Will Dubstep Finally Die in 2012? Five Signs the End Is Near

For all the hype still surrounding it, dubstep won't be popular forever.

From collaborations with Korn to Christmas carol remixes, signs of its imminent demise are springing up all over the place. But will 2012 be the year that dubstep finally dies? Or will it desperately cling to life and linger like a zombie for another whole year?

Well, we here at Crossfade think that the Dubpocalypse is almost upon us. See the cut for five signs the end is near.



5. Nobody Even Knows What Dubstep Is Anymore
Talk to any "real dubstep fan" and they'll probably tell you that 2011 dubstep is not like true dubstep. They'll name-drop a few producers, mention something about the old days, and bemoan the evolution of Skrillex and brostep.

This friction between the "real dubstep fan" and angst-ridden teenagers over what actually constitutes dubstep sparked the genre's mid-life crisis. Plus, the average person's idea of dubstep retains neither the "dub" nor the "step" attributes for which the genre was named. The dub-style sub-bass was replaced by distorted mids and lots of wobble, while the two-step was basically abandoned in favor of someone screaming in your face for 40 minutes.

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4. Nearly Every Possible Dubstep Track Has Already Been Made
At some point in 2012, it will become impossible for producers to create a new, original dubstep track. It won't be for lack of creativity or trying. But there are only so many ways to arrange female vocals, a wobbly bass, and a huge drop. And we as a society are fast approaching these limits.

Thanks to the proliferation of music software in recent years and the deluge of newly minted musicians that followed, it became a race to see who could churn out the gnarliest wubs on their copy of Native Instruments' Massive synthesizer without straying too far from a particular structure. Rather than evolve organically, dubstep became homogenized, which meant many more musicians would have to cover the same ground.

Because of this, every possible variation on dubstep will soon be exhausted, every last temporal avenue explored, every possible combination of filter and LFO discovered. Very soon, there just won't be any more dubstep left to make.



3. Post-Dubstep Is the New Real Dubstep
Despite the mid-life crisis, artists like SBTRKT, Egyptrixx, and The Weeknd have been moving dubstep back towards its roots in the UK garage scene. Following their lead, many "real dubstep fans" finally accepted that the name dubstep had been co-opted. Together, they decided to move forward with post-dubstep.

It's too early to determine whether this is just a desperate attempt to save the genre's legacy. Or whether the post-dubstep movement will flourish with this newfound independence from brostep.



2. It's Been Tainted by the Mainstream
It was only a matter of time before mainstream music hijacked dubstep. But it would take more than a forgettable tracks by Britney Spears and Rihanna to subvert the genre. In 2011, word of a collaboration between Skrillex, Kill The Noise, and Korn hit the interwebs.

On the surface, collaborations between hot new artists and MTV relics may seem like harmless profiteering. And yeah, between getting bored, being broke, and running out of ideas, dubstep producers have every reason to sell out. But cashing in has its own consequences ... Would you listen to a Downlink/Nickelback track? What about Datsik/Creed?

Oh, and don't forget that Downlink and Datsik joined Korn on tour, further strengthening the newly christened union between dubstep and radio rock. Now the only place dubstep has left to go is the commercial rock 'n' roll airwaves, where music goes to die.



1. Dubstep Christmas Music Exists Don't look now ... But YouTube is chock full of shitty dubstep remixes of shitty Christmas songs. Scientifically speaking, when Christmas music invades another genre of music, the rate at which people start to hate that genre over time skyrockets!

To make matters worse, people are actually listening to these yuletide brostep abominations, presumably to piss off their parents, without regard for the sanctity of dubstep itself. And unfortunately, it's much too late to act. The first dubstep Christmas music appeared online in December 2010. By December 2011, the number of searches for "Christmas Dubstep" was up a staggering 1500 percent.

The statistics speak for themselves, and the diagnosis couldn't be clearer ... Acute Christmas music poisoning. All we can do now is try to make dubstep's last days comfortable.

EDM’s Breakthrough Artists of 2011

2011 was a huge year for dance music. The dance music community saw a massive boom in interest, and the number of EDM fans–in America in particular–has spiked dramatically. This, of course, is great news for the community, and even better news for the artists. Many artists have emerged as some of the best in the game this year. Some of them were virtually unknown before 2011. Some of them were artists who were already established within the EDM community, but after a massive year in 2011, have achieved stadium status and mainstream popularity. Here is my list of the artists for whom 2011 served as a pivotal year in their journey to the top. 

Deniz Koyu 

When I first heard Deniz Koyu’s “Tung!” and “Hydra” this summer, there was no doubt in my mind that this man was going places. Sure enough, I was not alone in my sentiments, and 2011 saw some of the biggest names in the industry incorporating Koyu’s music into their sets. Later in the year, Koyu released his hits “Hydra” and his remix of James Blunt’s “Dangerous” with Johan Wedel, both of which were some of the most successful tracks of the fall 2011 season. Be on the lookout for big things in 2012 from Deniz Koyu. 

Quintino & Sandro Silva

Both of these artists are, well, ‘epic’ in their own right, but when the two producers came together to create a track, they produced one of the biggest hits of the year. “Epic” is an absolute banger, winning the hearts of fans worldwide. It even got to #1 on the iTunes overall charts in Holland. Music festival Tomorrowland put out an after-movie of the festival that went viral, featuring many songs, including “Epic”. The song has certainly generated a lot of attention this year, and its success is a testament to the great artists who produced it. 

Nervo 

Nervo is Olivia and Miriam Nervo, twin models, DJs, and producers. The duo has achieved worldwide fame and success, with 2011 being a huge year for their musical careers. Along with venerated EDM artists Afrojack, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, they produced the official Tomorrowland anthem, “The Way We See The World,” and toured around the United States for Identity Festival this year.

Nicky Romero

Nicky Romero is starting to become a household name after a massive year in 2011. With hits like “Camorra”, “Bootcamp”, “Beta” with Hardwell, and most recently “Toulouse”, Romero is becoming one of the most popular acts in the EDM scene. His remix of Green Velvet’s “Flash” was heard in almost every prominent DJ’s sets at EDC this summer, and David Guetta cited him as the top breakout performer of 2011 when he was named #1 DJ in the world by DJ Mag’s annual poll.

Porter Robinson

Everyone’s favorite high school aged producer, Porter Robinson, had a huge year. He quickly skyrocketed to fame, and by early 2011, he was known as one of the biggest DJs in the world. He released a massive EP entitled “Spitfire”, and even accompanied music legend Tiesto on his College Invasion Tour, drawing in huge crowds. I expect that more huge things are on the horizon for this talented young producer.

Avicii 

The Swedish sensation became one of the most beloved acts in dance music. At least one of his big room progressive house hits are heard in practically every major DJ set, and he is an absolute fan favorite. His song “Levels” is arguably the single biggest dance music song of 2011, and has been remixed by numerous artists; it was even sampled by Flo Rida for his song “Good Feeling.” Avicii is unstoppable.

Skrillex 

Skillex is largely responsible for the popularization of dance music, and has helped to bridge the gap between dance music and the mainstream. Seemingly overnight, he went from relatively unknown to one of the world’s most popular artists in 2011. From my 12 year old sister, to seasoned veteran dance music fans, it seems as though everyone is a Skrillex fan. Skrillex recently received an unprecedented five Grammy nominations, a huge feat for a dance music artist. Skrillex is undoubtedly a pioneer, and has made valuable contributions to the world of music.