I was recently turned on to the genre of music called “dubstep” by a friend of mine, and was skeptical at first. Is this just another branch of techno or electronica? It has “dub” in the name, so are its roots in the reggae genre? Dubstep hit the scene in the early 2000’s, coming out of the UK garage scene. The main characteristic of a dubstep is the underlying drum patterns with syncopated rhythms.
Of course this varies between different artists and DJs, and everything in the electronic music realm is up for interpretation, but regardless the genre is gaining popularity worldwide, and Baltimore is part of the party.
A major player in the Baltimore dubstep scene is local company Steez Promo. Their most recent show was a huge event called “And Here It Is – The Return of the Fall Massive“, and it was held at Bourbon Street in Baltimore. This was my first experience at one of these type of shows, and it was insane. There were thousands in attendance, varying greatly in their styles; but all having a blast dancing to the electronic barrage of sound.
The event was exceptionally long, opening its doors at 4 p.m. and not ending till after 2 a.m. There were different acts on all three stages consistently throughout the night. Part of the event was the Dub Nation One Year Anniversary, which featured two dubstep artists from the UK, where the genre got its start; 16-bit and Emalkay. Also in attendance from overseas was Noisia, who headlined the Dub Nation stage.
Smash Gordon and Marm0set both from the Baltimore area rocked the stage and got the crowd pumped for their European counterparts. The crowd was enthusiastic throughout the entire show, and Bourbon Street had plenty of room for all the concert goers. The complex is huge with multiple floors, couches lining the walls, flashing lights everywhere, smoke, and the feeling of bass pumping from all directions. A pretty interesting atmosphere for a newcomer, but the energy can’t be denied. It would be near impossible for somebody to come into one of these shows and not at least tap their toe.














