Riddim
Bass · 2014 · 140 to 150 BPM · also known as Riddim Dubstep
Riddim is the minimalist reduction of brostep that took hold in the mid-2010s: a single hammering bass motif repeated in triplets, almost without variation, built for hypnosis in the pit. The name borrows from dancehall, though the actual kinship is distant. It belongs to a North American festival scene with a devoted audience, mocked and thriving in equal measure, dubstep's answer to gabber.
7 reference tracks
- Getter: Head Splitter (2014)
- Infekt: Raptor (2017)
- Virtual Riot: Energy Drink (2015)
- Phiso: Jotaro (2016)
- Bommer and Crowell: Loco (2016)
- SVDDEN DEATH: BEHEMOTH (2019)
- Subtronics: Scream Saver (2022)
At a glance
- Tempo: 140 to 150 BPM
- First appeared: around 2014
- Machines: Xfer Serum, Ableton Live, FL Studio
- The sound: Basses marteau en triolets, Structures répétitives assumées, Mastering écrasé
- Labels: Disciple, Never Say Die Black Label, Disciple Round Table, Subsidia
- Key artists: Infekt, Phiso, Bommer, Subtronics (frange)
Producing Riddim
Riddim sits at 140 to 150 BPM, often 150 today, with a kick that is frequently a straight 4/4 or on one and three, snare on two and four, closer to heavy techno than to dubstep. The signature is the triplet feel: the bass plays eighth or sixteenth triplets on a hard-quantized grid, and a two-bar motif repeats up to thirty-two times, hypnosis replacing the brostep rollercoaster. Build the bass in Serum as a square oscillator with a touch of FM, a short decay and an instant pitch envelope, playing one or two notes, doubled by a sub sine, varied only by a filter change every eight bars. Drums stay short, dry and minimal, a kick with a pronounced click and no sub, a sharp snare with a clap, hats nearly absent, the bass itself functioning as the main percussion.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Riddim?
Riddim is the minimalist reduction of brostep that took hold in the mid-2010s: a single hammering bass motif repeated in triplets, almost without variation, built for hypnosis in the pit. The name borrows from dancehall, though the actual kinship is distant. It belongs to a North American festival…
What tempo is Riddim played at?
Between 140 and 150 BPM.
Who are the key Riddim artists?
Infekt, Phiso, Bommer, Subtronics (frange).
