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tearout

Tearout

United States · 2010s
IntenseDarkDancingEpic
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Description

Tearout is an ultra-aggressive, high-energy strain of dubstep that magnifies brostep’s midrange assault into even more explosive drops and relentless, machine-gun bass phrases. It is defined by hyperactive bass modulation, razor-edged growls and screeches, heavy distortion chains, and dramatic switch-ups that keep the drop constantly evolving.

The style emphasizes impact over space: punchy kick-and-snare patterns, sub-bass glued to dense mid-bass resamples, and cinematic builds that detonate into 16- or 32-bar drops packed with fills, fake-outs, and call-and-response riffs. While rooted in dubstep’s 140 BPM grid, modern tearout frequently borrows drum-and-bass phrasing and metal-style aggression, making it a festival-ready, crowd-slaying sound.

History
Origins (late 2000s–early 2010s)

Tearout emerged as North American producers pushed UK dubstep’s wobble- and sub-focused template toward heavier, midrange-centric sound design. Early pioneers in the broader brostep wave laid the groundwork with snarling basses, cinematic builds, and rock/metal energy. This escalation, especially within the festival circuit, seeded a more relentless, constantly-switching approach that came to be called “tearout.”

Codification and Scene Growth (2010s)

Throughout the 2010s, labels and events that championed heavy dubstep—festival stages, bass-centric imprints, and online communities—helped codify tearout’s expectations: explosive pre-drops, rapid bass call-and-response, and an arms race in sound design (FM resampling, OTT, waveshaping, multiband distortion). Producers increasingly folded in neurofunk precision, drumstep momentum, and cinematic intros, creating the high-impact drops associated with tearout.

Diversification and Hybridization (late 2010s–2020s)

By the late 2010s, tearout’s palette diversified with metal-inspired guitar chugs, halftime-to-doubletime switch-ups, and crossover with trap EDM and hybrid trap. Tutorials, sample packs, and serum patches accelerated the style’s technical evolution, while festival culture (and later, livestreams) amplified its global reach. In the 2020s, tearout remains a mainstay of heavy bass lineups, influencing hybrid forms and pushing the craft of aggressive bass sound design forward.

How to make a track in this genre
Tempo, Rhythm, and Groove
•   Aim for 140 BPM (occasionally 145–150 for modern energy). Use the classic half-time dubstep grid: a tight kick on beat 1 and a cracking snare on beat 3. •   Build momentum with rapid fills, turnarounds, and occasional double-time hat patterns. Use triplet subdivisions and syncopated rests to create fake-outs before drops.
Sound Design and Bass Architecture
•   Start with FM/wavetable resampling for growls and screeches. Layer multiple bass patches (growl, screech, reese, sub) and resample to audio for tight editing. •   Drive chains: saturation/waveshaper → multiband distortion → OTT/multiband compression → transient shaping → precise EQ notches. Keep the sub clean and mono; high-pass mids to leave room for the sub. •   Modulation: automate formants, vowel filters, and LFO rates (1/8, 1/16, triplets). Use pitch bends, comb/phaser movement, and stereo micro-modulation for motion.
Drums and Impact Design
•   Snare: short, bright transient with weight around 180–220 Hz and crack at 2–5 kHz. Kick: tight low-end thump, brief tail to avoid masking the sub. •   Layer cinematic impacts, risers, and tonal foley before drops. Use drum fills and glitch edits (stutters, tape stops) to articulate phrases.
Harmony, Intros, and Arrangement
•   Keep harmony minimal—often minor key or modal drones. Intros can be cinematic (strings, brass, choirs, or horror pads) leading into a pre-drop vocal or silence-for-impact. •   Drop structure: 16–32 bars with constant switch-ups every 2–4 bars (call-and-response). Include a mid-drop fake-out and a second drop variation with new rhythms or timbres.
Mixing and Performance Tips
•   Leave headroom (~-6 dB pre-master). Mono below ~80–100 Hz; control stereo in mids to avoid phase smear. Sidechain sub and mid-bass to kick. •   Design DJ-friendly intros/outros and maintain consistent LUFS across tracks for live play. Test bass translation on large systems and consumer headphones.
Main artists
Influenced by
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.
Brostep
Brostep is a high-intensity, EDM-leaning strain of dubstep that foregrounds aggressively modulated midrange basses, dramatic builds, and arena-sized drops. Where classic UK dubstep emphasizes sub-bass weight, spaciousness, and dubwise minimalism, brostep shifts the focus to bright, distorted, and highly articulated bass sound design, often supported by festival-ready structures and glossy, loud mastering. Typical tempos sit around 140 BPM (often presented in half-time), with snare on beat 3, punchy kick patterns, and dense fills. Signature sounds include vowel/formant "talking" basses, metallic growls, comb-filtered screeches, and heavy multiband distortion, arranged in call-and-response riffs that drive the drop.
Riddim Dubstep
Riddim dubstep is a minimalist, loop-driven branch of dubstep that emphasizes hypnotic repetition, half‑time drums, and lurching mid‑range bass motifs. Instead of flashy, constantly changing sound design, it focuses on a few tightly sculpted “wub” phrases that evolve through modulation, filtering, and subtle rhythmic variation. Rooted in UK sound‑system culture and the Jamaican concept of a reusable “riddim,” the style typically sits around 140 BPM, pairing a powerful sub with syncopated, percussive bass stabs. The overall feel is dark, bouncy, and relentlessly dance‑oriented—built for double‑drops, blends, and long DJ transitions on large rigs.
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.
Drumstep
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.
Electro House
Electro house is a high-energy branch of house music characterized by distorted, buzzing bass leads, crisp four‑on‑the‑floor drums, and dramatic, festival-ready drops. It typically runs around 125–130 BPM, favoring aggressive, sawtooth-based synth timbres, heavy sidechain compression, and big, riff-like hooks over lush chord progressions. Production emphasizes powerful low-end, gritty midrange textures, noise sweeps and risers, and tightly structured builds and breakdowns that set up explosive drops. While rooted in house and electro traditions, its sound design borrows from techno’s intensity and big beat’s punch, resulting in a bold, modern, and club-focused aesthetic.
Darkcore Edm
Darkcore EDM is a bass-heavy, horror-tinged strand of electronic dance music that emphasizes ominous atmospheres, dissonant harmonies, and aggressive sound design. It draws from dubstep, industrial, and dark electro, using cinematic horror tropes, metallic textures, and heavily distorted basslines to create a foreboding mood. Not to be confused with early-1990s UK “darkcore” in breakbeat hardcore, Darkcore EDM is a 2010s internet-native movement within the broader EDM and bass music ecosystem. Tempos typically sit around 140–150 BPM for dubstep-oriented material, 100–110 BPM for midtempo variations, and 125–130 BPM for dark electro/house crossovers. The result is club-ready music that feels claustrophobic, menacing, and theatrical.
Deathstep
Deathstep is an extreme, horror-laden branch of dubstep that fuses the genre’s half‑time lurch and sub‑heavy sound design with the aggression, timbral brutality, and macabre aesthetics of death metal and deathcore. Typically sitting around 140–150 BPM in half‑time, it emphasizes cavernous sub bass, serrated mid‑range growls, blast‑beat‑inspired kick runs, and cinematic, dread‑building intros. Vocals—when present—often borrow from extreme metal (growls, screams) or are sampled from horror cinema to intensify the sense of menace. Compared to brostep, deathstep is darker and more oppressive, prioritizing dissonance, chromatic motion, and percussive violence over anthemics. It thrives in underground labels and SoundCloud circles, with a visual language of decay, sci‑fi horror, and occult imagery.
Neurohop
Neurohop is a bass music subgenre that fuses the intricate, high-tech sound design and tense atmospheres of neurofunk with the swagger, swing, and groove of hip hop and glitch-hop tempos. Typically sitting around 90–115 BPM (often felt as halftime), it emphasizes surgically sculpted mid-bass lines, resampled textures, and precision drum programming. The result is music that is simultaneously head‑nodding and highly technical, pairing hip hop’s rhythmic feel with the detailed modulation, movement, and spectral complexity associated with modern drum and bass and dubstep.
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