Post-dubstep

Image of James Blake at a music festival
James Blake, a post-dubstep artist, at Melt! Festival, 2013

Post-dubstep is an umbrella term applied to a range of musical styles that have been influenced by the sparse, syncopated rhythms and heavy sub-bass of the UK dubstep scene. The breadth of styles associated with the term post-dubstep precluded it from being a specific musical genre in the early 2010s.[1] Such music often references earlier dubstep productions as well as UK garage, 2-step and other forms of underground electronic dance music.[2][3][4] Artists producing music that has been described as post-dubstep have also incorporated elements of ambient music and early 2000s R&B. The latter in particular is heavily sampled by two artists described as post-dubstep, Mount Kimbie and James Blake.[5][6] The tempo of music typically characterised as post-dubstep is approximately 130 beats per minute.[1]

The production duo Mount Kimbie is often associated with the origination of the term post-dubstep.[7] Mount Kimbie's Maybes EP, James Blake's remix of Untold's "Stop What You're Doing" and Joy Orbison's "Hyph Mngo" can be used as markers in the breaking off of post-dubstep as a distinct sound.[citation needed] The commercial popularity of the xx also marked a breakaway and a member of the band, Jamie xx has released remixes which are considered post-dubstep, including a Gil Scott-Heron remix album.[2] Other names frequently associated with post-dubstep are Ikonika, 2562, Cityscape, Deadboy, Martyn, Floating Points, Pangaea, Ramadanman, Sepalcure, FaltyDL, Pariah, Burial, The Weeknd, SBTRKT, Scuba, Egyptrixx, Persian Empire, Shackleton, Starkey, Matthew Thompson, Ital Tek, Ifan Dafydd, Guido, Four Tet and the U.K. labels Hotflush and Hyperdub.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Clark, Martin (4 May 2011). "Grime / Dubstep". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b Aaron, Charles (4 March 2011). "10 Post-Dubstep Artists Who Matter". Spin.
  3. ^ Moore, Thad (12 July 2011). "SBTRKT adds to post-dubstep genre". The Daily Gamecock.
  4. ^ Guidry, Jake (19 May 2011). "Blawan takes post-dubstep and UK house out of its comfort zone". XLR8R.
  5. ^ "Fantastic Mr Fox (No 910)". The Guardian. 6 January 2011.
  6. ^ "A profile of James Blake - post-dubstep artist". BBC News. 6 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 Mar 2012.
  7. ^ Jeffries, David. "Crooks & Lovers - Mount Kimbie". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 6 April 2011.