Brostep

{{Short description|A subgenre of dubstep that originated in the United States}}

{{Sources exist|date=June 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox music genre

| name = Brostep

| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|Dubstep|post-dubstep|electro house|industrial metal|electronic rock|Big beat|breakcore|drill 'n' bass|glitch hop|nu metal|electronicore}}

| cultural_origins = Late 2000s – early 2010s, United States (mostly), United Kingdom (originally)

| derivatives =

| fusiongenres = Complextro

| other_topics = {{hlist|Dubstep}}

| subgenrelist =

}}

Brostep is a harder form of dubstep that emerged during the late 2000s and early 2010s and pioneered by artists like Skrillex and Rusko.

File:TheDubstepKing (cropped).jpg

In 2011, dubstep gained significant traction in the US market, by way of a post-dubstep style known as Brostep, with the American producer Skrillex becoming something of a "poster boy" for the Dubstep scene.{{cite news |title = Bass Invasion |date = 15 December 2011 |url = http://digitalissue.miaminewtimes.com/publication/?i=93270&p=41 |work = Miami New Times |access-date = 31 December 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426084220/http://digitalissue.miaminewtimes.com/publication/?i=93270&p=41 |archive-date = 26 April 2012 |url-status = live }}{{cite web |title = 'The potential for disaster was just too big': small Canadian city shuts down Skrillex gig – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music |date = 26 June 2012 |url = http://www.factmag.com/2012/06/26/the-potential-for-disaster-was-just-too-big-small-canadian-city-shuts-down-skrillex-gig/ |access-date = 2012-11-16 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120712225539/http://www.factmag.com/2012/06/26/the-potential-for-disaster-was-just-too-big-small-canadian-city-shuts-down-skrillex-gig/ |archive-date = 12 July 2012 |url-status = live }}{{cite web|title=Is dubstep the new metal? |work=Mixmag |url=http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/is-dubstep-the-new-metal |access-date=2012-11-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016161509/http://mixmag.net/words/news/is-dubstep-the-new-metal |archive-date=16 October 2012}} In September 2011, a Spin Magazine EDM special referred to brostep as a "lurching and aggressive" variant of dubstep that has proven commercially successful in the United States.[https://www.spin.com/2011/09/dubstep-101-us-primer/ Dubstep 101: A U.S. Primer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922100543/https://www.spin.com/2011/09/dubstep-101-us-primer/ |date=22 September 2017 }} Andrew Gaerig, 12 September, Spin Magazine, Spin Media LLC. Unlike traditional dubstep production styles, which emphasise sub-bass content, brostep accentuates the middle register and features "robotic fluctuations and metal-esque aggression".{{cite web |title = Dubstep Maker: The Software & Video Tutorial You Need |url = http://ledgernote.com/columns/beat-production/dubstep-maker/ |work = Ledger Note |date = 14 October 2015 |access-date = 2015-10-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160311091455/http://ledgernote.com/columns/beat-production/dubstep-maker/ |archive-date = 11 March 2016 |url-status = live }} According to Simon Reynolds, as dubstep gained larger audiences and moved from smaller club-based venues to larger outdoor events, sub-sonic content was gradually replaced by distorted bass riffs that function roughly in the same register as the electric guitar in heavy metal.Simon Reynolds, The Art of the Groove, in Computer Music, Computer Music Specials (p. 9), Wed 26 October 2011, Future Publishing Limited

The term brostep, sarcastically coined in 2009,{{Cite web |last=Sherburne |first=Philip |date=2021-10-07 |title=25 Microgenres That (Briefly) Defined the Last 25 Years |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/microgenres-25th-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} has been used by some as a pejorative descriptor for a style of popular Americanised dubstep.

File:DJRusko.jpg

The producer known as Rusko himself claimed in an interview on BBC Radio 1Xtra that "brostep is sort of my fault, but now I've started to hate it in a way ... It's like someone screaming in your face ... you don't want that."{{cite web |last1=Rietmulder |first1=Michael |title=Fall preview 2011: Dubstep takes over the dance floor |url=http://www.vita.mn/129835643.html?page=all |website=Vita.mn |publisher=Star Tribune Media Company LLC |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112195550/http://www.vita.mn/129835643.html?page=all |archive-date=12 January 2016}} According to a BBC review of his 2012 album Songs, the record was a muddled attempt by Rusko to realign his music with a "Jamaican inheritance" and distance it from the "belching, aggressive, resolutely macho" dubstep produced by his contemporaries.Mellisa Bradshaw,[https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/8mwx/text.mp "Dubstep producer tries aligning his output with Jamaican originals, with muddled results."] BBC, March 2012.

Commenting on the success of American producers such as Skrillex, Skream stated: "I think it hurts a lot of people over here because it's a UK sound, but it's been someone with influences outside the original sound that has made it a lot bigger. The bad side of that is that a lot of people will just say 'dubstep equals Skrillex'. But in all honesty it genuinely doesn't bother me. I like the music he makes."[http://thequietus.com/articles/07606-skream-interview I Like The Music Skrillex Makes': An Interview With Skream] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225145153/https://thequietus.com/articles/07606-skream-interview |date=25 February 2024 }}, The Quietus, 19 December 2011, TheQuietus.com Other North American artists that were initially associated with the brostep sound were Canadian producers Datsik and Excision. Their production style has been described by Mixmag as "a viciously harsh, yet brilliantly produced sound that appealed more to Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails fans than it did to lovers of UK garage".{{cite news|last=Muggs|first=Joe|title=United Bass of America|url=http://mixmag.net/words/features/united-bass-of-america|access-date=4 January 2012|newspaper=Mixmag|date=12 December 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107053638/http://www.mixmag.net/words/features/united-bass-of-america|archive-date=7 January 2012}} The brostep sound also attracted the attention of metal bands. Nu metal band Korn's 2011 album The Path of Totality features several collaborations with electronic music producers, including Skrillex and Excision.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/korn-team-with-skrillex-more-dubstep-producers-for-new-album-20111103|title=Korn Team with Skrillex, More Dubstep Producers for New Album|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922050526/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/korn-team-with-skrillex-more-dubstep-producers-for-new-album-20111103|archive-date=22 September 2017|url-status=live}} This style of dubstep is sometimes known as metalstep.

{{clear}}