One of the biggest growing trends of fast electronic dance music today is dubstep. Dubstep, as the name implies, is a mixture of two completely different musical styles of sound: drum and bass and dubstep. Dubstep was actually founded in the late 1990s, when producers from across many different countries began to incorporate breakcore and drum and bass sounds into their tracks. As the style started to take off, it began to be embraced by other producers who saw the potential and appeal of what can loosely be described as the harder side of dubstep; an eclectic mix of jungle, reggae and classic heavy metal.
The style is truly unique, with its own unique sound and structure. This can be seen from the different sounds that are used, such as “dubstep” samples which are typically pitched-up and distorted. Other styles commonly associated with dubstep are drum and bass, which incorporate drums, hi-hats, percussive beats and sampling. Technically, these are just a few of the more popular ways to describe the sound of dubstep but these are the most common.
Another fast electronic dance music sub-genre is break dance, sometimes called break dance or funky break dance. Break dance is usually characterized by a fast tempo and thick bass lines, although it can also use other percussion instruments such as cymbals and hi hats. Many people associate break dance with the rave but it has actually grown out of break dance and into its own distinct style. Break dance artists are known for their creative use of effects and musical influences from many different sources.
Perhaps the largest known and popular sub-genre of fast electronic dance music worldwide is death metal. In Japan, it’s call themselves ‘death masters’ and make a practice of playing death metal at raves and clubs. The original form of death metal was black metal, but over time this has developed into many different styles including nu metal, thrash metal and goth. Some DJs specialize in a particular kind of death metal.
Technically speaking, breakdancing is a more refined version of break dancing and can be found in many schools and gyms where trained individuals dance to the drumbeat on a set of drums. This style has become especially popular in America and is very similar to hip-hop dancing, although there is a wide variety of styles and influences. Another important aspect of breakdancing is the use of a sampler, a device that can play samples of other styles of electronic music for a breakdancer to use in her sets. Sampler culture is on the rise, particularly in the breakdancing world.
Other styles include grime, which is an offshoot of drumming and is characterized by hi-tech beats and electronic noise. Dubstep is another style that developed in the 90s and features a fast and heavy breakdance beat. It is widely accepted in countries such as America and the United Kingdom, where it is used in nightclubs and in rave parties, but it has also developed in other countries, especially in Russia, Egypt and Brazil.
Grime has many followers; however, many people think of it as a dangerous influence because of the illegal downloading and selling of its tracks online. It also features drum machines and many people claim that these drum machines encourage the breaking of bones. drum machines in breakdancing are sometimes used to create a ‘house sound’. This has created a huge sub-genre of its own in the electronic dance music scene.
Other sub-genres of breakcore include reggaeton, which features dancehall rhythms and is considered a street dance; hardcore techno and drum and bass, which are characterized by fast drum beats and fast dance music. Techno breakcore is a more progressive genre. It tends to combine breakcore with glitch and dubstep. Glitch is another form of a new wave of breakcore. This type of breakcore usually makes use of reverb and special effects such as flanging and reverse echo.
