Brostep

	Brostep
Alternate name(s)	Filthstep
Stylistic origins	Dubstep • Classic Tearout • Electro House
Cultural origins	UK (2007 onwards), US (2009 onwards)
Level of recognition	Major Genre
Derivatives
	Hybrid Trap • Moombahcore • Wonky
Subgenres
	200step • Animestep • Deathstep • DeathTear • Melodic Brostep • Neurostep • Tearout • Wobblestep • Wubstep
Fusion genres
	Brobient • Briddim • Colour Bass • Complextro • Drumstep • Dubcore • Dubstyle • Metalstep • Reggaestep • Trapstep

Brostep is a subgenre of Dubstep. It is characterised by an emphasis on not only sub bass frequencies (a defining characteristic of all Dubstep), but on mid-range frequencies and the resulting sounds as well.*

History[]

Brostep evolved from the UK tearout subgenre and was first pioneered by UK artists, most notably Rusko. However, it was popularized in the mainstream by American producer Skrillex and picked up traction in Canada via releases from producers Datsik & Excision, resulting in a further global spread of attention for the genre as a whole. From usage in memes, advertisements, soundtracks, and commercial radio, Brostep became widespread enough that mainstream artists outside of the scene (e.g., Korn) began to collaborate with artists on new releases. By 2016, dubstep had begun to decline in popularity overall, resulting in Brostep - easily the most popular and known form of Dubstep - had started to fall as well, and by 2018 the entire genre had gone back underground as artists like Skrillex moved to produce for commercial artists or focused on releasing other genres. A particularly damaging occurrence was the 2018 sexual misconduct allegations made against Canadian producer Datsik, leading to his withdrawal from the scene. The entire Dubstep scene began shifting towards other subgenres as a result of numerous shake-ups, with harder subgenres Riddim and Tearout gaining prevalence.

In recent years (2022- onwards), Brostep is still produced and is even gaining traction within the scene once more, but is still sidelined as "140" (a subgenre and term for UK-style Dubstep) is the current popular sound, with pioneer Skrillex having released an album, Quest for Fire, that unexpectedly features multiple 140 tracks.

Structure[]

Brostep typically features a BPM range of 140-150, with a small proportion of tracks going slightly above. Prior to 2015, most tracks were written at 140 BPM as the standard convention for all Dubstep; however, producers later began pushing the tempo to 145 or 150 BPM as a way of further increasing the energy and intensity of the song.

Arrangement follows standard procedure for Dubstep and EDM songs, with a track typically consisting of an Intro, a hook, a buildup leading into a pre-drop fill or vocal, and then the "drop". From there, there will typically be a breakdown followed by a repeat of the structure from the hook onwards, and then an outro. A drop is the point where the energy and loudness of the song reach their highest point; this is where the song will become aggressive and incorporate complex or "heavy/filthy" sound design.

Brostep differentiates itself from the structure of other forms of Dubstep in its rhythmic elements. Where a Riddim or UK Tearout track will typically feature a simpler and more repetitive pattern in its leads and basses, a Brostep track will often (but not always) use different sounds or fills to change the rhythm once or multiple times within the span of 1-4 bars, relying on the drum pattern and the prominent kick and snare to create the rhythm that listeners will follow or dance to. For example, in the first 2 bars of the drop section of "Better Off Alone (Barely Alive Remix)", the main bass/sound and rhythm changes every 2 beats from a 1/2 note growl bass, to a 1/4 note downsampled bass, to a swinging 1/8 note downsampled bass, to an almost arrhythmic bass and vocal fill. This creates the effect of making it sound much busier than other forms of music, as not only does the rhythm itself change, but the sounds themselves do too, leading to songs being crammed full of "moments" (memorable parts of the song where a noteworthy musical element grabs the listener's attention). However, it is important to note that a sizeable portion of Brostep songs do not follow this convention and simply opt to use a few sounds that follow a more conventional rhythmic approach, with the addition of fills where appropriate.

Drop sections will sometimes dedicate the last half or third to stripping away the heavier elements, sometimes applying melodic elements in their place. For example, a song might have a drop section that goes for 32 bars; the first half would have 16 bars of a growl/wobble bass pattern, while the second half would have 16 bars of a melody over the same beat and sub bass pattern.

Sound Design[]

Unlike the original forms of UK Dubstep that came before it, Brostep uses a wide and technically limitless variety of different sounds to achieve a loud and hyper-energetic feel. A typical Brostep song will have its drop section be the loudest part of the song, and will have either one or a small few key lead sounds driving the track, or it will switch between a large number of creative sounds.

Bass Sounds[]

Some notable examples of bass sounds used:

Growl - a bass sound that imitates an aggressive growl as if coming directly from a monster, angry human, or large animal
Reese - a common form of oscillating bass sound used in many forms of electronic music, usually distorted heavily as well
Stab - a short, impactful bass noise, more often than not used for rhythmic emphasis or variation
Wobble - a universal sound common in all Dubstep, has an overt oscillating sound, often heavily distorted and modulated via LFOs in a synth
Sustain - a bass sound that is usually resonant in the higher range of bass and is one long note, sometimes modulated in pitch over time
Noise - typically a sound that is similar to white noise but has a layer of low frequency sub bass, feels crunchy and full
Womp - similar to a wobble but with a more stomping feel to it, often used to emphasize the weight of the sub bass and drums
Sub - the very low frequency bass, another universal sound essential to all Dubstep, often louder than everything but the kick and snare drums
Yugh - a heavily downsampled bass noise that has the effect of sounding low-resolution while also sounding like a cartoonish vocal exclamation

List of Subgenres of Brostep[]

Briddim[]

Briddim: Essentially a form of Brostep that derives inspiration from Riddim, this subgenre is distinct enough in its conventions. It utilises a simple stomping kick + kick/clap pattern and a simpler, rarely fluctuating rhythm for its bass, forgoing melodic elements to focus on powerful Brostep sound design, most often utilising sustain basses or quarter-note basses.

Colour Bass[]

Colour Bass: With the term being coined by producer Chime, this subgenre is the evolution of Melodic Brostep. Closer to the classic form of Brostep than other subgenres, it utilises melodic elements with a renewed prevalence of Brostep bass usage and arrangement in the drop sections. Emphasis is placed on tonality and harmonically rich elements such as liquid-esque FX and resonant peaks.

Complextro[]

Complextro: A fusion of Electro House and Brostep that emerged in the 2010s. It blends the 4/4 rhythm, layered sound design, complex basslines and growls, aggressive synth stabs with a House tempo (120-130 BPM).

Deathstep[]

Deathstep: A hyper-aggressive form of Dubstep that is a mix of Symphonic and Death Metal, and Brostep sound design taken further to the realm of "heaviness". This genre is known for its signature machine gun bass sound design. The most recognisable producer of this subgenre is Code:Pandorum.

Drumstep[]

Drumstep: A fusion genre ranging in scope from being essentially Drum & Bass with a half-time beat to a fleshed-out genre in its own right. This subgenre often utilizes Brostep sound design and arrangement to go with its half-time drum pattern and often UK-inspired vocal usage and vibe.

Dubstyle[]

Dubstyle: A fusion genre between Hardstyle and Dubstep, this subgenre is rarely produced but always has contrasting drop sections (one or more being Dubstep and one or more being Hardstyle). It notably uses the long, melodic builds of Hardstyle as a contrast to the headbanger Dubstep sections.

Melodic Brostep[]

Melodic Brostep: As the name suggests, this is a form of Brostep that focuses on melodic elements and musicality. Influenced by Melodic Dubstep, Melodic Brostep is essentially Melodic Dubstep with more intense growls and bass.

Neurostep[]

Neurostep: a fusion genre of Brostep, Neurofunk, and Neuro Hop that emerged in the early 2010s, which is distinguished by its use of complex basslines, close to neuro basslines, called "neuro bass". Neurostep has a tempo range between 130 and 160 BPM and has dystopian themes.

Trapstep[]

Trapstep: One of the first fusions of Trap EDM that emerged in June 2012, that combines the percussions, rhythms, and 808s sub bass from Trap, with the powerful bass and energetic drops from Brostep. More recently, the genre incorporates elements from Tearout, Drumstep, or Deathstep with Trap. Often confused with Hybrid Trap, Trapstep is closer to the traditional Brostep's formula.

List of Genres Influenced by Brostep[]

Hybrid Trap[]

Hybrid Trap: A blend of Trap percussions, rhythms, and 808s sub bass with the sound design such as gritty sounds and LFO synths, originally derived from Brostep. More recently, it combines Trap with other heavy bass music genres such as Halftime, Riddim, Future Bass, or Hardstyle. Often confused with Trapstep, Hybrid Trap explores the limits of Trap music with an extremly complex sound design.

Moombahcore[]

Moombahcore: A fusion of Moombahton, Brostep and Complextro pioneered by Skrillex in 2010, and popularised by this later thanks to his song "Bangarang", it blends the 4/4 rhythm, but removes the dembow rhythm found in Reggeaton or Moombahton, with bass and growls from Brostep, and aggressive synths from Complextro.

Wonky[]

Wonky: Wonky Dubstep is different from Brostep in that it utilises a smaller variety of bass sounds, usually different types of wobble basses, and has the effect of feeling unstable, "wonky" or offbeat slightly due to unquantized arrangements. Heavily associated with the festival scene, it is popular among festival-goers and is pushed by artists such as Subtronics, Mersiv, Ganja White Night, and Boogie T.

Microgenres[]

Gorestep[]

A variant style of brostep characterized by its dark, aggressive, and often shocking elements. The genre was created and largely exclusively made by Borgore; as such, it is not considered a real subgenre of brostep. It uses heavy basslines, percussive rhythms, and dark vocal samples to create a shocking and disturbing atmosphere.

Vomitstep[]

A variant style of brostep created by Snails. The style is almost exclusively made by him and, as such, is not considered a real subgenre of brostep. The key feature is the distinct "bass gurgles" used, a variation of the typical Dubstep growls used in many Brostep tracks. These evoke the feeling and imagery of not only gurgling, but croaking, slime, mucus and viscous fluid, perhaps even regurgitated fluid,s as the name suggests; specific imagery of frogs, snails, and slugs is used in the promotional imagery and brand identity of Snails himself, in line with this sound.

Notable Examples[]

Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (2010, definitive example of Brostep)
Rusko - Woo Boost (2010, definitive example of UK origins of Brostep)
Roksonix - Get Live (2012, typical example of Brostep at the height of its popularity)
Zomboy - Terror Squad (2013, definitive example of Brostep that notably inspired many derivatives)
Different Heaven - Pentakill (FT. ReesaLunn) (2014)
Paul Flint - Savage (2016, typical example of Brostep as it began to decline in popularity, trapstep-oriented)
Disciple Artists - Get Lemon (2018, example of Brostep after mainstream popularity decline, mega-collaboration between Dubstep producers)
Delta Heavy - Exodus (2019, example of modern Brostep and other Bass Music producers creating Brostep)
Oliverse - Play With Fire (2021, example of classic Brostep sound design in a modern context)
Ray Volpe - Battle Of The Bros (2020, showcasing both the contrast and similarity between Brostep and Briddim)
Barely Alive - Hopped Out (2022, example of modern Brostep)
Ganja White Night, Wooli & Amidy - Rise Up (2024, recent example of Brostep)
Eptic - CYBERHELL (2024, recent example of Brostep)
KAYZO & RIOT - Wake Up