| Techstep | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Drum and Bass Techno Hardstep Darkcore |
| Cultural origins | mid-1990s, Great Britain |
| Typical instruments | Synthesizer - Drum machine - Sequencer - Keyboard - Sampler - Laptop |
| Mainstream popularity | Small |
| Derivative forms | Neurofunk Techno-DNB |
(complete list) |
|
| Other topics | |
| List of jungle and drum n bass artists Category:Drum and bass record labels | |
Techstep is a subgenre of drum and bass that was popular in the late 1990s.[1]
Contents |
Style
It is characterized by a dark,[2] sci-fi mood, near-exclusive use of synthesised or sampled sound sources, influences from industrial and techno music, and what some writers have described as a "clinical" sound.[3] Although described as having a "techy" feel, techstep's relationship with techno should not be overstated. It shares the technique of creating a high-energy collage from abstract, synthetic noises, including samples, bleeps and squelches: it rarely uses instruments that have not been processed by effects. Similarly, quantized drum-machine kit and percussion sounds are favored over naturalistic human breakbeats. However, it usually adheres to drum and bass norms in other regards, especially in terms of musical structure, with the emphasis on the "drop". Techstep saw jungle music's obsession with bass change from aiming for low and deep to exploring timbre, artists aiming to outdo each other with ever more distorted and "twisted" bass sounds.
History
Techstep developed from jungle music and hardstep around 1995.[4] The name of the genre was coined by Ed Rush and Trace, who were both instrumental in shaping the sound of techstep.[5] In this case, "tech" did not indicate a relation to the smoother style of Detroit techno, but to the rawer, more caustic hardcore sounds that were popular in Belgium in the earlier part of the decade. Techstep was a reaction to more virtuosic and more pop musical elements in jungle and drum 'n' bass, which were seen as an adulteration of "true" or "original" jungle.[6] Instead the genre was infused with a simpler, colder, "whiter" European sound that stripped away most R&B elements, and replaced them with a more hardcore sound,[7] and ideological influences like youth anti-capitalism movements, and dystopian films like Blade Runner and Robocop.[8]
One of the first incarnations of the techstep sound is Dj Trace's remix of T-Power's "Mutant Jazz" which appeared on S.O.U.R. Recordings in 1995. This remix, co-produced by Ed Rush and Nico, features the trademark stepping beats and distorted Reese bassline which would become symbolic of the techstep genre. The Torque compilation (No U Turn), Breakage LP (Penny Black 1997), and Platinum Breakz 1, 2, and MDZ 01 ( Metalheadz) feature some selections of techstep tracks.
Some of the original techstep producers eventually matured into the neurofunk style. Early pioneers include Trace, Ed Rush & Optical, Nico, Fierce, Panacea,[9] Teebee, Dom and Roland, Doc Scott and Technical Itch. Moving Shadow, Metalheadz, No U-Turn Records, Emotif, Position Chrome and Renegade Hardware were important labels in the development of the style.
Skullstep
Skullstep is a genre that emerged from techstep. While originally it was a derisive moniker for techstep itself (much like clownstep), it is currently used to designate a certain style within the genre: Skullstep follows the instrumentation of techstep, it is characterized by a much more repetitive, aggressive song structure with similarities to Breakcore - the original drumloop, instead of remaining versatile through the entire measure, gets looped at a dotted quarter beat length. This allows the drumloop to remain syncopated, but achieve a sound resemblant to hardcore techno. Artists prominent in this genre include Current Value, Donny, Limewax , Gein and Axis & Trank.
See also
References
- ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha (1997-11-11). "But Then Again, Who Says It Should?". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/music/9745,212159,332,22.html. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ Fritz, Jimi; Tristan O'Neill, Virginia Smallfry, Trent Warlow (1999). Rave Culture: An Insider's Overview. Small Fry Publishers. ISBN 0-96857-210-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=CiW3aOptLW4C.
- ^ Shapiro, Peter (1999). Drum 'n' Bass: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-433-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=IxEpAyPvyXoC.
- ^ Venderosa, Tony (2002). The Techno Primer: The Essential Reference for Loop-based Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0-634-01788-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=VT7_x7m-RWcC.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (2005), "War in the Jungle", in Bennett, Andy; Shank, Barry, The Popular Music Studies Reader, Routledge, 0-415-30710-4, http://books.google.com/books?id=QQZNciX0OgEC
- ^ Monroe, Alexei (1999), "Thinking about mutation: genres in 1990s electronica", in Blake, Andrew, Living Through Pop, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-16199-1
- ^ Mitchell, Tony (2001). Global Noise: Rap and Hip-hop Outside the USA. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6502-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=itcAedBA5CIC.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (1999). Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92373-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=tGaRJiXe74UC.
- ^ Sean Cooper, Allmusic Guide bio, [1] Access date: August 9, 2008.
|
||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
