Dubstep - Loosing its uniqueness?

[decklyn]

Hey guys
Been a while since I've posted anything here.
I'm just wondering what you think of the sound these days. Maybe I'm not digging hard enough but I'm hearing a lot of old time enthusiasts starting to say that dubstep has lost a lot of the qualities that we once loved about it so much. It's hard to take everthing that's going on right now and box it in, but I'm interested in hearing what you guys think.

So...
What do you think?

[deadly_habit]

far from it
on the popular front it's def cookie cutter as hell, but there are loads of great things and producers pushing the boundaries still
unfortunately you have to dig like hell to find em and a lot of times on download sites they fall under other genres than dubstep

[green plan]

far from it
on the popular front it's def cookie cutter as hell, but there are loads of great things and producers pushing the boundaries still
unfortunately you have to dig like hell to find em and a lot of times on download sites they fall under other genres than dubstep

This man, there is so much amazing music coming out at the moment. Even in terms of popular artists, people like James Blake, Mount Kimbie, Eskmo, Four Tet, addison groove, ikonika, martyn still killing it...the list goes on really. Just like the beat.

[narcissus]

dubstep is what we make it... and mine ain't losing anything any time soon

[lowpass]

I started getting bored when I was constantly spinning the same bait flux, bar9 etc tunes.

Then just took a step back started listening to a whole load of new stuff across the board, some of the more atmospheric darker tunes (that attracted me to dubstep in the first place) and faith was restored.

It also didn't help the fact that I listened to dubstep exclusively for a period of about 6 months, what a way to get sick of a genre

Bass music isn't new, it's been around for ages, the thing unique to dubstep was it's use of space

[serox]

Hey guys
Been a while since I've posted anything here.
I'm just wondering what you think of the sound these days. Maybe I'm not digging hard enough but I'm hearing a lot of old time enthusiasts starting to say that dubstep has lost a lot of the qualities that we once loved about it so much. It's hard to take everthing that's going on right now and box it in, but I'm interested in hearing what you guys think.

So...
What do you think?

It lost it years ago. Massive, mid range killed it. Its all gone Techno and sounds like a bunch of VSTs stuck on a grid with random selected presets. Tracks have no vibe at all. Like what happened to DnB everyone has gone anal and now it is more about EQing and compressing the fuck out of thweir tracks. Where have the dynamics gone? where has the serious riddums gone? no vibe at all. The early producers were from Garage, Grime, Jungle and Dub backgrounds etc. Now I think they come from Trance, Techno and new style DnB?

As the music got popular the mainstream didnt know what to do or how to even dance to it. Majority of people into dance music dont have a clue how to dance to halftime beats so loads of producers started making things more danceable, simple.

[pete_bubonic]

Gnnnnuuuuhhhhh, this thread again...

Hyetal
Phaelah
Superisk
Headhunter
Peverelist
Kidkut
Gatekeeper
Appleblim

A selection of producers who live within a mile radius of me. Everyone a unique and interesting sound. If you can't find unique music, then I would suggest it's your inability to find it rather than the genre losing it.

[serox]

Gnnnnuuuuhhhhh, this thread again...

Hyetal
Phaelah
Superisk
Headhunter
Peverelist
Kidkut
Gatekeeper
Appleblim

A selection of producers who live within a mile radius of me. Everyone a unique and interesting sound. If you can't find unique music, then I would suggest it's your inability to find it rather than the genre losing it.

I dont think OP was saying there is none. Its more about how the majority have all followed the same path and the commercial new style of Dubstep is the most popular.

[pete_bubonic]

Gnnnnuuuuhhhhh, this thread again...

Hyetal
Phaelah
Superisk
Headhunter
Peverelist
Kidkut
Gatekeeper
Appleblim

A selection of producers who live within a mile radius of me. Everyone a unique and interesting sound. If you can't find unique music, then I would suggest it's your inability to find it rather than the genre losing it.

I dont think OP was saying there is none. Its more about how the majority have all followed the same path and the commercial new style of Dubstep is the most popular.

What qualities lost from the supposed golden era of Dubstep have been lost by the mentioned artists? you want space, listen to any Blim and Gatekeeper tune. You want the Garage influenced stuff, then Kidkut and Arkist have made a couple of stormers. You want the grime crossover then Superisk has basically made the tune of the year on Punch Drunk with 'Find Your Way'. You want boundary pushing look towards Hyetal and Phoenix or Headhunter's latest output.

If the original post is actually complaining about why people like Caspa, Rusko and Magnetic Man get to put out incredibly popular cookie cutter tunes, then every genre has it's popular watered down accessible tunes. Surely it was never those types oftunes that the heads who got into the scene before the mainstream excursion like? You wouldn't listen to Perfect Stranger (mainly because it's boring trance), but you would listen to Repercussions of a Razorblade or trapped in a Dark Bubble.

As for the 'majority' of the scene comment, I don't really know how to address this when the most popular respected labels (Hessle, Swamp 81, Hyperdub and alike) are still on the deeper thoughtful stuff? Even labels that were very hit and miss for me in their early releases like Nightslugs and Numbers have stepped up their game massively. So where is the loss of uniqueness or even the change in vibes in tunes? you want the really bassy sparse stuff, Breakage, Kryptic Minds and Pinch are doing it right now.

Perhaps I don't understand the point of thread.

[paravrais]

A lot of the original dubstep producers as it were are moving into different territories now and bringing those vibes with them. Personally I'm loving what whistla is putting out at the moment. The whole 'future garage' movement seems very contrived to me and it's such a SHIT name but there is some fucking A music being made associated with it.

[Basic A]

I started getting bored when I was constantly spinning the same bait flux, bar9 etc tunes.

Then just took a step back started listening to a whole load of new stuff across the board, some of the more atmospheric darker tunes (that attracted me to dubstep in the first place) and faith was restored.

It also didn't help the fact that I listened to dubstep exclusively for a period of about 6 months, what a way to get sick of a genre

Bass music isn't new, it's been around for ages, the thing unique to dubstep was it's use of space

Me n you both man!

[FSTZ]

I'm with Pete Bubonic

all you gotta do is dig and you will be satisfied

I'm never surprised when I get great music.. most of it is coming from the same producers that have been sending me tunes since 2006. (still waiting for that batch of new Decklyn tunes.. nudge nudge)

but there are some new producers that keep the original vibes alive.

[Sharmaji]

yeah i'm def. on the side of the fence w/ Pete & Festa. There is a TON of good music out there.

w/ that said, the vibe around dubstep in 2005/6/7--- i dunno if that's been lost, but it's definitely not present at the majority of the gigs we play. Then again, the energy of 150-300 people in a room all locked onto which dj is playing which tune by which producer that they've never heard before--- it's ephemeral, it's present at the start of something, and quite simply can't last.

which is fine. Anyone who's been doing this for longer than they should have knows that dubstep needs to grow in order for it to survive. I have zero problem w/ Benga/Katy B/MagMan doing so stupendously well, w/ Skream remixing LaRoux, etc, etc, etc. As long as its quality, that's fine by me.

(i do wanna hear more killer drum-based tunes, tho... nightslugs/swamp/etc really are killing it).

[jaydot]

It's a vicious circle, cos the more Cookie Monsta et al producer wobble, the more the kids want to copy/subscribe to that sound.....then the more they produce it the cycle continues. There's producers on here and beyond that are thinking outside the box though. They know who they are.

[jaydot]

A lot of the original dubstep producers as it were are moving into different territories now and bringing those vibes with them. Personally I'm loving what whistla is putting out at the moment. The whole 'future garage' movement seems very contrived to me and it's such a SHIT name but there is some fucking A music being made associated with it.

Seconded, love that whole sound and the producers that are doing it right now. That's my new flex, just been hunting for lots of future garage and its really something. Brings me back to even before dubstep was around. (in fact way way before)

[tripwire22]

ive been listenng to dubstep since I started producing and havnt gotten bored. I love it all from old classics that never get old to new wonky or even brostomp

[FSTZ]

(i do wanna hear more killer drum-based tunes, tho... nightslugs/swamp/etc really are killing it).

yes man!

I think it was you who said something about the bassline can be whatever, but it's all about the drums

I am taking this into consideration more when I am writing now

I just got some tunes from some of my fav producers and really, it all comes back to the drums

[FSTZ]

double post

[legend4ry]

You're just looking in the wrong places, I haven't ever gotten bored of the sound cause something always pops up what makes me go .

I don't even hear the shit side of the sound until I am at a night or someone drops it on our radio show and i'm like.. "oh ok, so THATS 'blah blah' , at least I know now..."

Saying that though, good music seems to find me I don't really find it.

[FSTZ]

Saying that though, good music seems to find me I don't really find it.