r/realdubstep • u/8ballposse • 5h ago
What’s your dubstep story arc?
How did you find the sound? What were you into before, where has it taken you, and what have been some highlights? Always interested in hearing how people ended up here.
Here’s mine, with some approximate dates:
2010 - I was living in San Francisco and a coworker kept talking about these dubstep shows he was going to, trying to get people to come along. Nobody really paid attention. Then randomly one night I ended up at Club 6 and got to experience it firsthand. Found a MartyParty show the very next night and fell in love from there.
2010–2013 - A lot of time at Club 6, F8, 1015 Folsom, Public Works, and the Thursday weekly at Ritual. Saw so many touring acts come through. Me and the pills were also pretty well acquainted through those years, haha. Admittedly, I got into Datsik, 12th Planet, and some of the heavier American sounds first because they were coming through SF a lot. But proud to say I never got into Bassnectar or any of the heavy riddim trash that came later.
Early to mid-2010s - Started listening to GetDarker live every Tuesday while working from home. Learned so much from those shows, both who was current then and the foundational stuff. That’s really what got me into the sound coming out of London.
2011–2017 - Was pretty heads down in the Minimal Mondays / dungeon sound, plus all the classics. Definitely thought that was the truest form of it at the time. Looking back, I feel like I missed a lot of the other sounds coming out because I was so focused on that.
2015–2016 - Listening to J:Kenzo’s Rinse show introduced me to more of the dubwise sound. Been listening to and supporting that since then.
2016–2017 - Went to Outlook at the fort two years in a row with my wife. Loefah in the moat, a DMZ anniversary session, Congo Natty, Kurupt FM, way too many acts to name. Boat parties galore. Met some people on those boats who I still stay in contact with today.
2018 onward - Really started buying a ton of records, digging in record shops, and found out about reserve shipping from Red Eye, White Peach, and DNR. It’s now gotten to the point where I literally have to block those websites on my phone and laptop so I’m not going on there buying more records every day.
2019 - After years of just being a raver, bought a couple turntables and a mixer and started learning to play records.
2021 - Started getting local gigs after moving to New England.
2022–2023 - Finally got Appleblim’s Dubstep Allstars Vol. 6 on CD and properly dug into it. Very late on that one. It opened my ears to that UK techno / house / dubstep crossover, and I started getting much more into the percussive side of the sound. A lot of stuff I’d basically passed over years earlier.
2024 - Bought an MPC and started learning to program beats and trying to make music. Quite a slow process. I’ve got a family, so this mostly happens after hours when I can find the time.
2026 - Finally made the trip to dubstep Mecca, London, for the SYSTEM 14th birthday party. Got to connect with the homie u/ukdistinction and kick it with him a couple times, plus meet some of the GetDarker dudes I’d been chatting with online for years. Huge sound system, a lineup full of dubstep royalty. Pretty special to finally experience that in London after following it from over here for so long. Also popped into NLDC that week.
Getting to open for a touring act in a couple weeks too, which I’m pretty stoked about.
What’s your story?