When I first heard this new subgenre last year I wasn't really surprised, since the music felt a lot like the genres it is derived from. To me it's mostly an eclectic variety of twostep not (yet) big enough to really catch on. Maybe some specific (technological) innovation could make the genre more distinctive..

Elaborate wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dubstep_artists

your first sentence was beautifully circular!!!

more technological innovation? wtf? have you heard it in a proper club with a proper sound system? omfg.

I think the biggest problem with dubstep is it is totally dependent on the sound system, the venue, the lighting and the people inside it. It is very very sensitive and hard to get right. If you've been to a bad dubstep party or heard it on an iPod or a crappy club sound system, I understand your reaction.

I remember a couple years back many people thought drum and bass was "too fast" and therefore they didn't like it. Now they go to dnb parties and say dubstep is "too slow" lol.

Well, let's rephrase and elaborate. My argument was indeed kinda fuzzy
The point of what I commented is that I see Twostep as 1. the main subgenre that 2. now (seems to - not yet convinced become(s) more mature (like when e.g. rave developed into gabber (with the distinctive distorted beats) or when trance became warmer (e.g. with Out of the Blue by Ferry Corsten, which was based on technological innovation in the genre)) under the - I think - wrong name of dubstep (they should stick with twostep and when being more specific e.g. say "dark twostep", "light twostep", etc.)!

it's a very tedious way to analyse great music, but i think i would say dubstep earned the right to be called a genre because it's the catchiest name, but there are subgenres such as grime, halfstep, darkstep, newstep etc... and well grime is kinda its own genre now too. And it is totally unlike twostep, even if it sounds like twostep sometimes, it's not. There's a different motivation for making it, and that comes through subliminally somehow.

however, i wouldn't call dubstep mature, nobody really agrees what it is, and in this video they make the point that it's so early there are still many possibilities. The best thing about my best dubstep party ever was there was so much variety, and it was all good, no "ahh that's shit, that's not dubstep" kinda feeling. I like the attitude of "very very good sub bassline, and then anything goes on top of that". I loved it when a tune from about 2005 brought shouts of "OOOOLLLLLLLLD SKOOOOOOL!"

Technological innovation? How about Burial rejecting the sequencer and even the metronome, making all his tunes in soundforge by looking at the waveforms? How about technological DEinnovation? How about the innovation of a club spending all their money on a sound system and none on lights and interiors? Sound system technology has seriously increased in the last 10 years and it's affordable now for smaller underground clubs. That's a big deal.

Anyway you didn't answer my question so i guess you never went to FWD... it really has to be felt (not just seen or heard) to be believed, and that's perhaps the best thing about it. It's a secret, just for the people that bothered to find out

I'll always be a DnB head, but dubstep's pretty cool. I used to be addicted to sub-sub-sub-genre-izing everything in Electronic music, but I got a little sick of it. Especially when I produced a bit of it and everyone was asking what style and I kept having to use 4 or 5 different "it's kinda like a combo of..." statements, before I just resorted to saying "here" and handing them a CD. Still, I think dubstep has enough of a unique groove to warrant at least a sub-sub level. heh. Still don't hear much of it in the raves in the states though. Pretty small clubs and lounges do now and then, but not the big scenes. They're still sticking with the harder DnB. Still, you can dance to it all just fine, DnB just makes you sweat more. Thank God for clubs with cryo jets. http://www.buzzlife.com/ in DC rocks some good DJ's now and then, or they did last I was there. Used to be at Nation which I'll gladly call the best club in DC, but dropped BUZZ for some reason (edit: RAVE act victim, dangit).

Still it can be fun to argue about what tune is what style. Used to go at it with my roommate in college for hours on that sorta crap.

love the burial record...

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