Dubstep

History and character

Dubstep was born in south London in the early 2000s as an offshoot of UK garage: the "dark garage" producers (Oris Jay, El-B, Zed Bias, Steve Gurley, around 1999–2000) stripped out the R&B vocals and the cheerful swing of 2-step and left bare drums, deep subs and dub atmospheres. Its influences are Jamaican dub and sound system culture, grime, jungle and broken beat. The term "dub step" appears as early as 2001; in 2002 Ammunition Promotions (which ran the Forward>> night, started in 2001 at the Velvet Rooms in Soho and later moved to Plastic People in Shoreditch) and the labels Tempa and Big Apple adopted it. The Big Apple Records shop in Croydon, where Hatcha and Skream worked, was a decisive meeting point.

Between 2003 and 2007 the scene grew: Hatcha pushed a darker, more minimal sound on Rinse FM, John Peel started playing it, Digital Mystikz (Mala and Coki) and Loefah founded the DMZ night and label in Brixton, Kode9 founded Hyperdub, and in 2006 Mary Anne Hobbs launched "Dubstep Warz" on BBC Radio 1. Key tracks: "Midnight Request Line" by Skream (2005), "Anti-War Dub" by Mala, "Truly Dread" by Loefah, "Night" by Benga & Coki (2007, crossover), and Burial's albums ("Burial", 2006; "Untrue", 2007). From 2009–2011 dubstep entered pop: Skream's remix of "In for the Kill" (La Roux, 2009), Magnetic Man ("I Need Air", 2010), Katy B ("Katy on a Mission", 2010, produced by Benga), Chase & Status, Nero ("Guilt", 2011), and influences on tracks by Britney Spears and Taylor Swift.

In parallel, brostep was born in the United States (Skrillex, Excision, Datsik), more aggressive and focused on the mids. The original dubstep carried on as a "deep" and "140" scene (DMZ, Mala's Deep Medi, Tempa, Sentry, System, Mala, Kahn, Commodo, Gantz, Sleeper, Truth), while riddim also came out of Croydon. Constant elements: snare on beat 3, a huge sub, space, minor or Phrygian keys and dissonances such as the tritone, wobble bass, the use of the "rewind" (reload) inherited from dub, and live MC culture.

Scales and keys

Dubstep is dark: minor, Phrygian, tritone. The harmony is minimal; the color comes from the sub, the wobble and the pads. Examples on F (sub F1 = 43.65 Hz) and E (E1 = 41.2 Hz). Roman numerals are relative to the natural minor.

Phrygian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. S T T T S T T.
• On E: E F G A B C D.
• Characteristic note: b2 (F): dark, "Eastern", menacing.
• Chords: i Em, bII F, III G, iv Am, v° B°, VI C, vii Dm.
• Use: it is the mode most associated with dubstep (Wikipedia cites it explicitly): E–F–E sub lines, bII–i stabs, pad melodies that rise by a semitone.
• Listening example: the Digital Mystikz / Loefah tradition ("dread" dubstep) with semitone cells and Eastern samples.
• Common mistakes: holding the b2 for a long time in the sub under the kick's tonic: it creates beating; use the semitone as a movement.

Natural minor (Aeolian)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. On F: F G Ab Bb C Db Eb.
• Chords: i Fm, ii° G°, III Ab, iv Bbm, v Cm, VI Db, VII Eb.
• Use: pads and strings on i–VI, i–VII; more melancholic "deep" dubstep (Burial). The b6 (Db) falling to the 5 is the typical gesture.

Tritone (b5) and Locrian

• Locrian on E: E F G A Bb C D (1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7). Characteristic note: b5 (Bb), the tritone.
• Chords: i° E°, bII F, iii Gm, iv Am, bV Bb, VI C, vii Dm.
• Use: E–Bb wobble answers, Em–Bb/E stabs for moments of "terror". Wikipedia cites the tritone as a typical dissonance of the genre.
• Common mistakes: a harmonized tritone held for many bars: it gets tiring fast.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7. On F: F Ab Bb C Eb.
• Use: slow, singable "dub" sub lines, a legacy of reggae; vocal samples.

Dorian ("roots" dubstep)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. On E: E F# G A B C# D. Characteristic note: major 6 (C#).
• Chords: i Em, ii F#m, III G, IV A, v Bm, #vi° C#°, VII D.
• Use: offbeat skanks and organs inspired by reggae, "rootsy" dubstep (Mala, Kahn).

How to choose

• Dread, dark, "sound system": Phrygian.
• Melancholic and nocturnal (Burial, deep): Aeolian with pads and vocals.
• Horror and aggressive: tritone.
• Roots and reggae: Dorian and pentatonic.
• Rule: pick the tonic for the sub (E–G), then use only one modal color per track.

Harmony

• Harmony reduced to a pedal: sub on the tonic; above it, a pad or a sample with 1–2 chords.
• Harmonic rhythm: very slow, one change every 4–8 bars (at a perceived 70 = 13–27 seconds).
• Movements: i–bII (Phrygian), i–VI, i–VII; in intros, long string or pad chords.
• Dissonance: tritone and semitone as color; pad clusters.
• Cadences: absent; the form is given by drops, breakdowns and bass variation.
• Voicing: pads in the mid register, open fifths, chords without the third; samples of choirs or film strings.
• Dub: harmony often implied in a sample with delay and reverb.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Half time: 140 BPM with the snare on beat 3 of each bar (Wikipedia: "a clap or snare usually every third beat of the bar"); it is perceived at 70.
• Shuffle and tuplets: the rhythms are syncopated, often shuffled or with triplets; hats in UK dubstep often have triplet swing.
• 2-step legacy: early dubstep was more percussive, with patterns derived from 2-step.
• Space: few hits; Kode9 notes that sparse tracks push the listener to "fill in mentally" a double time.
• Drop: many tracks have a drop after 16 or 32 bars, but that is a cliché, not a rule.

Drums

Convention: 2 bars of 16 sixteenth notes (32 steps, as in r-dubstep); quarter notes on 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17, 21, 25, 29.

Kick

• Step 1 and a few others: in the r-dubstep rhythm, kick on 1, 17 (beat 1 of bar 2), 27 and 32. Other typical positions: the double kick before the snare (8 or 24) and 15 (the last eighth of bar 1).
• Sound: short, round, body 50–60 Hz, little click (in UK dubstep) or a pronounced click (brostep).

Snare and clap

• Steps 9 and 25 (beat 3 of each bar). "Metallic" snare with short or medium reverb (0.6–1.2 s), sometimes with a low pitch; clap layer.
• Ghost notes rare; the snare needs space.

Hi-hats and percussion

• Offbeat hats (3, 7, 11, 15…) with triplet shuffle and small rolls at the end of a phrase (e.g. 29–32).
• Ethnic percussion and tribal samples (tabla, darbuka, bells) in DMZ-style dubstep; shaker with swing.
• Metallic toms or "zaps" as fills.

Dynamics, ghost notes and groove

• Swing: 55–62% on the hats or a triplet grid; kick and snare straight.
• Hat velocities highly varied; occasional snare ghost notes at −15 dB before beat 3.

Interaction with the bass

• The sub (the "808" lane of r-dubstep) follows the kick with long notes: steps 1, 15, 17, 27.
• The wobble or mid bass fills the space between kick and snare, often stopping exactly on the snare.
• Sidechain: from the snare and the kick.

How it changes by section

• Intro (16–32): percussion, hats, pad, sample; no sub.
• Build: often there is no "EDM" build: it moves through subtraction and a vocal sample; in more modern tracks, an accelerating snare.
• Drop: sub + bass + full drums.
• Breakdown: drums removed or hats only; pad and vocals.
• Second drop: varied bass.

Fills and transitions

• Half-bar stop with only the snare reverb; reverse; toms; live rewind (the DJ pulls the record back).

Sound choice

• Samples with character (vinyl, tape), metallic snares, ethnic percussion; unobtrusive kicks.

Typical mistakes

• Straight hats without shuffle (the UK groove disappears); too much drum; a kick that is too long; a snare without body.

Bass

• Sub: pure sine, mono, 30–80 Hz, extremely long and powerful; it is the signature of UK dubstep ("prominent sub-bass").
• Wobble ("wub"): an LFO modulates the volume, distortion or cutoff of a synth; typical of the club currents ("wobble-step"). LFO at 1/4, 1/8, 1/8T, 1/16; the LFO speed changes on every note.
• Mid bass: dark reese, filtered square wave, light growls in modern dubstep.
• Notes: tonic, b2, b5, b7; slow slides.
• Relationship with the kick: the sub can "replace" the kick in the low register; sidechain 3–6 dB; the kick is tuned to the tonic.
• Examples: Skream ("Midnight Request Line"), Benga & Coki ("Night"), Mala.

Harmonic instruments

• Dark pads and drones, sampled film strings, organs and offbeat reggae skanks, choir samples, piano with reverb (Burial).
• Mid register; plenty of reverb and dub delay; low volume relative to sub and snare.

Melody and vocals

• Rare melodies: phrases of 2–4 notes over pads or Eastern samples (flutes, strings); pitched, distant R&B vocal samples (Burial), dialogue, dub vocals.
• MC: central in live settings (Forward>>, DMZ): verses on the snare, "reload".
• Effects: dub delay with feedback and filters, spring and plate reverbs, vinyl crackle.

Instruments

• Sampled drums, ethnic percussion, sub, synth basses (wobble, reese), pads, strings, organs, vocal samples, dub effects (tape delay, springs, sirens).

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Mini V — Sub and classic wobble: Sine/triangle for the sub; two saws with a 24 dB filter and an external LFO (automation) on the cutoff for the wobble.
• Korg MS-20 V — Aggressive wobble: Resonant low-pass with drive and a synced LFO (1/8T): "rubbery" wobble.
• SEM V — Soft mid bass: 12 dB filter in band-pass/notch, modulated: "vocal" and round wobble.
• ARP 2600 V — Dub FX and sirens: Sample & hold and oscillators with spring reverb: sirens, zaps and sound system effects.
• Solina V — Dark pads and strings: Ensemble with a closed filter: nocturnal beds.
• B-3 V — Organ skank: Offbeat chords with a slow Leslie: rootsy dubstep.

Song structure

• Wikipedia: many historic tracks have the drop after 16 or 32 bars; others (Burial) have no drop.
• Modern versions (US, festival) have sharper builds and drops and are shorter (3:30–4:00).

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

• Physical, dominant sub, space, a crisp snare, atmosphere; more dynamics and fewer mids than brostep.
• References: Skream, Mala, Loefah, Benga.

Kick

• EQ: high-pass 25 Hz, +2 dB at 50–60 Hz, −3 dB at 300 Hz, click +1 dB at 3 kHz; no reverb; mono.

Snare and clap

• EQ: high-pass 120 Hz, +2 dB at 180–220 Hz, −2 dB at 500 Hz, +2 dB at 3 kHz.
• Compression 4:1, attack 10–20 ms, 3 dB; plate or spring reverb 0.8–1.5 s with 20 ms pre-delay, filtered return (high-pass 300 Hz).

Hi-hats and percussion

• High-pass 400 Hz; keep the shuffle (do not quantize); panning 20–60%; low 1/8T delay; shared reverb.

Bass and sub

• Sub: mono sine, low-pass 80–100 Hz, dedicated limiter, no heavy saturation (at most light harmonics for small speakers).
• Wobble: high-pass 80–120 Hz, moderate distortion, dynamic EQ; mono below 300 Hz.
• Sidechain: kick → sub 3–5 dB, snare → wobble 2–4 dB.

Pads, strings, organ

• High-pass 200–300 Hz; hall reverb 3–5 s; dotted-quarter dub delay with 40–60% feedback.

Vocals and samples

• High-pass 150 Hz, presence at 2–3 kHz, dub delay and reverb, pitch shift (Burial); vinyl crackle at −30 dB.

Backing vocals

• Choir samples with lots of reverb in wide stereo.

FX

• Sirens, zaps, reverses; automation of the delay and reverb sends as an "instrument".

Buses and groups

• Drum bus light glue; bass bus with limiter; dub FX bus.

Sidechain

• Moderate: UK dubstep does not "pump", it breathes.

Master

• Chain: light EQ → glue → limiter.
• Indicative targets: −8/−6 LUFS integrated for UK dubstep (many historic masters are more dynamic); modern festival versions −5/−4. True peak −0.5/−1 dBTP.

Common mistakes

• Saturated, stereo sub; reverb on the sub or kick; a mix that is too full in the mids (it turns into unintentional brostep).

Reference tracks for the mix

• Skream — Midnight Request Line (2005); Benga & Coki — Night (2007); Burial — Archangel (2007); Digital Mystikz — Anti-War Dub (2006).

Reference listening

• Skream — Midnight Request Line (2005)
• Digital Mystikz (Mala) — Anti-War Dub (2006)
• Loefah — Truly Dread
• Burial — Archangel (2007)
• Benga & Coki — Night (2007)
• La Roux — In for the Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) (2009)
• Magnetic Man — I Need Air (2010)