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Comment by chrisjc | Hacker News Reader

Quick note to those that were potentially triggered when they read "dubstep"... Early dubstep was based on two-step and garage music, while at the same time heavily based on dub and reggae.

Digital Mystikz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9H3i0T1iN4

Spaceape - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfyRjyKj05I

Goth Trad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12dJbE_xxw

Listen to some of the early dubstep and you'll start to understand that parent probably didn't mean Skrillex, etc...

BBC Radio 1's original Dubstep Warz session is a great introduction to the original dubstep - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RyOlkDgy2g

Kode9's recently released Dubstep Warz behind the scenes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_wmgpQO6iQ

View on HN

Hehe, I remember telling an American friend about 10 years ago that I was really into dubstep at that time. She was appalled and couldn't understand why a somewhat decent person like myself could listen to that kind of music. Much later, it dawned on me that she was thinking of US bro-step like Skrillex, while I in fact was listening to "UK Bass Music" like Benga and Skream and Digital Mystikz and Loefah.

All my homies hate Skrillex!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0

I only watched the first few minutes so far, and the storyline quite reminds me of myself being quite fascinated by hearing my first jungle tunes about 15 years earlier. Nice!

That was excellent. :) Thanks for sharing.

Can Skrillex really be a bro when he's named after a Kingdom Hearts game?

Nice to see some heads on HN! Great list, and RIP The Spaceape.

You can find proper sound system culture in the states, though not much is happening since COVID. Tsunami Bass has an enormous PA and Reconstrvct hopefully will be back one day. Analog in Brooklyn did have a whopping home built system but it was sold off and the club is under new management these days.

Here's a glimpse into what this sort of stuff is like at a show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8037wYWZkU. That's the Dub Livity system.

The DJ cuts (low pass) out the bass line, teasing the crowd, until the 2:05 mark, as the MC toasts. The bass shakes everything – you can feel it in your bones. It's visceral. You can see why it was, and is, and continues to be a spiritual thing for many people.

> Nice to see some heads on HN! Great list, and RIP The Spaceape.

Can't believe my eyes I'm seeing this on HN. You can get the same experience at home with a SubPac. I'm not exaggerating!

Technically low-cutting is called highpass rather than lowpass. I don't exactly like the low/high pass terminology myself either though; you end up putting a high pass at a low frequency to remove bass, and low pass at a high frequency to remove treble.

High/low pass = high/low frequency components pass through. Simple?

Yeah high pass / low pass have always seemed totally logical to me. At least once I knew what they meant.

I suppose they're not 100% intuitive or self-explanatory, but I can't think of a better alternative.

Because you let the high frequencies pass through on a high pass filter and vice versa

Can you tell it has been a while since I played a set? :) thanks

> and RIP The Spaceape

I really feel this loss in many ways. I've yet to find anyone that can match his prophetic lyrics, ominous voice, and Jamaican patois (combined with Kode9s and The Bug's music). Although I find all of the Spaceape material indefatigable to listen to. Self titled "Spaceape", Backwards, Kingston, etc.

So young... Very sad indeed :(

I don’t care what anyone says about it being “trendy” or whatever, Skrillex album Bangarang is one of my absolute favorites listened to extremely loud like in a car with a lot of bass. It just gives me tingles.

Coki - Old Hope https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9az72epXweo Skream - Rutten https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOttZSnzG7s Burial - Untrue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os9DYRZyk-w

Coki is just amazing. Although some might consider most of his stuff "Tear Out".

Red Eye - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yKxn54lXW8

Goblin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd3s_jubB_s

Spongebob - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIpc817U_R4

Burial is my go-to focus music... it's so atmospherical that it immerses me another place where I can really focus, and pump out my work. Specifically a couple of mixes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6OMwz2uXGM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=286BRp1iDNs

Goth Trad's boiler room is so much fun. There aren't too many folks who'd mix dubstep with drone and rhythmic noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vN9i0BDIR8

Never seen/heard this... looks and sounds amazing so far.

Seems like there has always been a strong connection between Japan and Dub music, and may even be the same for dubstep (the original, non-"brostep").

Same is true for other places like Brazil, France, UK (obviously). I've heard that Dub music isn't or never was very popular in Jamaica, and it was always other places around the world that really embraced it and sound system culture. Maybe even keeping it alive.

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