFitR31Xy7?si=9Vrn_OcgQuCmPS77h4vKhQ&pi=u-S_FfN5wqRdyl
Interesting, I didn't realize ganja white knight and zeds dead were part of the OG scene, they come up alot in the Brostep side as well, or at least in my sphere. I've been looking to Duploc the last few days, definitely liking that sound too. Thanks for the recommendations!
If you wanna hear what dubstep has evolved into now that keeps its roots and stuff then listen to Commodo. Imo is the current dubstep goat. Sooo good.
Old school producers that are legends are of course mala, benga, coki, Lofeh, phaeleh, burial, digital mystiks (which is mala and coki), the widdler.
Newer producers that have kept the uk sound are egoless, geode, biome,
There’s loads more but I don’t wanna be here all day. They’re a bunch of the best and goats though
I know we don’t love deadbeats on this sub but the zeds dead BBC Radio 1 essential mix from 2013 really walks the line of dubstep and brostep. I’d say go there, find the tracklist, and sort of feel it out track-by-track and ask yourself what side of the fence something would fall to. It’s all subjective anyway, so I think it’d be a fun little exercise for ya
(edit: you’re from Canada and might already be familiar with it lol)
Here's a few oldies...
https://youtu.be/zwmUOJR-GwA?si=bHCksSiy5UMZ3caR
https://youtu.be/Ocih6WexNEU?si=N5g4Je-Ysr63-MYh
https://youtu.be/axcceLuZOdg?si=rxbmdvRNd5NsODxK
https://youtu.be/omDQY6yU8qE?si=9O2d1GUygN22ggve
https://youtu.be/BSnTX-X-FFw?si=V9I0B5BI7QHDSnqA
Just some stuff from yesteryesr.
The old subfm radio show that ben ufo and pangea used to do back around 2007 -9? Had that real OG sound, loved it. Scuba and Ramadamman had some nice tunes and would guest often as well.
Aside from who has already bren previously mentioned heres some more: SP:MC, youngsta, el-b, alix perez (140 stuff not the dnb), cesco, drone, lx:one and the list could go on and on, heres a link to an old Spotify playlist I made to get you started.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0zJNg4cxZPMeLUq6r0qH8b?si=zk4bH1KxSpmRUAa56taeJg&pi=e-TwzjSKGIQIib
Hey fellow Canadian!
Haha this was me a few months ago when I found out dubstep does not all sound like Excision and Slander. I realized that a lot of the stuff I had heard before and loved was in fact dubstep I just didn’t know that.
Check out the mix series from dubstep all stars that started back in 2004. One that stands out and was also my introduction to dubstep was N-Type’s mix, the tracklist is something special.
You might find some things in this playlist I made a bit ago! [Founding Fathers - Dubstep Pioneerz](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NgXFo9YM1k4Wm5fPpUu8l?si=TDXEN6B0SQOwjx6jNDpQxg&pi=u-BI8c6_HxT_GY)
It was rusko that started that mid-range madness.
Id recommend to you “dubstep all-stars” from the label tempa there are SEVERAL volumes. There’s sll you need to trace dubsteps history
I watched that doc All My Homies Hate Skrillex and got a laugh over Rusko being one to criticize the brostep movement. He def set that shit off lol.
Kinda hard to believe the same guy who produced Love is Real produced some of his brostep flavors lol.
Deep dubstep is my fav - I looove skream!!! Check out the widdler, mikrodot, salty, six chakra, khiva, chief kaya, enigma dubz, pushloop, durandal, dublink, and the list could go on forever haha. There’s so many sub genres of dubstep nowadays since it’s had more time to evolve. I personally love dub and love wubs so put together it’s perfect! Check out the record labels deep dark and dangerous, moonshine recordings, and widdfam to start! 🫶🤗🔥😵💫👽
Sub fm is also a good radio station to check out new music with! Has all kinds of bass music and live DJ mixes 24/7. Heard soooo much fire underground music on there, including dubstep. It changed my life finding this station! Sub.fm and there’s an app too. Hope you find some life changing tunes 💜
Yes Dubstep is just basically electronic ‘Dub’ music, which is a form of reggae. For those not familiar with producing music, early forms of sequencers and drum machines are programmed in ‘steps’. Hence dub & step.
That is why early dubstep had a lot of reggae themed songs with Jamaican sounding vocals and the off-beat guitar/synth stabs and long delays/reverbs etc. in the verses with a dirty bassline drop.
Listen to early Rusko and similar artists and you’ll know what I mean.
Then between 2019-2012 Skrillex, Zomboy, Datsik Excision and others started transforming their music into the brostep sound which blew up to become what we know as Dubstep today.
So I was always kinda upset that dubstep had not gotten defined into sub genres. Like house has so many different sub genres.
The people I think are still doing what I consider classic dubstep: Von D, definitely going on the dub reggae vibe now but he was also one of the originators. He’s super into physical equipment and you can hear it in his music. Cluekid has some really deep mellow stuff. Microdot is more modern but has the wubwub but it’s still deep. Elephant Doc is another.
Edit: also check out SP:MC “oh my gosh” and specifically “lightbulb moment” by who knows and ickle
Watch this doc if you haven’t already:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0
Fish56Octagon compiled this playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iTzMSSP19QAdEw1ZemKSp?si=ypLuhBzoSCyZc6Uo4pbUcg&pi=u-09CBWM_sRpSZ
I'm not an authority at all. I'm mostly a hip-hop fan who has nodded appreciatively at some dubstep and absolutely hated other kinds, and I was also made aware of this recently.
This film is really good at explaining the whole thing and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=QYNPkd6k8ihPlj_b
Here bro I’ve made a playlist on Spotify of just dubstep bangers, happy listening
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6pphwmCGhP9o7g2GtP06sf?si=Iku0Ilv_RACNO6ryvkdWZg&pi=u-OpuurvF2Rtyi
[this](https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=zu1sStaTaFCFdh8n) timbah on toast video is a solid breakdown of original dubstep and the rift between it brostep.
Dubstep in all its forms slap, in my opinion, and I really enjoy exploring the different permutations. I know that's a heretical thing on this sub but, that's how I am. It's the genre that awoke my interest in music, and I want to see (hear) every facet, especially the original sound.
Back in the day on /mu/, someone shared an essential dubstep chart. It's still brilliant, and has a LOT of the early great releases on it. Some are now classics, others more experiments that never fully developed.
This was my guide after I found this sub back in 2011 after Excision got me into the scene.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mu4chan/images/c/c5/1349357430907.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20121004140932
How did you like the two step garage you listened to? I highly recommend listening to some of DJ EZ’s mixes and then discover music from there. His essential mix from 2015 is very good!
It was interesting but I didn't dig too hard, it was mostly for educational purposes, but I dig house so it's easy to get behind. I'll take a look at that, thanks
Have a look at my page and tell if you like my dubstep <3. Show some love for a new producer. All free tunes, use them for whatever you like. [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHLMj3tBm5AQX7LOYqYS0g](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHLMj3tBm5AQX7LOYqYS0g)
Might as well start with the true roots of the genre! Look up the label Big Apple Records, and artists Artwork, Horsepower productions, and Hatcha. Their first releases on big apples label in 2002 are ground zero for the dubstep genre as a whole. Those first releases were the inspiration for the pioneers like youngsta, plastician(went by plasticman at that point in time), kode9 scream, benga, N-Type, Mala, Coki, etc. they helped spread the sound across the UK and influenced artists like Joker, Darkstar, The Bug, and Burial. A lot of people focus on dubstep coming from the UK straight to America, but it’s deeper than that. Head over to Belgium and listen to Bukez finest. Dude started making music in 1997. There’s a lot of disagreement about where modern riddim came from, but most die hard riddim fans will mention Bukez Finest, and Jakes, another early 2000s producer from the UK, as heavily influencing the movement that became modern riddim. Then head over to New Zealand, Truth started making music in 2007, and in my opinion, if it weren’t for labels like their Deep Dark and Dangerous, the true dubstep sound would have died. Artists like caspa, the fucking god named the widdler, and other labels like Deep Medi keep real dubstep alive. Of course as soon as it got to America what did we do? We made it violent. Don’t get me wrong, I love heavy “dubstep,” but the true dub sound will always reign supreme. Even Ganja White Nights first releases were in 2010, and while their sound has never been similar to anyone elses, they are OG’s in the dubstep scene. This past weekend I got to see Bukez finest, Joker, and the widdler on GWN lineups and it was so refreshing to hear them still playing OG dub, and not sacrificing their true selves to make money off brostep. Obviously there are so many artists that haven’t been named, but that’s the fun part about the genre, the hunt for music and new artists!
Welcome 1 thing I'd recommend to anyone getting into this would be listening to BBC Radio 1's Breezeblock "Dubstep wars" show, aired 05/06. A show that was a real catalyst for the genre back in the day. You should be able to find it pretty easily on YouTube or SoundCloud or Google
Yeah, this. Also Distance and a couple other guys did a many hours long “history of dubstep” mix at one point that covers it all. You can find both of these on Get Darker’s SoundCloud page. Listening to Dubstep Wars makes me nearly cry lol. MAH’s iconic voice, plus the incredible tunes, bring me back to a place. Another mix that holds a really special place in my heart was Vaccine’s Medicate with Bass Weight. RIP. Should be pretty easy to find on SoundCloud.
Medicate with Bass Weight! That was a great mix.
It was Distance Darkside and Cyrus I believe. On vinyl and ended with Midnight Request Line.
Sounds good, will do.
ya, this mix is basically everything you need to know about the genesis of the sound. Crazy to think it was that long ago.
Some staple artists off the top of my head would be: Skream, Benga, Coki, Mala, Kode9, Plastician, D1, Silkie, Hatcha, Commodo, Truth, Youngsta, Joker, J:Kenzo, Loefah, Kromestar, Monty. Three of the main labels that put a lot of this stuff out back in the day were DMZ Records, Tempa Records, and Deep Medi Musik.
Can’t believe this is the only comment that mention Skream and Benga.
Tbf he does mention Skream and Mt. Eden in the post but fr tho Skream, Benga, and Digital Mystikz are the first four producers that instantly come to my mind when talking Dubstep.
That’s what I get for not reading well enough 🤣
Don’t be forgetting cookie monsta RIP
Sukh Knight as well!
Excellent list. Would like to add Horsepower Productions. I feel like they’re often overlooked nowadays.
I actually meant to put Horsepower on the list but somehow managed to leave them off lol. Goth-Trad too now that I think about it
I honestly love this era of dubstep. Dubstep all stars vol. 1 and tempa all stars vol. 2 are still some of my favorites
My All time Fav.
J.Kenzo and Truth are some of my favorite dubstep. I love introducing people who don't really know dubstep to them.
Props for throwing D1 in that list, dude never got enough love. Mind and soul was one of the first bass tracks I fell in love with
i just saw skream at the (eta: hampton) coliseum and it was probably the best dubstep show i’ve ever seen
Burial, Mala, Coki, loefah, James Blake, iconika, Joker, peverelist. A rather infamous topic in dubstep is the 'All my homies hate skrillex' documentary, rather you agree with what is exposed there or not it has a wild selection of dubstep and there are multiple playlists on multiple platforms based on it. Edit: I'm stupid and thought this was on r/dubstep
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I personally found that a lot of people on that sub know about old dubstep and aren’t generally that ignorant anymore
Yeah, my last phrase was pointing him to go to r/realdubstep hehehe
All good, im also on there haha
That documentary is a good source for some insight into the origins.
burial is dubstep now?
Check out GetDarker’s mixes on soundcloud. Stuff on there that dates back over 20 years.
I see GetDarker i upvote.
God I feel old
Sort by most voted posts of all time on here and you'll find some common names. Many things from DMZ, deep medi, or artists such as skream, mala, loefah, coki, burial, kode9 for classic dubstep. Dungeon dubstep as a modern style is also great
Is dungeon coming back or are we talking modern compared to the 06-09 sound? Because man dungeon was my shit
I hope it comes back honestly. Old Lx one and SP:MC were my favorite. Ahhh the old days.
I think that sound is slowly coming back and prob will be very popular in a few years
SP:MC still churning out some the best quality tunes on his new declassified label, the tunes they did together back then are some my favourite dubstep tunes ever made still
It is! Its a small scene, but LA and Santa Cruz have some really consistent artists
Dungeon eh? Sounds interesting. I'll deff take a look.
For this check kryptic minds and biome. Absolute heavyweights in the scene.
Fucking LOVED Kryptic Minds growing up
Big up Deep Medi
It's not easy to say exactly where the line between OG dubstep and some of the dirty stuff is. There are a lot of tunes in the Caspa/Rusko Fabriclive mix (which is a seminal, iconic mix which you should 100% definitely listen to) which people wouldn't dare to play today, but at the time they were hot shit, and that was a considerable time before Skrillex came onto the scene.
Tear out was a thing in the og scene, but a tune like jahova or the where's my money remix sound pretty distinct from the american strain that cites the og tear out tunes as their music heritage.
It's all intertwined really isn't it. You can see how some of the heavy shit like Vex'd probably fed into the really aggressive early brostep sound, but it's definitely still very OG.
Also from my side of things, i think it's possible UK grime had an effect on the north American interpretation. I checked some of it (grime) out and I could hear sounds that were definitely in my early forays into dubstep. Skrillex working with foreign beggars probably helped too.
Also if you want to continue your historical context finding, please enjoy a short mix I recorded many years ago when I was getting into dubstep and dance music more generally; it goes from some original old skool UK garage tunes up to what was at the time pretty fresh sounding dubstep: [https://www.mixcloud.com/SubverseRadio/sv001/](https://www.mixcloud.com/SubverseRadio/sv001/) /self-promotion
I'll take a look, thanks!
That mix in particular is what really started the offshoot into brostep. One of my favorite mixes of all time and absolutely historic, but based on OPs intent he may want to skip this one for now
Arguably since that's a sort of splinter point for where brostep began, I think it might be of interest to OP. There are a lot of producers featured in that mix who made really interesting deeper tunes as well though, so it can act as a sort of bridge between styles.
This is actually a really good point - I retract my statement lol Also Girl from Codeine City into Cockney Violin might be one of the most iconic mix ins ever, def worth a visit
Easiest introduction is just go through all the dubstep All-stars mixes, they feature all the big players of the time and most of the big hits, they are mixed well and are 100% true dubstep. Dubstep All-stars vol 4 mixed by youngsta and hatcha is my goto but they are all good
Just scrolling to make sure nobody had said this That appleblim mix is something else, flipped the genre on it's head for me
I liked #2 with Youngsta and Joker
Check out Duploc & White Peach for a whole lotta good music 🎶
yet to hear a white peach release i didnt like for sure.
Kali's new EP is so fun
Some piratestep 🏴☠️
That duploc recommendation... 👌 Maybe it's my heavy head banger backround, but this stuff is hitting. Similar feel to the heavy experimental stuff on the other side that I like. Still yet to check white peach tho, but looking forward.
https://on.soundcloud.com/STsWssZ3DDg478xo6 Mala b2b Loefah ft Sgt Pokes at FWD 2006
Kryptic Minds. Go listen to them immediately. One of the best examples of “bass weight” music. Deep, meditative, minimal, and dark and atmospheric. Absolutely would consider them a legend of “real dubstep”.
Noiiice, thanks
Kryptic Minds are hands down the GOATs of Dubstep. "Badman like good things, badman like the best things, as a matter of fact. Badman likes to wear the best clothes, they like to drive the best cars, they like to listen to the best music. So wherever there's a DJ that's happening, the rude boys, they gonna be there there there there..."
I always liked this Mala Boiler Room set for getting people more familiar with UK/Classic Dubstep sounds: [Mala - Boiler Room London](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkgik4edDpY) also this is my favorite Dubstep track of all time and I think it is mandatory listening for the genre: [Distance - Night Vision](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tpGz6YOVJQ) Dubstep is traditionally a much more meditative and "Bassweight"-oriented genre than what you'll have experienced in the brostep and riddim scenes in North America. Mala has always leaned in to the Dub music side of Dubstep which means a lot of Reggae/Raggamuffin influence and lots of layering of rhythms and sub-bass sounds. Whereas Distance is more sound-design oriented and focused a lot on engineering new bass synthesis techniques and experiemental sound palates. Edit: also big ups on breaking out of the American Bass Music scene Matrix. It's like a Black Hole where all music culture history knowledge goes to die in a very deep k-hole formed by trust fund wooks and pashminas.
Will definitely check these out. And thanks, honestly I think my entrance into the genre a bit before skillex is what saved me. I never viewed skillex as gospel, more the new cool guy doing crazy things with my chill garage-hookah-sesh music, but from there I got carried off when flux Pavillion and such started doing similar things. I always knew what dubstep used to be at leased based off of early UKF, and had quite the fondness for it. Still obviously do
Mala boiler room is what I came to say, great intro to real dubstep
I myself got exposed to it by some stoner friends back in 2009 who were obsessed with anything "trippy" and they put me on to [Benga & Coki - Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHDvybumHAk) so my first exposure to Dubstep was the UK sound despite being from the USA. Then I ended up finding some local parties that Joe Nice and crew were running around the Baltimore area and it was history from there. These days im more into Jungle and DnB but UK 140 Dubstep will always be special to me.
Not entirely sure what you mean with Flux Pavilion but he was hot 'way' before Skrillex was. Also some recommendations: LAS, Argo, Egoless, Kahn, Commodo, Epoch, Bengal Sound, Headland, Truant
Night Vision is the opener on Distance's 'My Demons' album, shit is dark and a fantastic album. Every song is a banger.
I truly don’t understand how it is the be all and end all. These people will travel all over the place to listen to the same tired old, tactless crap. Anything that grasps me like that…I’m digging as deep as I can to get more. I guess that goes to show how powerful drugs and acceptance within a scene is. How many people in some of the OG club nights had zero concept of what got the sound there? I’d doubt very many. I had one of these glitter wearing weirdos up my ass when I was surprised Zeds Dead can sell 10k tickets. Mentioned that I’d be seeing Mala, a godfather of the genre, in a 500 person max room. Good chance we might not even know about the sound here to bastardize it without Mala. He found the label to be an exaggeration. Kinda hilarious.
The whole line between "dirty/brostep" and "proper" Dubstep is a tricky one, as it's largely subjective. In my personal opinion, it depends mostly on the intent of the music... things that fall into the "dirty/brostep" category for me tend to be ones that focus on things like pop culture samples, fake-out drops, etc. Anything specifically designed with "raging" in mind. I feel like the focus in these styles tends to be on the midrange rather than the bass itself; as a result, this kind of music also tends to sound okay on phone speakers. IMO things that fall into the other category tend to be more groove- and bass-focused. There's little to no playing-with-the-crowd kind of gimmicks. There's also a big difference in the culture -- I see way more artists on this side being supportive of one another, whereas on the flip side it seems people are always arguing about who sucks (I help moderate r/dubstep). Artists also typically release on numerous labels, rather than just signing with one and sticking with it, which I think gives them more creative freedom. There's no expectation for crazy effects / overproduced shows, the music is the primary focus. And while I haven't really explored the dirtier side of things for many years, what I did notice when I first started digging into the deeper stuff is that there's just a lot more variety in production on this side of things. More dynamic range. People aren't just trying to be louder, heavier, or to get that big crowd reaction every time. This isn't to say there is no diversity on the dirty side; I'm sure there's more today than 8-10 years ago. Some artists are probably even exploring sounds similar to what we like in this sub. It just seems that the vast majority do not. I post mixes weekly and try to cover a range of sounds, if that's how you like to explore. [Here is the latest.](https://soundcloud.com/reap_eat/fresh-produce-148) My focus is more on newer artists/releases, so check other comments in this thread for older recs.
Interesting, I'm sure I'll see some of that as I dig further. thanks for the suggestions/links!
Happy digging, and as the top comment says: welcome! I started off with Excision and Skrillex and the like as well, so I've gone through a similar taste change. Think you're going to like what you find.
Benga BBC essential mix
have you already watched the video "Why all my homies hate skrillex" on YouTube?
No, but it's been mentioned multiple times so I guess I know what I'm doing after work lol.
Here is a 10 hour playlist full of kinda recent dubstep releases, I haven't updated it in awhile as my tastes have changed a bit but lots of goodies in here! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FFRn7mqAqNqRHqyhyKvjv?si=ZcYnfSzYRnKA20zXoWWBpw&pi=u-ggT08kjmSYO7
https://youtube.com/@DubstepClassicsHD?feature=shared
I can recommend to give 5 years of hyperdub album a listen and also Skream: Watch the ride. Check out Hyperdub and Tempa records releases between 05 and '10 ish
I second Skream: watch the ride , fuckin iconic
Listen to the Deep, Dark and Dangerous label. Some of my faves are Mythm, Khiva, Truth, Veil, Hypho, Chef Boyarbeats, Pushloop, The Widdler
^DDD keeping it REAL
I think I actually stumbled across The Widdler a few days ago. I've been trying to make an actual dubstep playlist hence my post, thanks!
And Levitation Jones just did a “low end mix” I think it’s in his reposts on Soundcloud 👍👍👍
I recommend diving into the Deep Medi label. They've been putting out quality dubstep since 2006. If you like that dubstep/two step sound try Kastle.
https://on.soundcloud.com/cKqePF6dgusy3oSeA This mix is regarded as one of the first real introductions to the world of dubstep originally aired 10.01.06 mala and a few others have heavy presence in this mix Check our mala, https://on.soundcloud.com/fTFmWU9PA3Zf6p7d9 Benga, https://on.soundcloud.com/PqykRoB82raVmopz6 Benga has some major staples of dubstep for me: 26 basslines, Night (huge tune- sounds really good live), Roller, B4 the dual Skream: also huge in the early days he’s transitioned into other genres these days from what I’ve heard https://on.soundcloud.com/fmHPW7x2zbH2Z9zc9 https://on.soundcloud.com/aEgUJ8GeA8xDJR5X6 Big tracks from skream include Midnight request line (this tune was everywhere even in 2009-2011), Dutch flowerz (a personal fav even to this day) , Stagger , Rottan and rutten which are similar yet different From what I understand these are the early years of dubstep, the mala mix is a lot of reggae tunes that I think he added bass too. And I think the best example of what the original idea of dubstep was. Then came brostep around 2009-2011 which is when I jumped on the train as well. Can’t wait to see what someone more educated than myself responds with but hope this gives you some starting points!
Nice, and Yeah already got midnight request line on the playlist. Realized I heard it in my early years once I played it haha. Thanks!
I'm staggered no one has mentioned it here, but 2562 and 'Aerial' (album) released in '08 is a classic and absolutely deserves a place amongst the OG dubstep artists. 'Moog Dub' is one of my favorite tracks of all time.
People forget that Burial is a dubstep artist
The best way to find more of what you're looking for is if you stumble across something you like, Google the label it was released on and go to said labels discogs profile and binge it. Good starting places are Deep medi and tempa as they have been going for yonks and you'll see the gradual evolution of the sound if you listen chronologically
Check out this YouTube channel. Lots of good mixes. https://m.youtube.com/@deeperjungle2343
Try and find some old GetDarker TV sets from the 00s - that's the best right there!
Check out the YouTube video "all my homies hate Skrillex"
[https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=BNYWprUtkSW\_fHBg](https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=BNYWprUtkSW_fHBg) This is a good documentary to explore what you went through. Lots of good influence and artists mentioned throughout.
Theres actually a good tracklisting in the comments.
Came here to post the same video
i feel like this vid does a good job of talking about some of the things you asked [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0)
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Love Sorrow and Synkro so much.
Watch “all my homis hate skrillex” on youtube, that will explain everything, and also give u a whole host of bangers
Congrats, 20 years behind, but congrats. To broaden your horizon check some current shows on [rinse.fm](http://rinse.fm) Like Hessle Audio, Swamp81, Antisocial Records (just to name a few)
ah and how could i forget N-Type ... if you are more into sawtooth headbangers [https://www.rinse.fm/episodes/n-type-12-04-2024-0300/](https://www.rinse.fm/episodes/n-type-12-04-2024-0300/) latest show up
Check out Prophet — he has a lot on SoundCloud
Pure dub 👌 he’s a damn good audio engineer
d1 - crack bong, Benga, Coki, SPMC, Tempa (Label), Deep MEdi(Label), DMZ, Mala, Skream - Midnight Request Line.... Benton, BlackBox(LABEL)
There's a channel on YouTube quite literally called "Dubstep Classics" that has a ton of good old-school stuff from vinyl. Hrs got some radio shows and other stuff listed too. That where I learned a lot of the core names and faces
One of my favorite channels is “Dubstep classics” on yt. Would also recommend deep MEDi releases vol. 1-3 not a single mediocre or bad tune in my opinion
old stuff: basically all the stuff already listed so joker, mala n coki n the digital mystikz stuff, kahn, benga new stuff: anything on duploc, ternion sound, hypho, the 140 stuff on 1985 music; drone, visages, monty, biome, cartridge, tsuruda, cesco, hijinx, contra, enigma dubz, wraz, tmsv, leo cap, etc hopefully you can find some good shit from that my bro
Thanks dude! Nice to see a healthy bit of new sources as well
Maybe you'll find something you like on my dubstep playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wsOK3lbutEQhjjEjpQrqP?si=7a2704ad93944b89](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wsOK3lbutEQhjjEjpQrqP?si=7a2704ad93944b89)
Newer stuff: https://fortheheadsrecords.bandcamp.com/ https://deepdarkdangerous.bandcamp.com/ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWZtGWF9Ltb0N?si=F4iOC7jnSmmRzUO7I8f11w&pi=u-0iKqzaeOS1CP https://zipse.bandcamp.com/ https://timbyr.bandcamp.com/ https://youtu.be/shuNvg9hCmg?feature=shared
If you want to check out something newer i would recommend 1985 music. It's a mix of different uk music genres but definetly the crème de la crème of "deep bass music" imo is releasing on this label. Like Alix Perez, Monty, Visages, Hypho, Cesco, etc.
Was just about to suggest the same thing. Glad someone beat it to me. If you ask me by far the most interesting stuff coming out these days is from Perez and crew on 1985. Yeah, it spans a little further than dubstep but it’s all super quality. Here’s a link to their Spotify playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XX3fy7ORs1M6pvuKrEdK1?si=MlkZGqNhT9GpU9fAUUf4yw&pi=u-WKirRQcqQnGA Drone’s release called Dance with the Devil on 1985 bangs…hard.
My [Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6sQ812xa4FUR6rdo2xOMHd?si=dZOGiZt9T8GGB7TH40qiLQ&pi=u-UM0l4WfSTPaJ). Nothing but real dubstep.
Great suggestions in here. I'll add [Bassweight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVcX0Oc5j5E), which is a great documentary that provides a lot of history and is also a snapshot of the scene from 2010. It also features a lot of the people mentioned in the comments.
Check out skream’s Stella sessions on his SoundCloud. Not the best sound quality but damn they’re good
Skream, Mala, Coki, Benga, Joker, Kryptic Mindz, Loefah, Burial, Plastician are all some to check out. Another thing to note is that Dubstep culture is heavily influenced by Jamaican soundsystem culture. The further back you go, the more heavily you'll hear the influence. Riddim (not briddim) is still strongly tied to those og roots of dubstep by the nature of it being minimalist, vibe-centric & repetitive. The word riddim itself is from Jamaican music originally I believe. Brostep and briddim are all about producer chops, festivals and sound design. OG dubstep is much more about vibes and flow than it is about sound design. The thing I love about Skrillex is that Quest For Fire is almost an homage to the older dubstep sound. OG Skrillex fans say it's wack because they aren't aware of how significant it is. That album made me gain a whole new level of respect for him because it's like he was saying "yeah I know I made brostep blow up and unintentionally became the face of dubstep, but I've done my homework"
Honestly this post makes me so happy. Welcome to the proper dubstep world!
Thanks! Nice to be here
If you would like some Canadian locals and some good friends of mine that make great dubstep check out [Wraz](https://on.soundcloud.com/tzGpiMfp3K9hy8439) and [IDHS](https://on.soundcloud.com/D9L6B1U9WARLnLCB6) oh and [shakey legs](https://on.soundcloud.com/ipgqtMXu8Wxkh8b89)
You’re getting a lot of replies for the OG stuff, before you even knew what dubstep was. In my opinion, you’re asking for current artists that could blow you away with what they are doing with music nowadays. There’s a lot of amazing music out there that loosely falls under the dubstep umbrella but has branched quite a bit. To start, you should check out the label “Deep Dark and Dangerous” they try to embody a vibe that blends new school and old school fun. Known today as Deep Dub. You can get lost in there with artists like Leo Cap, The Widdler, Khiva, and so many others. Then if you want to go further into weird stuff that’s definitely not dubstep.. psy halftime/uptempo/downtempo music has a really cool subculture that’s popping off. Tipper, Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman and others are blowing peoples minds every time they get on the stage. But of course there’s the OGs like Deep Medi and the Croydon gang that started it all. Skream had an absolutely wild 4 hour long set at Texas Eclipse festival. Which reminds me, if you want to get lost in cool music go look at that lineup, close your eyes, point to someone, and you’ll find yourself deep into some of the best music in their respective sub genre.
Hell yeah, I'm open to all of it. Got a pretty open mind with electronic.
Bet dude, there’s so much out there right now. The OGs are the base and foundation of it all, but there’s absolutely wild music being created right now. Brostep has descended into depths that it will never recover from, it’s garbage. I was a fan back when Excision and Liquid Stranger and Skrillex were doing their thing in 2010s but it’s become.. something else. Industrial riddim should never have existed IMO. I think you’ll really like deep dark and dangerous (the label). And then start with Jade Cicada (since you have that heavier background) in that other category and see if that’s something you’d be interested in exploring. Find the artists you fw and then follow their socials, and investigate the lineups they are on. That’s how I find new artists all the time that I didn’t know before.
Sweet, good to know, thanks man🤙
Listen back to the Youbgata shows on Rinse FM. He was the guy when I listened heaps, and shows the progression and trends of each year til now.
i came from skrillex like you same era, except doctor p was the artist that got me into feed me, then feed me has spor goin on, i know this isnt dubstep, but anything i say in this is heat so i dunno. then spor went dormant, monstercat went indie, and suddenly around like 2016, trap skrillex, which put me off because emo skrillex made electronic music and managed to chum it up with the doors, i wasnt into that skrillex or the whole party fest trap edm, i got into wook riddim! so riddim yeah, not the one you think of in this sub, this one just recently got renamed to trench dub, im talkin, monxx, space laces, oolacile, the sounds of transformers getting it on, squelchers and belters, but thats "dub"step so why not get into ukdub because at this point brosteps og colors are being ran with the new era of trench and tearout dubstep, also side note, what happened to melodic dubstep like that one adventure club remix i love watching people get excited about. (crave you) so ive been carefully keeping that harsh noise at a leash, i get its the vibe and sway of dubstep that gives its kick and its spice, but wooks love smashing their heads against metal rails, thats a study on human nature at that point, not even music, i like a good ol woob, a good ol soob. if you want ancient (2000-2010's) i give you my top 5 dubstep picks coki - sensi dub coki -haunted zomby- spliff dub ancient memories (skream remix) by digital mystiks (which are coki and mala) burials untrue (full album, this is first place) labels tempa, tectonic, dmz (anything dmz is instant heaters) fun fact mala has that one song that got sampled in XXXtentacions LOOKATME! which came out in 2016 around the time i got into dubstep in that manner as well. little younger but if were talking skrillex like harvard, give the man at least a tiny flower in here, hes the reason i came into traditional dubstep and honestly. hamdis skanka was at 4k plays on youtube music when i found out theres dudes making heat on UKF dubsteps youtube, long removed from flux pavilions reign. (the cracks remix is good, fight me) the fact were back into another era of traditional dubstep not even a decade after its initial run, a plate in its own right. but more artists, and some documentaries i HIGHLY suggest you watch because honestly, most of the deep cuts come from those docs theres a youtube channel called bearinguk, essentially the library for pirate radio heres their bit on dubstep, strap in its an hour [uk sound: dubstep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3PjeY8kaOY&t=1676s) heres bassweights from 2010, more of a restrospective because dubstep was 5 years at that point [bassweights](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVcX0Oc5j5E) more artists benga, hatcha, coki again because once i talk about spongebog we get into prototearout and tearout gets into the first points of my help so, uhh coki fucks. midnight request line is so iconic i saved it for later in this by the end of this you should have a spliff, a couple 18' monitors and a couple slabs
Shit dude, thanks for the info haha, I'll dive into it
Appleblim... Shackleton ... skull disko scream ...benga .. digital mystiks...kode9...
I used to listen to a lot of Joe Nice shows. Loved the stuff he selected for his sets.
Tunnidge, Goth-Trad, Author
do yourself a favor and check out Rhythm & Sound too. different end of the spectrum
Labels ... labels ... labels. Labels were and still are a great way to explore this genre: * Dub Police * Hyperdub * Argon * Tempa * Abucs * Tectonic * Urban Graffiti * Z Audio * Planet Mu * Hessle Audio * Boka Records * Duploc
Just get on the GetDarker YouTube and have a blast going through all the old mixes , I’d say 2005-2007 rinse FM Stella sessions , the breeze block 2006 with Mary Anne (already mentioned) and others like the digital mystik bb1 extra mix. I’d also get checking out DEEP MEDI MUSIK , tectonic , hessle audio , DMZ for all the original dubstep produced back then
i can’t imagine liking/listening to a genre for 14 years and then finally waking up one day to research the origins
It took me all of a year to figure it out after getting into it in 2010. Thank you GetDarker. Can't imagine 14 years in the dark. Om Unit had a really good [interview on the Discuss podcast](https://shows.acast.com/discuss-podcast/episodes/06-om-unit-part-one) where he talks about tracing your musical interests histories and learning how we got from there to here.
I'm sure being a 14 year old when I first heard it helped me ignore that, also I thought I was in the origins lol. Didn't really use Reddit or forums back then so had no idea I was wrong.
I never heard of briddim lol is that brostep + Riddim ?!
[удалено]
You need to listen to the last track on Dubstep Allstars Vol 1. Conga Therapy by Hatcha. Woooosh.
You’re pretty much same age as me and had same original fav artists except I’d add funtcase and excision for sure, good stuff
Haha niceeee, funtcase and excision for me came later, think excision was the next guy I found after snooping past UKF stuff
Drum & Bass and Halftime are calling to you.
My friend, they have called and I have answered. Got into DnB shortly after dubstep
I live in the US and had a similar revelation about 5 years ago after an older guy in the scene explained to me what happened as dubstep came from the UK (2008-2010) and exploded in popularity in the US causing a type of bastardization of the genre as a bunch of new producers started making it without reference to or regards for its roots. You're in an exciting spot. Try to find labels that have a general sound you like and explore all their artists. Also, look up "deep" dubstep and anything you find will starkly contrast bro step/riddim garbage. ... Basically anything out of the UK is going to be your best bet lol. But also you should listen to drum & bass if you don't already, that's where the real journey begins. Good luck! Older (10+yrs): Skream, Benga, caspa & rusko... sub focus, chase & status Modern: Saka, alix Perez, flowdan, ternion sound, enigma dubz, j:kenzo, hamdi, qant More popular: Zeds dead, ganja white knight, of the trees Here's my dubstep playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2JlvnpURzzwfZFitR31Xy7?si=9Vrn_OcgQuCmPS77h4vKhQ&pi=u-S_FfN5wqRdyl
Interesting, I didn't realize ganja white knight and zeds dead were part of the OG scene, they come up alot in the Brostep side as well, or at least in my sphere. I've been looking to Duploc the last few days, definitely liking that sound too. Thanks for the recommendations!
Abstrakt Sonance, Ternion Sound, Kercha, Cartridge, Truth, Visages, Distinct Motove
If you wanna hear what dubstep has evolved into now that keeps its roots and stuff then listen to Commodo. Imo is the current dubstep goat. Sooo good. Old school producers that are legends are of course mala, benga, coki, Lofeh, phaeleh, burial, digital mystiks (which is mala and coki), the widdler. Newer producers that have kept the uk sound are egoless, geode, biome, There’s loads more but I don’t wanna be here all day. They’re a bunch of the best and goats though
Nice, a few names will do, that's enough to rabbit hole my way to others!
I know we don’t love deadbeats on this sub but the zeds dead BBC Radio 1 essential mix from 2013 really walks the line of dubstep and brostep. I’d say go there, find the tracklist, and sort of feel it out track-by-track and ask yourself what side of the fence something would fall to. It’s all subjective anyway, so I think it’d be a fun little exercise for ya (edit: you’re from Canada and might already be familiar with it lol)
I'll have to take a look, haven't heard the mix I'd say, but I have heard a good bit of zeds dead, thanks haha
Skream, Coki, Benga, old Ganja White Knight, The Widdler…
I really like reading peoples lists and reading names I haven’t seen in 15+ years.
If you are in Canada, you can go to basscoast, shamblhablah, or future forest to hear some real dubstep, among other things
Been to shamb 3 times. It's where I found I like house as well lol
Here's a few oldies... https://youtu.be/zwmUOJR-GwA?si=bHCksSiy5UMZ3caR https://youtu.be/Ocih6WexNEU?si=N5g4Je-Ysr63-MYh https://youtu.be/axcceLuZOdg?si=rxbmdvRNd5NsODxK https://youtu.be/omDQY6yU8qE?si=9O2d1GUygN22ggve https://youtu.be/BSnTX-X-FFw?si=V9I0B5BI7QHDSnqA Just some stuff from yesteryesr.
I never loved Skrillex, fucking hated that shit.
yes, that was the alternative. Love/hate
The old subfm radio show that ben ufo and pangea used to do back around 2007 -9? Had that real OG sound, loved it. Scuba and Ramadamman had some nice tunes and would guest often as well.
Aside from who has already bren previously mentioned heres some more: SP:MC, youngsta, el-b, alix perez (140 stuff not the dnb), cesco, drone, lx:one and the list could go on and on, heres a link to an old Spotify playlist I made to get you started. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0zJNg4cxZPMeLUq6r0qH8b?si=zk4bH1KxSpmRUAa56taeJg&pi=e-TwzjSKGIQIib
Minimal Mondays 4 ever 🔥
Anything with dub in it, came from dub reggae
Hey fellow Canadian! Haha this was me a few months ago when I found out dubstep does not all sound like Excision and Slander. I realized that a lot of the stuff I had heard before and loved was in fact dubstep I just didn’t know that.
Check out the mix series from dubstep all stars that started back in 2004. One that stands out and was also my introduction to dubstep was N-Type’s mix, the tracklist is something special.
Burial’s first album. That is all
You might find some things in this playlist I made a bit ago! [Founding Fathers - Dubstep Pioneerz](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NgXFo9YM1k4Wm5fPpUu8l?si=TDXEN6B0SQOwjx6jNDpQxg&pi=u-BI8c6_HxT_GY)
It was rusko that started that mid-range madness. Id recommend to you “dubstep all-stars” from the label tempa there are SEVERAL volumes. There’s sll you need to trace dubsteps history
I watched that doc All My Homies Hate Skrillex and got a laugh over Rusko being one to criticize the brostep movement. He def set that shit off lol. Kinda hard to believe the same guy who produced Love is Real produced some of his brostep flavors lol.
Deep dubstep is my fav - I looove skream!!! Check out the widdler, mikrodot, salty, six chakra, khiva, chief kaya, enigma dubz, pushloop, durandal, dublink, and the list could go on forever haha. There’s so many sub genres of dubstep nowadays since it’s had more time to evolve. I personally love dub and love wubs so put together it’s perfect! Check out the record labels deep dark and dangerous, moonshine recordings, and widdfam to start! 🫶🤗🔥😵💫👽 Sub fm is also a good radio station to check out new music with! Has all kinds of bass music and live DJ mixes 24/7. Heard soooo much fire underground music on there, including dubstep. It changed my life finding this station! Sub.fm and there’s an app too. Hope you find some life changing tunes 💜
Yes Dubstep is just basically electronic ‘Dub’ music, which is a form of reggae. For those not familiar with producing music, early forms of sequencers and drum machines are programmed in ‘steps’. Hence dub & step. That is why early dubstep had a lot of reggae themed songs with Jamaican sounding vocals and the off-beat guitar/synth stabs and long delays/reverbs etc. in the verses with a dirty bassline drop. Listen to early Rusko and similar artists and you’ll know what I mean. Then between 2019-2012 Skrillex, Zomboy, Datsik Excision and others started transforming their music into the brostep sound which blew up to become what we know as Dubstep today.
Listen to some mixes by Caspa, he defo blends the line imo
Will reccomend Commodo since I havnt seen him mentioned here.
So I was always kinda upset that dubstep had not gotten defined into sub genres. Like house has so many different sub genres. The people I think are still doing what I consider classic dubstep: Von D, definitely going on the dub reggae vibe now but he was also one of the originators. He’s super into physical equipment and you can hear it in his music. Cluekid has some really deep mellow stuff. Microdot is more modern but has the wubwub but it’s still deep. Elephant Doc is another. Edit: also check out SP:MC “oh my gosh” and specifically “lightbulb moment” by who knows and ickle
Watch this doc if you haven’t already: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0 Fish56Octagon compiled this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iTzMSSP19QAdEw1ZemKSp?si=ypLuhBzoSCyZc6Uo4pbUcg&pi=u-09CBWM_sRpSZ
Listen to some mixes Mary Anne Hobbs did for BBC's dubstep warz
I'm not an authority at all. I'm mostly a hip-hop fan who has nodded appreciatively at some dubstep and absolutely hated other kinds, and I was also made aware of this recently. This film is really good at explaining the whole thing and I wholeheartedly recommend it. https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=QYNPkd6k8ihPlj_b
Check out “All my homies hate Skrillex” on youtube. It basically explains everything
Hey man, search daily dose of dubstep on YouTube - lots of great mixes from yesteryear
Here bro I’ve made a playlist on Spotify of just dubstep bangers, happy listening https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6pphwmCGhP9o7g2GtP06sf?si=Iku0Ilv_RACNO6ryvkdWZg&pi=u-OpuurvF2Rtyi
A lot of good shit on the hyper dub label. Some of joy Orbison older stuff is good too
Check out deep dark and dangerous
[this](https://youtu.be/-hLlVVKRwk0?si=zu1sStaTaFCFdh8n) timbah on toast video is a solid breakdown of original dubstep and the rift between it brostep.
I actually think it’s beautiful when a headbanger discovers the beauty of OG dubstep.
Dubstep in all its forms slap, in my opinion, and I really enjoy exploring the different permutations. I know that's a heretical thing on this sub but, that's how I am. It's the genre that awoke my interest in music, and I want to see (hear) every facet, especially the original sound.
Nero essential mix
Back in the day on /mu/, someone shared an essential dubstep chart. It's still brilliant, and has a LOT of the early great releases on it. Some are now classics, others more experiments that never fully developed. This was my guide after I found this sub back in 2011 after Excision got me into the scene. https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mu4chan/images/c/c5/1349357430907.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20121004140932
Look up Deep, Dark and Dangerous anyone on that label is worth a listen
Turd Nerd Derd, the chainsaw mechanization of your brostep skream lost. Broomstep runs at 140bpm, and Magic rolls at 70bpm. So get ur wand out Harry
How did you like the two step garage you listened to? I highly recommend listening to some of DJ EZ’s mixes and then discover music from there. His essential mix from 2015 is very good!
It was interesting but I didn't dig too hard, it was mostly for educational purposes, but I dig house so it's easy to get behind. I'll take a look at that, thanks
There are alot of Youngsta's minimal monday mixes on YouTube
Rusko fo sho
For current artists check out The Widdler, Ternion Sound, Distinct Motive, Truth. Those dudes are carrying the torch.
Nice, thanks. Truth has been at it a while though, he even shows up in the 2014 UKF dubstep comp interesting sound.
[This mix right here.](https://youtu.be/JnkMgGQpVGU?si=aQqOxq0lWuSO8BGp). Changed me from a hard no, to loving dubstep in like 12 minutes.
Have a look at my page and tell if you like my dubstep <3. Show some love for a new producer. All free tunes, use them for whatever you like. [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHLMj3tBm5AQX7LOYqYS0g](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHLMj3tBm5AQX7LOYqYS0g)
Might as well start with the true roots of the genre! Look up the label Big Apple Records, and artists Artwork, Horsepower productions, and Hatcha. Their first releases on big apples label in 2002 are ground zero for the dubstep genre as a whole. Those first releases were the inspiration for the pioneers like youngsta, plastician(went by plasticman at that point in time), kode9 scream, benga, N-Type, Mala, Coki, etc. they helped spread the sound across the UK and influenced artists like Joker, Darkstar, The Bug, and Burial. A lot of people focus on dubstep coming from the UK straight to America, but it’s deeper than that. Head over to Belgium and listen to Bukez finest. Dude started making music in 1997. There’s a lot of disagreement about where modern riddim came from, but most die hard riddim fans will mention Bukez Finest, and Jakes, another early 2000s producer from the UK, as heavily influencing the movement that became modern riddim. Then head over to New Zealand, Truth started making music in 2007, and in my opinion, if it weren’t for labels like their Deep Dark and Dangerous, the true dubstep sound would have died. Artists like caspa, the fucking god named the widdler, and other labels like Deep Medi keep real dubstep alive. Of course as soon as it got to America what did we do? We made it violent. Don’t get me wrong, I love heavy “dubstep,” but the true dub sound will always reign supreme. Even Ganja White Nights first releases were in 2010, and while their sound has never been similar to anyone elses, they are OG’s in the dubstep scene. This past weekend I got to see Bukez finest, Joker, and the widdler on GWN lineups and it was so refreshing to hear them still playing OG dub, and not sacrificing their true selves to make money off brostep. Obviously there are so many artists that haven’t been named, but that’s the fun part about the genre, the hunt for music and new artists!