dubstep in context
29-07-26
I had a brief clubbing phase at 19 that was immediately ended by coronavirus, and I left lockdowns a much more introverted and anxious person. It took me 3 years to start feeling comfortable leaving the house without a mask again. By then my priorities and interests had changed. I went to concerts, I tried to get into it, but felt stiff, crowded, and uncomfortable. I assumed that this was something I was never really going to get.
However, it was Trans Pride in my city this Saturday before last, and a new friend invited me to her DJ set in a “you guys better fucking be there” sort-of way. I got very drunk and shuffled downstairs for a 10pm start, not sure what to expect other than “140bpm”. I assumed this didn’t mean dubstep, because dubstep hasn’t been big in the UK for at least 15 years.
I was really happy to be wrong. Apparently, 140bpm is Beatport’s name for bassier, moodier dubstep; the evolution of the British club scene from the 00s which included the likes of Skream and Coki. Hearing this sort of music in context made it click, in a way I didn’t think EDM could click with me anymore.
Dubstep has been going through a revival for a few years. First with color bass (a genre fusion with the lush chord stacks of future bass), then with the return of grime vocal stylings, which centers dubstep’s focus back to the streetlit pubs and tube stations of contemporary Britain. It sounds relevant in a way that it didn’t sound throughout the 2010s. The genre is alive, and I can finally see the energy that inspired Burial and Mala to make such soulful recordings before the genre crossed the Atlantic.
The rhythmic assault of dubstep has a way of cutting through my inhibitions, providing a steady beat that feels comfortable to dance to at standard or half-time. In a club environment, dubstep feels primal. The tension/release cycle at the core of every good song, every good album, is the sole focus. There's nothing but build, drop, and recovery in 32 bar intervals. A DJ set where the DJ is responsive to the audience and vice-versa is an intimate experience, where the energy gets passed back and forth.
There’s no expectation or pretense, the tracks are simple by design; they’re meant to be elevated by the context of the set. That’s why I initially fell away from the genre — the music getting produced when I was into the scene was for home listening, and that’s just not what dubstep does well.
Some of my favorite picks from the set include the Hamdi remix of Goblin, Badders by Skrillex et al, and Taiki Nulight’s remix of On & On.
Then, someone in the crowd presumably gave me their illness, so I spent the next week too ill to write this blog post. =w= This is why I don’t leave the house. Anyway, this friend and I are getting coffee tomorrow, and I’m excited to have someone in the area to indulge in a shared electronic music special interest with. I might even try out DJing myself… Hanna, if you end up reading this, hello!