Martin, Lauren - Aftershock: The Seismic Impact of Dubstep

An oral history tracing dubstep’s rise from London underground to global phenomenon.

At the cusp of a new millennium, British electronic music was rapidly changing. Jungle and garage had broken into the mainstream but were beginning to run out of creative gas—what fresh movement would next captivate the underground?

On the outer edges of London, a small group of bass devotees had the answer. Through a new strain of sub-loaded beats that stripped jungle, rave, techno and garage for parts, this scene returned to dub roots, prizing the fundamentals of soundsystem culture: bass, space and togetherness. They called it dubstep. 

In Aftershock, seasoned music writer Lauren Martin charts the origins of one of the 21st century’s most innovative music genres in oral history form. Through the testimonies of its architects, alongside an immersive array of photography, flyers and previously unseen scene history, Aftershock chronicles the rise of artists such
as Skream, Mala, Coki, Loefah, Horsepower Productions and Rusko, as well as labels and parties including Hyperdub, Tempa, DMZ, FWD>> and Skull Disco. Together, this movement shook the British underground, exploded online and,
within a decade, reshaped global music on an unprecedented scale. Told through first-hand accounts, Aftershock is a testament to how the imagination and persistence of a few can transform culture.