Dubstep Statistics 2021-2022

• Dubstep music has a tempo of 138-150 beats per minute.
• UKF dubstep has over 6 million subscribers on YouTube.
• The top dubstep artist on The DJ List in October 2021 was Skrillex.
• LedgerNote has published the Top 17 Subgenres of Dubstep.
• Alex MTC’s YouTube video “Best Dubstep Mix 2020” has gotten over 3.7 million views,
• #1 on Beatport’s “Top 100 Dubstep Songs” in 2021 was “Suffer” featuring Elle Vee.
• The term “dubstep” made Merriam-Webster’s top 20 percent look up search in 2021.
• At the top of Soundcloud’s Top 50 Dubstep chart in 2021 was DJ Phoenix Skrillex and Rick Ross.

1. Dubstep is a form of reggae music integrated with other styles with a tempo of 138-150 beats per minute. Much of the most vibrant music in history can be found in this BPM range. So it mixes well with any kind of upbeat electronic music. One of the unique musical techniques found in the genre involves syncopation as rhythm and bass shift patterns within a song.

Due to dubstep’s ideal tempo range for dancing, the genre’s popularity is felt strongest in nightclubs on dance floors. While the fastest dance beats are over 200 BPM, many DJs try to mix up to 160 BPM then pull back to create new energy cycles on the dance floor. That makes dubstep excellent transition music to high energy music or back down to a midtempo range.

2. YouTube channel Ukfdubstep has over 6 million subscribers on YouTube and nearly 2 billion views. Interestingly, the channel has no listing on Wikipedia in 2021, giving it a somewhat underground image. The channel was founded by Luke Hood in April 2009. It features news, interviews and music.

3. On the Global List published by The DJ List the top dubstep artists in ranked order for 2021 were Skrillex, Diplo, Major Lazer, DJ Snake and Zeds Dead. Skrillex is a DJ/producer from Los Angeles. His name at birth in 1988 was Sonny John Moore. He began to get national attention on his first solo tour in 2007. Four years later he took home three Grammy awards including “Best Dance/Electronica Album.” He’s added four more Grammys since then.

4. Dubstep has evolved into several musical directions with 17 dubstep genres recently listed by LedgerNote. At the top of the list are Classic Dubstep, Filthstep, Wobblestep, Glitchstep and Brostep. Rounding out the top ten are Halfstep, Chillstep, Post-dubstep, Gorestep and Neurostep. Classic Dubstep is the original sound of the genre. It brought together the various elements of dubstep such as wobbles, subs, glitches and blips.

The diversity of dubstep and its subgenres reveals that the music has developed into a multi-dimensional force in music. DJs who beatmix like dubstep for its innovative production that includes sonic surprises. The strong beat mixes easily with most forms of popular dance music such as hip-hop, rap and electronica.

5. The top link on Google for “dubstep” in October 2021 was “Best Dubstep Mix 2020” on YouTube channel Alex MTCH. The video had racked up over 3.7 million views and over 50,000 likes. The mix has a constant pulsating electronic sound with a variety of melodic interludes. The video was originally posted May 15, 2020. The video is also the top link for “dubstep” on YouTube, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet.

The term “dub” has been used since the 1960s in relation to the roots of reggae music, known as “dub reggae.” The subgenre typically featured stripped down production with emphasis on bass lines with dubbed vocals sprinkled into mostly instrumental tracks. In the recording industry dubbing means transferring a recorded sample from one medium to another.

6. Beatport recently posted a list of their top 100 dubstep songs. Topping the chart was the original mix of “Suffer” by Slander, Maurada and Elle Vee. Other dubstep acts high on the chart were Eliminate, Illaman, Oddprophet, Kill the Noise, Blastoyz and Jason Ross.

Slander is a duo featuring Los Angeles DJs Derek Andersen and Scott Land. The duo has pioneered their own subgenre called “Heaven Trap.” Slander’s rise in the music world escalated with their remix of the Showtek song “We Like To Party” in 2014. The video went on to get over 12 million views on YouTube.

7. The “Look Up Popularity” of dubstep on Merriam-Webster’s site is in its top 20 percent of words. According to the popular dictionary site, the first known usage of the term was 2002, although the genre’s roots trace back to Jamaica in the early 1980s. Dubstep music as a commercial genre originated in South London in the early 2000s. It gained exposure from BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel starting in 2003. From there it attracted media attention in music publications such as Pitchfork.

8. Skrillex and Rick Ross made the top of SoundCloud’s Top 50 Dubstep chart in 2021 with 44.2 million streams for the song “Purple Lamborghini.” Skrillex has mostly appeared on the Billboard Dance Chart during his recording career. He built his career on EPs and singles starting in 2009 then released his first full album called Recess in 2014.

SoundCloud has been an important launching ground for new artists this century. The site houses millions of independent artists, giving people alternatives to music outside the mainstream. The site has helped several indie artists gain national recognition. Chance The Rapper, who has worked with dubstep artists, was an early success story for SoundCloud, which began in 2007.