6 ms·

Whatever that music is, it sure ain't dubstep. I wonder how well it'd work with something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAf_ZztCP0 https://www.you

Whatever that music is, it sure ain't dubstep. I wonder how well it'd work with something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAf_ZztCP0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAf_ZztCP0

djxfade 6y ago
Yeah, this is the American "Dubstep" commonly referred to as "Brostep". Damn I miss the real Dubstep sound!
- iamacyborg 6y ago
  Still some bangers being released on Sentry records, Deep Medi, Bandulu and a bunch of other labels.
- oarabbus_ 6y ago
  This fell out of style for the most part in America 5+ years ago, FYI.
  - _underfl0w_ 6y ago
    Can confirm this is no longer the new thing, but FWIW, jazz music similarly fell out of style ages ago, but that doesn't make new stuff in the genre uninteresting to those who enjoy it irrespective of hype value. That is, it's no longer nifty and fashionable to listen to this type of "Brostep", but people who liked it without regard to its social status may continue listening to new material as though nothing changed, while others may have grown tired of the sound or the social clout it may have brought them to be "in the know" or part of some zeitgeist and simply kept up with "today's hits". The same is true of lots of genres IMHO.
1MachineElf 6y ago
Skrillex is actually regarded as a leader in Brostep, a subgenre and/or style of Dubstep. At least in the USA, Brostep has practically supplanted Dubstep and co-opted the name. This has been occuring for about the past 10 years. A big factor is the "drop" part of Brostep sounding very attractive to non-EDM people who head-bang, and to whom traditional Dubstep would be percieved as "boring" or not stimulating enough (without intoxication). This has led to a re-enforcing cycle where domestic EDM festivals reach greater audiences, and so they keep promoting Brostep as Dubstep. Personally, I'm not a fan of this shift. I prefer EDM from the era of the track you linked to, and/or contemporary artists who emulate the older styles.
- iamacyborg 6y ago
  Oh I know, I just get irrationaly annoyed by people calling this stuff dubstep. It feels like half the problem is people and/or clubs don't have soundsystems appropriate for playing bass-heavy music at the right level, so they end up listening to stuff that's light on the low-end but still calling it "dubstep".
  - 1MachineElf 6y ago
    You are probably right. For EDM, cultural differences have kept the US lagging behind Europe and the UK. EDM-specific clubs are not common outside of major cities known for nightlife. A lot of EDM tours end up at venues that aren't designed for EDM. These are the conditions informing people's tastes, so probably a big factor for why bass isn't as prominent as elsewhere. There truly are fans an places where it is very much alive, just not as strong as other places IMO.
    - the_local_host 6y ago
      Brostep may be Dubstep Disneyland, but I'm not sure if being unconcerned with filing music in the right subcategory counts as "lagging".
    - tomc1985 6y ago
      The bass music underground is alive and well in many parts of the US. Mainstream it is not, and THANK GOD for that
  - blovescoffee 6y ago
    Pretty much every genre changes significantly over its lifetime though. It seems like you could just say you like early dubstep just like people say, "I like old school hip hop" all the time.
    - iamacyborg 6y ago
      I get what you’re saying but the sound is so completely different it’s not a simple evolution of style. Listen to dnb from two decades ago you can still see where current stuff comes from. Compare early Digital Mystikz stuff with Skrillex and you wouldn’t call them the same thing.
have_faith 6y ago
I know the point of the article has nothing to do with the definition of dubstep so it took a lot of restraint to not write something about it ha, difficult when you grew up listening to the early stuff. I'll take this as my only chance I'll probably get to post dubstep on HN in a valid discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc85cGTlKLY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc85cGTlKLY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwva123XBMk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwva123XBMk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2n7w1H0pRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2n7w1H0pRQ
- iamacyborg 6y ago
  The James Blake remix of Changes is well worth checking out if you like the original!
  - have_faith 6y ago
    I have it on vinyl :)
stuxnet79 6y ago
Indeed. The fact that the article writer is from the UK makes that lapse inexcusable.
vlunkr 6y ago
Sorry, this what the word means in the mainstream. When you say 'punk' people think of blink-182 rather than the clash, there's nothing you can do about that either. Maybe someone should have thought up a name slightly less stupid than brostep

Whatever that music is, it sure ain't dubstep. I wonder how well it'd work with something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAf_ZztCP0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAf_ZztCP0

djxfade 6y ago

Yeah, this is the American "Dubstep" commonly referred to as "Brostep". Damn I miss the real Dubstep sound!

iamacyborg 6y ago
Still some bangers being released on Sentry records, Deep Medi, Bandulu and a bunch of other labels.
oarabbus_ 6y ago
This fell out of style for the most part in America 5+ years ago, FYI.
- _underfl0w_ 6y ago
  Can confirm this is no longer the new thing, but FWIW, jazz music similarly fell out of style ages ago, but that doesn't make new stuff in the genre uninteresting to those who enjoy it irrespective of hype value. That is, it's no longer nifty and fashionable to listen to this type of "Brostep", but people who liked it without regard to its social status may continue listening to new material as though nothing changed, while others may have grown tired of the sound or the social clout it may have brought them to be "in the know" or part of some zeitgeist and simply kept up with "today's hits". The same is true of lots of genres IMHO.

1MachineElf 6y ago

Skrillex is actually regarded as a leader in Brostep, a subgenre and/or style of Dubstep. At least in the USA, Brostep has practically supplanted Dubstep and co-opted the name. This has been occuring for about the past 10 years. A big factor is the "drop" part of Brostep sounding very attractive to non-EDM people who head-bang, and to whom traditional Dubstep would be percieved as "boring" or not stimulating enough (without intoxication). This has led to a re-enforcing cycle where domestic EDM festivals reach greater audiences, and so they keep promoting Brostep as Dubstep. Personally, I'm not a fan of this shift. I prefer EDM from the era of the track you linked to, and/or contemporary artists who emulate the older styles.

iamacyborg 6y ago
Oh I know, I just get irrationaly annoyed by people calling this stuff dubstep. It feels like half the problem is people and/or clubs don't have soundsystems appropriate for playing bass-heavy music at the right level, so they end up listening to stuff that's light on the low-end but still calling it "dubstep".
- 1MachineElf 6y ago
  You are probably right. For EDM, cultural differences have kept the US lagging behind Europe and the UK. EDM-specific clubs are not common outside of major cities known for nightlife. A lot of EDM tours end up at venues that aren't designed for EDM. These are the conditions informing people's tastes, so probably a big factor for why bass isn't as prominent as elsewhere. There truly are fans an places where it is very much alive, just not as strong as other places IMO.
  - the_local_host 6y ago
    Brostep may be Dubstep Disneyland, but I'm not sure if being unconcerned with filing music in the right subcategory counts as "lagging".
  - tomc1985 6y ago
    The bass music underground is alive and well in many parts of the US. Mainstream it is not, and THANK GOD for that
- blovescoffee 6y ago
  Pretty much every genre changes significantly over its lifetime though. It seems like you could just say you like early dubstep just like people say, "I like old school hip hop" all the time.
  - iamacyborg 6y ago
    I get what you’re saying but the sound is so completely different it’s not a simple evolution of style. Listen to dnb from two decades ago you can still see where current stuff comes from. Compare early Digital Mystikz stuff with Skrillex and you wouldn’t call them the same thing.

have_faith 6y ago

I know the point of the article has nothing to do with the definition of dubstep so it took a lot of restraint to not write something about it ha, difficult when you grew up listening to the early stuff. I'll take this as my only chance I'll probably get to post dubstep on HN in a valid discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc85cGTlKLY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc85cGTlKLY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwva123XBMk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwva123XBMk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2n7w1H0pRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2n7w1H0pRQ

iamacyborg 6y ago
The James Blake remix of Changes is well worth checking out if you like the original!
- have_faith 6y ago
  I have it on vinyl :)

stuxnet79 6y ago

Indeed. The fact that the article writer is from the UK makes that lapse inexcusable.

vlunkr 6y ago

Sorry, this what the word means in the mainstream. When you say 'punk' people think of blink-182 rather than the clash, there's nothing you can do about that either. Maybe someone should have thought up a name slightly less stupid than brostep