NEW Dubstep vs OLD Dubstep

Gavin B. · 06-09-2013, 07:33 AM

I'm not even sure what dubstep really is. I've heard a cross-section of music described as dubstep, but I don't really don't see a common link, except perhaps the use of off-tempo electronic rhythms with an aggressive bass line. But at least twenty sub-genres of electronic music have the same musical characteristics.

I wonder about the use of the word "dub" in dubstep because none dubstep music I've heard has any sort of resemblance to the dub music that has it's roots in the Jamaican dancehalls in the Seventies.

To confuse matters even more, the All Music Guide places a baffling array of seemingly unrelated artists in the dubstep genre such as: Burial, Kode9, James Blake, Cooly G, Gil Scott Heron, Allison Moyet, Korn (???), Mount Kimbie, Scientist, Ikonika, and Eskmo.

According to AMG, "dubstep" is a sub genre of "jungle/drum 'n' bass" genre which is a sub-genre of "electronic" music. The proliferation of pop music genres over the past 2 decades is enough to confuse even the most avid fan.

There are over 50 sub-genres of electronic music alone and I feel stupid because I need a PhD in musical taxnomy to understand all of the subtle distinctions within the science of musical classification. It's all electronic music to me.

I don't even want to get into sub-genres of pop & rock music because there's nearly 500 sub-genres of pop and rock. It appears that someday in the near future, every rock band will have it's own unique musical sub-genre.

I think music company executives & music retailers are responsible for creeping expansion of genre nomenclature, in the past 20 years. Genre has become a marketing tool used by music company executives and music retailers to target specific demographic groups to sell music to.

For example nearly anyone over the age of 40 knows what techno music is, but fewer 40+ folks know what drum 'n' bass or jungle music is. And almost no one over the age of 40 knows what dubstep music is. That's because the term "dubstep" is used almost exclusively to market music to 18-30 year old demographic of music buyers.

06-09-2013, 07:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	I'm not even sure what dubstep really is. I've heard a cross-section of music described as dubstep, but I don't really don't see a common link, except perhaps the use of off-tempo electronic rhythms with an aggressive bass line. But at least twenty sub-genres of electronic music have the same musical characteristics. I wonder about the use of the word "dub" in dubstep because none dubstep music I've heard has any sort of resemblance to the dub music that has it's roots in the Jamaican dancehalls in the Seventies. To confuse matters even more, the All Music Guide places a baffling array of seemingly unrelated artists in the dubstep genre such as: Burial, Kode9, James Blake, Cooly G, Gil Scott Heron, Allison Moyet, Korn (???), Mount Kimbie, Scientist, Ikonika, and Eskmo. According to AMG, "dubstep" is a sub genre of "jungle/drum 'n' bass" genre which is a sub-genre of "electronic" music. The proliferation of pop music genres over the past 2 decades is enough to confuse even the most avid fan. There are over 50 sub-genres of electronic music alone and I feel stupid because I need a PhD in musical taxnomy to understand all of the subtle distinctions within the science of musical classification. It's all electronic music to me. I don't even want to get into sub-genres of pop & rock music because there's nearly 500 sub-genres of pop and rock. It appears that someday in the near future, every rock band will have it's own unique musical sub-genre. I think music company executives & music retailers are responsible for creeping expansion of genre nomenclature, in the past 20 years. Genre has become a marketing tool used by music company executives and music retailers to target specific demographic groups to sell music to. For example nearly anyone over the age of 40 knows what techno music is, but fewer 40+ folks know what drum 'n' bass or jungle music is. And almost no one over the age of 40 knows what dubstep music is. That's because the term "dubstep" is used almost exclusively to market music to 18-30 year old demographic of music buyers. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt