London may not be the first city that comes to mind when one thinks about Urban Music. But in the early days of the twenty-first century, the British capital served as a breeding ground for what would eventually become known as “dubstep” – an electronic Urban sub-genre built around “tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals” (“Explore Music: Dubstep.” Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 5 April 2011). The term “dubstep” itself comes from the combination of 2 step and grime, two major influences on early dubstep artists. BBC Radio 1 DJ’s John Peel and Mary Anne Hobbs are often credited with helping the genre grow from underground roots to a more accessible and critically recognized genre. In 2011, the mainstream got a taste of the sound when Britney Spears added a dubstep section to her hit “Hold It Against Me.”
At Affix Music, we recognize that Urban goes far beyond Rap, Hip-Hop, and Pop and we’re proud to feature great dubstep music in our catalog. So we’ve put together a dubstep-centric and license-ready playlist for your listening pleasure. Click here to give it a listen…you just might find some new favorites.
Recommended listening:
1) Mayhem – Tristate
2) The Beat Geeks – Get Down