Many people ask the question "What is Dubstep?". That is actually a pretty difficult question to answer. Unlike most genres, which can sound more or less the same song-to-song, Dubstep is unique in the respect that it can sound like almost anything. In fact, many popular songs are remixes of other types of music (mostly electronic, but some rap, rock, and even classical). However, I'll do my best to me thorough. Dubstep generally starts with a more or less normal electronic melody, often with added vocal or audio "glitching" and "wobbing" (more on those later). Then, comes the main part of the song, which is referred to as the "drop". There may be from one to three drops in a song, and they describe the most intense part of the song arc. They are generally the loudest and fastest parts of the song, and contain most of the electronic instruments characteristic of the genre.
Charachteristic Features of Dubstep
- A relatively fast tempo
- A base consisting of a simple Kick-Tom drumbeat
- A simple melody outside of the drop, usually played on some form of electronic synth
- Vocal glitching or repetition throughout the song, either to add layering or to begin the drop
- A "drop" with intense electronic sounds and multiple layered tracks, and a loud bass accompaniment
- One of the only types of music that requires playback on higher-end audio equipment to sound good
Instrumentation
- "Wubs or Wobbs", (Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuOMWlyb3tQ)
Wubs vary in pitch and texture, and a dubstep or electronic song is labeled "dirty" if it contains many low-pitched wubs (such as those in Scatta, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP, by Skrillex)
- High pitched synths
- A droning electronic bass to supplement the melody
- The occasional Electric guitar
- Reversed Cymbal Crashes to signal the beginning of the drop
- A drumbeat gradually increasing in speed to signal the beginning of the drop
- Etc.
Overall, electronic music is one of the most diverse genres of the modern world, as there are nearly unlimited possibilities when it comes to the use of a computer.
Charachteristic Features of Dubstep
- A relatively fast tempo
- A base consisting of a simple Kick-Tom drumbeat
- A simple melody outside of the drop, usually played on some form of electronic synth
- Vocal glitching or repetition throughout the song, either to add layering or to begin the drop
- A "drop" with intense electronic sounds and multiple layered tracks, and a loud bass accompaniment
- One of the only types of music that requires playback on higher-end audio equipment to sound good
Instrumentation
- "Wubs or Wobbs", (Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuOMWlyb3tQ)
Wubs vary in pitch and texture, and a dubstep or electronic song is labeled "dirty" if it contains many low-pitched wubs (such as those in Scatta, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP, by Skrillex)
- High pitched synths
- A droning electronic bass to supplement the melody
- The occasional Electric guitar
- Reversed Cymbal Crashes to signal the beginning of the drop
- A drumbeat gradually increasing in speed to signal the beginning of the drop
- Etc.
Overall, electronic music is one of the most diverse genres of the modern world, as there are nearly unlimited possibilities when it comes to the use of a computer.