Dubstep

Dubstep on vinyl: bass from South London

In short: Dubstep emerged in South London in the early 2000s, especially around Croydon: UK garage, dub and drum and bass turned into music with deep sub-bass, lots of space and often a heavy half-time feel. Key names from the early days are Digital Mystikz – Mala and Coki – and Skream. The Vinyl Room currently has 17 dubstep records.

What is dubstep?

The early days: Digital Mystikz are represented with “Return II Space”, Mala with “Mirrors”, Skream with “Skreamizm Vol. V” and Magnetic Man – Skream, Benga and Artwork – with their album “Magnetic Man”.

Taken further: The Bug is here with “Fire”, Beatrice Dillon with “Workaround”; under this style tag we also have Moderat with “Moderat” and “III”.

What to look for

In its early days dubstep came out mainly on 12-inch records for DJs; label, catalogue number and year of release help you tell which edition you have – it’s noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

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FAQ

What is dubstep? Bass-heavy electronic music from South London that emerged in the early 2000s.

Where does the name come from? From “dub” and “2-step” – dub basslines and the rhythms of UK garage.

Who shaped dubstep? Among others Digital Mystikz, Skream and Benga.

Which dubstep records do you have? Here, for example, Digital Mystikz’s “Return II Space” and Mala’s “Mirrors”.