What is dubstep?

I ask myself that question everytime I hear someone raving about this *new* music trend. What in the world is dubstep and why is everyone talking about it?

So I did some research.

Dubstep is a type of electronic music that started in the UK in the latter part of the 1990s and the early 2000s.

Dubstep is characterized by its heavy emphasis on bass frequencies, minimalist rhythms and dark notes. Listening to dubstep as its meant to be heard, surrounded by towering subs that vibrate through the club, can give the impression of being underwater thanks to the permanently suppressed bass.

Read more at Suite101: A History of Dubstep Dance Music: The Characteristics and Origins of the Newest Electronic Music Genre http://www.suite101.com/content/a-history-of-dubstep-a47241#ixzz1692DZdgf

Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals" according to wikipedia..Although it takes its roots from drum and bass , UK garage and Jamaican dub music it is it's own form of electronic music.

Here is a mainstream example of dubstep with female vocals.

Katy on a Mission-Katy B

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNhPYj-5rIY

Other dubstep influenced artists out there are the duo La Roux, Skream and Magnetic Man. Anyone who likes techno should probably check some of these artists out.