I have a confession to make, No, it's not that I think Justin Bieber is the shining future of music (I don't).

 

No, my secret is far more dark and inexcusable than those... I don't really get Dubstep. 

 

Now, I know that's shocking, but please don't click away from this page too quickly. I understand that it's the "cause celebre du jour" (or whatever French people say when they're talking about the celebrated cause of the day). I'm aware that dubstep producers are winning acclaim and awards every 5 minutes, and they're being begged to sprinkle their magic dubstep dust to help many a mainstream pop artist.

 

A few years ago, when I first heard of this ultra cool new underground urban style, of course I rushed to check it out, but didn't find anything in those early tracks that won me over. It didn't help that tracks like this one were being billed as "2007's tune of the year" by influential tastemakers:

 

 

What was I missing? 

 

Luckily, 2 more recent developments have made it easier for me to understand and appreciate where this style is coming from. Firstly, I bought a subwoofer the size of a large truck. Aaaahhhh... it's all about the BASS!

 

Secondly, songs that I actually like started to appear with dubstep remixes. Here are some for your listening pleasure:

 

 

 

 

Like any underground music genre, sooner or later people will take it more mainstream, and there will always be those that complain that "their" artist has sold out. Is making music more accesible and reaching a larger audience such a crime?

 

Genre legends Skream, Benga and Artwork recently formed a dubstep "supergroup", called Magnetic Man, and their tracks are dividing opinion whilst still bringing dubstep into the top 10 of the mainstream charts.

 

 

For many long-time dubstep fans, this has crossed the line and is waaaayyyyy too commercial, but as for me, I say bring on the popstep.