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drumstep

Drumstep

United Kingdom · 2010s
IntenseDarkEpicDancing
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Description

Drumstep is a hybrid of drum and bass and dubstep that keeps the high energy and bass design of dubstep while adopting the tempo and rhythmic vocabulary of drum and bass.

Typically written around 170–176 BPM but felt in halftime, drumstep places the snare on beat 3, creating a loping, head-nodding feel while preserving the pace and tension of fast DnB. Sound design favors aggressive midrange basses (reese variations, growls, wubs), heavy sub-bass, crisp snares, and densely syncopated hi-hats and percussion.

In DJ contexts, drumstep bridges 140 BPM dubstep and 174 BPM drum and bass, allowing seamless genre-switching within high-energy sets. It’s punchy, festival-ready, and often minimal melodically, focusing on impact, groove, and sound design fireworks.

History
Origins (late 2000s → early 2010s)

As dubstep and drum and bass scenes cross-pollinated in the late 2000s, producers began writing 174 BPM tracks with halftime drums, pulling the weighty bass design of dubstep into DnB tempos. This approach—quickly dubbed “drumstep”—leveraged jungle/DnB’s rhythmic DNA while embracing dubstep’s sound design arms race.

Breakout and codification (2010–2013)

The sound gained heavy exposure through UKF channels and festival circuits. Canadian bass producers (Excision, Downlink, Datsik) and Franco-British outfits (Dirtyphonics, Delta Heavy) helped codify the template: halftime snares at 174, explosive fills that flip to full-time, and showpiece bass patches. Labels and platforms such as Rottun, Never Say Die, RAM/Program offshoots, and Monstercat amplified drumstep’s profile with DJ-friendly singles and remixes.

A bridge genre in DJ culture

Drumstep quickly became a utility tool for DJs, enabling transitions between 140 BPM dubstep and 174 BPM DnB without losing floor energy. Producers exploited its versatility by alternating halftime and full-time sections within drops, or by writing “VIP” mixes that toggled between dubstep and drumstep arrangements.

Evolution and absorption (mid-2010s → present)

While its name peaked in the early 2010s, drumstep’s techniques—halftime at DnB tempo, hybrid bass design, switch-up fills—were absorbed into dancefloor DnB, tearout-oriented dubstep, and hybrid trap. Today, you’ll hear drumstep’s fingerprints in festival DnB drops, bass music VIPs, and crossover remixes even when releases aren’t explicitly labeled “drumstep.”

How to make a track in this genre
Tempo, groove, and drums
•   Write at 170–176 BPM but program drums in halftime: kick on beat 1, snare on beat 3. Use ghost notes and syncopated hats to keep momentum. •   Add switch-ups: momentary full-time DnB sections (snare on 2 & 4) for fills or second drops to spike energy. •   Layer snares (body + crack + high transient) and tighten with short room/plate reverb; sidechain hats to maintain clarity.
Bass design and sound palette
•   Combine DnB reese layers (detuned saws, phase modulation) with dubstep-style growls, LFO wubs, and FM/phase-distorted textures. •   Use Serum/Vital/Massive X for macro-controlled bass patches (movement via LFOs, envelopes, and comb/phase filters). Automate formant filters and distortion stages. •   Prioritize a solid sub (sine/triangle) in mono; layer mids in stereo with controlled width. Multiband saturation and OTT-style compression help achieve festival weight.
Harmony and arrangement
•   Keep harmony minimal (minor keys, modal riffs); use short motifs and call-and-response between bass layers. •   Structure: 16–32 bar intro (DJ-friendly), pre-drop tension, 32–64 bar drop with A/B sections, mid-song breakdown, and a variation drop. •   Design drops to pivot: halftime core with optional full-time fills. Include stop-time edits, reversed risers, and snare rolls for impact.
Mixing and workflow tips
•   Sidechain bass to kick and snare (fast attack/release) to preserve punch. Carve 150–250 Hz conflicts and tame 2–5 kHz harshness. •   Use transient shaping on drums; mono low end (<120 Hz), controlled stereo above. •   For DJ utility, export both a dubstep 140 BPM VIP and a drumstep 174 BPM version or include a mid-drop BPM illusion switch.
Performance considerations
•   Live sets benefit from MIDI macro control over bass movement (filter cutoff, wavetable position, distortion mix) to improvise fills and switch-ups. •   Cue points: mark pre-drop, fill entries, and full-time switch sections to maximize crowd response.
Main artists
Influenced by
Drum And Bass
Drum and bass (DnB) is a fast, rhythmically intricate form of electronic dance music centered on breakbeats at roughly 160–180 BPM and powerful, sub‑heavy basslines. It grew out of the UK’s early ’90s rave and jungle scenes, combining chopped funk breaks (most famously the Amen break), dub and reggae sound‑system aesthetics, hip‑hop sampling, and techno’s futurist sound design. Across its many substyles—liquid funk’s soulful harmonies, techstep and neurofunk’s cold, machine‑like bass engineering, jump‑up’s hooky bass riffs, atmospheric DnB’s pads and space—drum and bass remains a DJ‑oriented, dancefloor‑driven genre that prizes tight drum programming, deep low end, and precise arrangement for mixing.
Dubstep
Dubstep is a bass‑centric electronic dance music genre that emerged in South London in the early 2000s. It is typically around 140 BPM and is defined by a half‑time rhythmic feel, sub‑heavy basslines, sparse yet impactful drums, and a strong emphasis on space, tension, and sound system weight. Hallmark traits include syncopated kick patterns, snares on the third beat of the bar, swung/shuffly hi‑hats inherited from UK garage, and modulated low‑frequency bass (“wobbles”) shaped with LFOs, filters, and distortion. Influences from dub reggae (echo, delay, and minimalism), jungle/drum & bass (bass science and sound system culture), and 2‑step garage (rhythmic swing and shuffles) are central. The style ranges from deep, meditative “dub” aesthetics (often called deep dubstep) to more aggressive, midrange‑driven variants that later informed brostep and festival bass. Atmosphere, negative space, and subwoofer translation are as important as melody or harmony.
Jungle
Jungle is a fast, breakbeat-driven electronic music genre that emerged in the UK in the early 1990s. It is characterized by heavily chopped and re-sequenced funk drum breaks (most famously the Amen, Think, and Apache breaks), deep sub-bass rooted in reggae and dub, and frequent use of ragga and dancehall vocals. Typically around 160–175 BPM, jungle emphasizes syncopation, polyrhythms, ghost-note snare articulations, and swung grooves. Production often features time‑stretching artifacts, pitch‑shifting, rewinds, sirens, and dub‑style effects, creating a kinetic, raw, and rhythmic sound world. While closely related to drum and bass, jungle retains a distinct identity through its reggae/dancehall influence, looser and more chopped breakbeats, rough-and-ready sample aesthetics, and sound system culture sensibility.
Neurofunk
Neurofunk is a dark, technically intricate subgenre of drum and bass known for its surgically designed basslines, tense atmospheres, and highly engineered rhythm sections. Sitting around 170–175 BPM, it blends the relentless drive of techstep with futuristic sound design and a funk-influenced sense of groove. Producers sculpt evolving "neuro" basses using heavy resampling, modulation, distortion, and filtering, then weave them through precision-cut breakbeats and cinematic FX. The result is a high-pressure, sci‑fi aesthetic that feels both mechanical and organic—aggressive yet danceable, clinical yet funk-rooted.
Darkstep
Darkstep is a sinister, aggressive strain of drum and bass that emphasizes dystopian atmospheres, heavy breakbeats, and distorted bass design. It trades the jazzy or soulful edges of earlier DnB for a colder, horror-tinged palette built from reese-style basses, detuned pads, and metallic, industrial textures. Typically clocking in around 170 BPM, darkstep tracks feature hard-hitting kicks and snares framed by chopped “Amen”-style breaks, rapid edits, and tense build‑and‑drop structures. The aesthetic draws on sci‑fi and horror cinema, cyberpunk, and post‑industrial culture, producing a claustrophobic sense of menace and momentum suited to late‑night, underground dancefloors.
Hardstep
Hardstep is a mid-1990s strain of drum and bass that tightened jungle’s frenetic breakbeats into tougher, more rigid, "stepping" drum patterns. Where early jungle leaned on chopped Amen edits and reggae signifiers, hardstep foregrounds punchy two‑step rhythms, heavyweight sub‑bass, and gritty midrange tones. The style is club-focused and percussive, emphasizing forward drive and impact over lush atmospheres. Hip‑hop’s influence is felt in the head‑nod swing of the drums and occasional MCing, but the overall aesthetic is darker and more industrial than classic ragga‑jungle. Hardstep helped bridge the gap from jungle to the colder, techier forms of late‑’90s drum and bass.
Jump Up
Jump up is a high-energy, dancefloor-focused subgenre of drum and bass characterized by bouncy, instantly memorable bass riffs, playful samples, and a party-first attitude. It typically runs around 170–176 BPM, with crisp two-step drum patterns, punchy snares, and simple, hook-led midrange “wobble” basslines that cut through club systems. Aesthetically it leans toward bright, cheeky motifs—brass stabs, hip‑hop or dancehall MC phrases, and call‑and‑response bass hooks—designed for rewinds, double drops, and big crowd reactions. While rooted in jungle’s breakbeats and sound system culture, jump up pares back complexity for maximum bounce and impact, prioritizing groove, movement, and memorable motifs over intricate harmony.
Breakbeat
Breakbeat is an electronic dance music style built around syncopated, sampled drum "breaks" rather than a straight four-on-the-floor kick. Producers chop, loop, and rearrange classic drum breaks (such as the Amen, Apache, and Think breaks) to create swung, shuffling rhythms with strong backbeat accents. Emerging from the UK rave continuum, breakbeat draws heavily on hip hop’s sampling culture and electro’s machine-funk, while adopting house/acid-house sound design and club-focused arrangements. Tempos most commonly sit between 125–140 BPM (though broader ranges occur), featuring heavy sub-bass, crunchy snares, and edits/fills that propel dancefloors without relying on a 4/4 kick. As a scene, "breaks" spans everything from big-room, party-leaning grooves to techy, nu skool textures and regional variants like Florida breaks. It also functions as a foundational rhythmic vocabulary that informed jungle and drum and bass, and it underpins much of modern bass music.
Dancefloor Drum And Bass
Dancefloor drum and bass is a high-energy, club-focused branch of drum and bass tailored for peak-time play and big-room impact. It emphasizes crisp, punchy drums at 170–174 BPM, bold and memorable bass hooks (from Reese lines to foghorns and modern neuro-inspired leads), and clear, festival-ready arrangements with big builds and explosive drops. Compared to more niche or experimental DnB strands, dancefloor DnB prioritizes immediacy, strong hooks, and DJ-friendly phrasing while retaining the genre’s core rhythmic intensity. Sonically it draws from jungle’s breakbeat DNA, techstep and neurofunk’s sound-design rigor, and the melodic lift of liquid funk, often incorporating pop-leaning toplines or anthemic synth leads to reach broad audiences.
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