Dub-Step: The death of the Underground.

Skream, Benga, Nero, DJ Fresh, Magnetic Man, Kaspa and Britney Spears. What do these serial music makers have in common? No its not a DJ train run on ol' Britney its Dubstep.

To those who don't know, "Dubstep" is a genre of dance music which combines elements of Drum and Base, Grime, Electro and Jamaican Dub yet comes out sounding wholly different and entirely original. It started in the clubs and record shops of south london during the early 00's. Specifically Big Apple records, from which 3 major movers on the scene originated, Messrs Skream, Plastician & Hatcha. It was the undergrounds worst kept secret for years, filling seedy clubs and supporting D&B nights across the country but never quite crossing over to the mainstream. Its slow beats and heavy "wobble" base seemingly too different to be incorporated into the candy sweet popcharts. However something broke, something scooped up the Dubstep children and placed them firmly in the hands of the arms of the Radio 1 elite.  Elements and whole tracks of it can now be found in your favorite David Guetta re-hash and yes even Ms Spears has pilfered from the underground jewels.

DJ Fresh : Louder was number 1 for 2 weeks and now the DJ duo Nero are topping the charts with the Emo/base heavy track "Promises". But why? Why did such a different and precious form of underground experimentalism end up here? Well there isn't one distinct reason but perhaps its very individuality cursed it into the limelight, oh and Twitter.

Here is how: Cool kids like to talk about how and why they're so cool, even though you probably haven't heard who or what they're listening too, the kid with the insanely tight trousers will tell you anyway. Now with Twitter they can tell the world. So, that little band you listened to with Amanda in some Croydon dive, is now that little band that Amanda listened to, loved and then posted as her new favourite, bestest most coolest band of the week on Facebook and which now has 30 likes LOLZ!.

Suddenly there is no underground, anything that is below the street is packaged plastered and listed as "New, Fresh and Exciting." NME and other magazines feature huge spreads listing the next "new" thing. What chance is there for the development of music when its plucked before it even knows what it is, itself? What hope is there when Christina Aguilera is warbling over a Plastician produced track?

Yes, there are many brilliant reasons to support and embrace the new social networks and their spreading of music to un-touched ears. Introducing kids to sounds not heard on Heart FM is brilliant, but we must also make a point of grieving for the death of the underground. Dubstep has shown us the last nails are being slammed into the coffin as we speak.

Chovey