Dubstyle
Hardcore · 2010 · 140 to 150 BPM · also known as Dub Style, Hardstep
Dubstyle was a brief hybrid from the early 2010s that crossed the kicks and structure of hardstyle with the wobbles of dubstep, played at half tempo against each other. It was more a production convention than a lasting scene, documenting the moment the hard festival world and the bass music world looked at each other. A handful of notable records marked the crossover, and then everyone went back to their own camp.
11 reference tracks
- Headhunterz & Brennan Heart: The MF Point of Perfection (Original Dubstyle Mix) (2010)
- Headhunterz & Brennan Heart: MF Point of Lento (2011)
- Excision & Downlink: Existence VIP (2011)
- Obsidia: Fallin' (2011)
- Obsidia: Nightmare (2011)
- Frontliner: Symbols
- Obsidia: Drops Of Water
- Obsidia: Dead
- Obsidia: Energy
- Wildstylez: No Time to Waste (Defqon.1 Anthem 2010) (Pavelow Remix)
- Obsidia: Obsidia Ft. CoMa - Beautiful
At a glance
- Tempo: 140 to 150 BPM
- First appeared: around 2010
- Machines: FL Studio, Native Instruments Massive, Roland TR-909
- The sound: Reverse bass hardstyle, Wobbles dubstep, Kicks mi-tempo, Drops hybrides
- Labels: Scantraxx, Dirty Workz
- Key artists: Headhunterz & Brennan Heart (expérience), Zany, Crossfiyah
Producing Dubstyle
Dubstyle sits at 140 to 150 BPM, usually the hardstyle tempo of 150, doubling as dubstep speed in halftime at 70 to 75. Build two drum kits into the same track: a hardstyle mode with the kick on every beat, a reversed bass tail sucking into each offbeat, and a clap on two and four, alternating with a dubstep mode where the kick sits on one and the and of two, a huge snare lands only on beat three, the whole section feeling twice as slow. The kick itself stays the hardstyle kick, a tok with a tuned tail, even inside the dubstep sections, what separates dubstyle from real dubstep. Run two basses too, a reversed hardstyle tail on the offbeats, and a Massive wobble, a saw modulated by an LFO synced to eighths then sixteenths, hard-sidechained from the kick.
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 Dubstyle?
Dubstyle was a brief hybrid from the early 2010s that crossed the kicks and structure of hardstyle with the wobbles of dubstep, played at half tempo against each other. It was more a production convention than a lasting scene, documenting the moment the hard festival world and the bass music world…
What tempo is Dubstyle played at?
Between 140 and 150 BPM.
Who are the key Dubstyle artists?
Headhunterz & Brennan Heart (expérience), Zany, Crossfiyah.
