Dubstep took shape in South London in the early 2000s, with roots in dub, garage, and drum and bass. Its hallmarks are a tempo of around 140 beats per minute with a “half-time” feel of the rhythm (emphasis on the heavy beat), spaciousness, a dark atmosphere, and above all a booming, modulated “wobble” bass.
At first underground and minimalist, in the 2010s dubstep in a “harsher” form (brostep) exploded onto the world stage thanks to artists such as Skrillex, long defining the sound of popular electronic music. Dubstep revealed the expressive power of the bass timbre itself as the main dramatic means — when it is not the melody but the “character” of the sound that leads the listener.
