South London · est. 2001 · 140 BPM · half-time
Where every flavour of dubstep came from
Dubstep came out of South London around 2001. Producers from the UK garage scene made darker, emptier instrumentals, with the swung drums of 2-step, the echo and space of dub and a lot more sub-bass, and played them at FWD>> in Soho and on the pirate station Rinse FM. The tempo stayed near 140 BPM, but the snare moved to the third beat of the bar, so the music feels half as fast. Twenty-five years on, the sound has split into scenes that share little beyond the tempo. This guide follows each one: where it came from, who made it and which records to play first.
◆ birth of the genre · a striped, fading bar means the genre is still alive
Swipe sideways to see the whole tree. Solid boxes are dubstep genres, dashed ones are outside influences. Hover a genre to light up its family line, click it to open its page.
Most of these styles sit around 140 BPM but feel like 70, because the snare lands once per bar instead of twice. They differ in sound design and arrangement far more than in tempo. Drumstep is the exception: it borrows the 170 to 175 BPM of drum & bass.
DG-0012001 – 2010
aka Early Dubstep, Classic Dubstep, Old School Dubstep
The original South London sound: half-time drums, heavy sub-bass and a lot of empty space, grown out of dark garage in the early 2000s.
Where it startedKode9 & Daddi Gee · Sine of the Dub (2004)
Read the history of UK Dubstep→DG-0022005 – today
aka Meditative Dubstep, 140, Dungeon
The slow-burning, meditative side of dubstep: sub-bass, hand drums, dub space and very little else, from DMZ and Deep Medi to the 140 scene.
Where it startedPinch · Qawwali (2006)
Read the history of Deep Dubstep→DG-0032008 – 2012
aka Purple Sound
Bright, funky dubstep from Bristol around 2008 to 2011: G-funk synth leads, swung half-time beats and video game colours instead of darkness.
Where it startedJoker · Digidesign (2009)
Read the history of Purple→DG-0042006 – 2013
Dubstep's space and sub-bass mixed with garage, house, soul and songwriting, from Burial's Untrue to James Blake: more mood than weight.
Where it startedBurial · Archangel (2007)
Read the history of Post-Dubstep→DG-0052009 – today
Atmospheric 2-step for headphones: shuffling garage drums, pitched vocal fragments, crackle and soft sub-bass, named online in 2009.
Where it startedXXYYXX · About You (2012)
Read the history of Future Garage→DG-0062010 – today
aka Chill Dubstep
Slow, melodic dubstep made for YouTube rather than clubs: soft half-time beats, pianos, ambient pads and airy vocals.
Where it startedPhaeleh feat. Soundmouse · Afterglow (2010)
Read the history of Chillstep→DG-0072007 – today
aka American Dubstep, Wobble, Filthstep
Dubstep built around loud, distorted mid-range bass and huge drops: started by Caspa and Rusko in London, turned into a festival sound by Skrillex.
Where it startedRusko · Woo Boost (2010)
Read the history of Brostep→DG-0082012 – today
aka Tearout, Deathstep, Tear-out
The heaviest branch of dubstep: metal-style distortion, horror-film darkness and rhythms that switch every bar, built for American festival stages.
Where it startedCoki · Spongebob
Read the history of Tearout / Deathstep→DG-0092010 – today
aka Dubstep 174
Dubstep sound design at drum & bass tempo: around 174 BPM, half-time drums and EDM-style build-ups and drops.
Where it startedTristam & Braken · Flight (2013)
Read the history of Drumstep→DG-0102010 – today
aka Melodic Bass, Emotional Dubstep
Dubstep drops that carry melody and chords, usually after a sung verse and a trance-style build: Mt Eden, Seven Lions, Illenium.
Where it startedMt Eden · Sierra Leone (2010)
Read the history of Melodic Dubstep→DG-0112010 – today
aka Riddim Dubstep
Minimal, repetitive dubstep built on one short bass phrase, usually a square-wave wub, bouncing in a loop with lots of space between hits.
Where it startedJakes · Warp 9 (2008)
Read the history of Riddim→DG-0122016 – today
aka Color Bass
Dubstep in which the growling mid-range bass plays chords, named by Leeds producer Chime around 2016 and built up on the Rushdown label.
Where it startedChime · From Fairies to Fire (2016)
Read the history of Colour Bass→Every genre page has a short history, a few points on how to recognise the sound, and the records that shaped it, with year and original label. Dates and credits were checked against release databases and the music press of the time. Each page lists its sources at the bottom.
Genre names in bass music are argued over constantly, and the borders between them are blurry. If you think something is wrong or missing, get in touch.