Yo Dudes, Let's Talk About Dubstep!

Hi there pop pickers, have you heard the fresh new music that's taking the UK by storm? Young adults up and down the country are all grooving to a funky new sound called dubstep!

From Peaches Geldof to the cast of Skins, everyone's getting down to the exciting urban flavas, but what exactly is it that people are getting so steamed up about?

Well let's take a look!

Dubstep originally developed on the mean streets of New York City in the mid 1970s, where roaming urban street gangs would meet at weekly dubstep discos to "get up in each other's grills" and bust out some hot new moves.

An original NY dubstep crew, ready to roll.

"Dub" means to change the spoken language of a TV show or film to that of another language by replacing the audio track, and "step" is New York street slang for "walk", so dubstep literally means, "to change the sound of walking to that of another sound". The coolest thing of all about dubstep is the way in which it brings together both heavy basslines and repetitive drum patterns, something that has never really been attempted before in popular music.

Now it's 2011, and dubstep has started to cross the Atlantic. Instrumental in leading the charge of dubstep in the UK has been Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton;
"I really like dubstep," says Fearne, "it's the most exciting thing to happen to UK music since Take That reformed. It's mentaaaaal, but genius."

Even Wales is getting in on the action.

So what are my top dubstep picks for those of you wanting to get ahead of the game?

First up, one of the leading lights in the UK dubstep game: Katy B

Katy B seems to write a lot of songs about going clubbing and dancing, but for some reason neglects to mention the belligerent security, overpriced drinks and frequent outbreaks of violence and glassings that makes the UK clubbing experience one of the most unique in the world.

At the deeper, darker end of the dubstep spectrum is Britney Spears:

Wowzers! What a bass drop! Hold onto your hats!

Of course, not all dubstep is as serious as Katy B or Britney, as St Petersburg outfit Giant show us with their Dad-rock influenced classic:

This groovy little number was recently outlawed in Canada for being just too darn heavy.

UK crew Mumford and Sons are putting a distinctively British spin on the dubstep sound with their hit single Roll Away Your Stone:

Just listen to that massive drop at 2.41. Tracks like this should come with a government health warning.

Last up, it'd be criminal to write about dubstep without a mention of the godfathers of the sound; Scritti Politti:

If it wasn't for the daring innovation shown by these guys, dubstep could never have blown up in the way it has. The mind boggles.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief dubstep primer, see you cats at a discotheque soon!