Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About Us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist
  • Guitar Techniques
  • Total Guitar
  • Bass Player
More
  • Take our survey to win a £300/$350 Ticketmaster gift card
  • Type beats
  • 86000+ free music samples
  • How to make an AI cover song
  • Three-chord trick

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News

18 dubstep tracks you must hear

By Computer Music Specials
published 13 July 2010

Skream - Midnight Request Line
(Tempa)

Skream - Midnight Request Line

Over the last couple of years, dubstep has had a massive surge in popularity, with at least one dedicated night taking place in the vast majority of the UK’s urban centres every month. In some cities, such as London, Bristol and Birmingham, it’s hard to avoid dark and heavy basslines if you’re out at the weekend.

This is most definitely dubstep’s time, then, but for those who are still unfamiliar with the genre’s sound (if not its name), we’ve put together this essential playlist of must-listen tracks. Once you’re heard this lot, you’ll have a much better idea of what dubstep is all about, and you might just be inspired to fire up your DAW and contribute to the genre yourself.

Let’s start with Skream’s Midnight Request Line: widely recognised as the first major crossover dubstep hit, this track helped launch the scarily young and prolific producer who’s also known as Olly Jones.

Midnight Request Line on YouTube

Page 1 of 18
Page 1 of 18
Benga & Coki - Night
(Tempa)

Benga & Coki - Night

One of dubstep’s most defining cuts, this crossover track from Benga and Digital Mystikz’ Coki has been played out by DJs across many genres.

Night on YouTube

Page 2 of 18
Page 2 of 18
Rusko - Cockney Thug
(Dub Police)

Rusko - Cockney Thug

Huge track from the Leeds-born producer and DJ, featuring heavily shuffled beats, a colossal wobble bassline and amusing samples from Guy Ritchie films. What’s not to like?

Cockney Thug on YouTube

Page 3 of 18
Page 3 of 18
Caspa feat Beezy - Disco Jaws
(Fabric)

Caspa feat Beezy - Disco Jaws

Dub Police head honcho Caspa employs the hilarious rapping of Beezy on this somewhat tongue-in-cheek tune.

Disco Jaws on YouTube

Page 4 of 18
Page 4 of 18
La Roux - In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Mix)
(White Label)

La Roux - In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Mix)

With a number of daytime plays from Radio 1, this has to be considered the best-known dubstep track ever.

In For The Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Mix) on YouTube

Page 5 of 18
Page 5 of 18
La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (Nero Remix)
(White Label)

La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (Nero Remix)

La Roux’s Elly Jackson is almost the standard choice for vocal dubstep remixes, and this one is top notch.

I’m Not Your Toy (Nero Remix) on YouTube

Page 6 of 18
Page 6 of 18
Chase & Status - Eastern Jam
(Ram Records)

Chase & Status - Eastern Jam

Never mind Snoop Dogg’s Millionaire remix of this classic tune - check out the Indian-style vocals, chubby beats and massive bass drops of the original.

Eastern Jam on YouTube

Page 7 of 18
Page 7 of 18
Skream - Metal Mouth
(White Label)

Skream - Metal Mouth

Listen to this Skream track over a massive PA and you’ll be begging for mercy - it’s an absolutely savage monster of a tune that’ll bring out your bass face every time.

Metal Mouth on YouTube

Page 8 of 18
Page 8 of 18
Mistabishi - Printer Jam (Barbarix Remix)
(Hospital Records)

Mistabishi - Printer Jam (Barbarix Remix)

There are plenty of memorable dubstep remixes out there, but this one is particularly noteworthy, with the huge bassline effortlessly switching into Mistabishi’s crazy cut-up printer samples.

Printer Jam (Barbarix Remix) on YouTube

Page 9 of 18
Page 9 of 18
Bar9 - Midnight
(Audio Freaks)

Bar9 - Midnight

One of the hardest-hitting dubstep crews operating today, Bar9’s dark, jump-up style is constantly being dropped by dubstep DJs across the country.

Midnight on YouTube

Page 10 of 18
Page 10 of 18
16Bit - Chainsaw Calligraphy
(Boka Records)

16Bit - Chainsaw Calligraphy

About as mental as a dubstep track can possibly be – this 16Bit number takes the genre’s reputation for chainsaw-like basslines to its logical conclusion.

Chainsaw Calligraphy on YouTube

Page 11 of 18
Page 11 of 18
Benga - 26 Basslines
(Tempa)

Benga - 26 Basslines

This stormer from Croydon-based producer Benga contains some great modulations - it’s a great example of how much impact a good b-line (or 26 of ’em) can have.

26 Basslines on YouTube

Page 12 of 18
Page 12 of 18
Pangaea - Memories
(White Label)

Pangaea - Memories

There have been a few artists trying out lighter but more intricate dubstep tunes recently, and Pangaea is certainly a rising producer worth watching.

Memories on YouTube

Page 13 of 18
Page 13 of 18
Burial - Untrue
(Hyperdub)

Burial - Untrue

Taken from his 2007 Mercury Prize-nominated album of the same name, Burial’s take on dubstep is full of shuffled beats, deep sub-bass and emotionally charged samples.

Untrue on YouTube

Page 14 of 18
Page 14 of 18
Pinch - Cave Dream
(Planet Mu)

Pinch - Cave Dream

Planet Mu has been releasing some fine dubstep tracks over the last five years or so, and this one from Pinch demonstrates the label’s very high standards.

Cave Dream on YouTube

Page 15 of 18
Page 15 of 18
Jakes - 3kout
(H.E.N.C.H.)

Jakes - 3kout

Representing Bristol’s vibrant yet dark dubstep scene, this wobblefest of a track comes from one of the H.E.N.C.H. crew’s finest producers.

3kout on YouTube

Page 16 of 18
Page 16 of 18
Darkstar - Need You
(Hyperdub)

Darkstar - Need You

This rather cheeky tune features a very addictive bassline proudly emerging over shuffled beats. A good example of the fine work currently being put out by the Hyperdub label.

Need You on YouTube

Page 17 of 18
Page 17 of 18
Zomby - Gloop
(Hyperdub)

Zomby - Gloop

Another Hyperdub artist, Zomby harks back to the videogame soundtracks of the ‘80s with his use of arpeggiated synth sounds in this subtly layered dubstep tune.

Gloop on YouTube

For a step-by-step guide to producing dubstep, check out the latest Computer Music Special, Make Dance Music (CMS42), which is on sale now.

Liked this? Now read: A-Z of dubstep

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Get MusicRadar straight to your inbox: Sign up for the free weekly newsletter

Page 18 of 18
Page 18 of 18
Computer Music Specials
Social Links Navigation
More about tech
Songtradr and Bandcamp

Bandcamp is under new ownership once again, as Epic Games offloads it to music licensing company Songtradr

Waves sale graphic

There’s no need to wait for Black Friday with these software savings - Waves just dropped a load of titles to $29.99

Latest
Gibson Certified Vintage

Gibson expands Certified Vintage programme, adding lifetime warranty – and is the Victory set to return?

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Best Christmas gifts for piano players 2023: the ultimate festive gift guide for pianists

By Daryl Robertson28 September 2023

Moog Music breaks its silence on rumours of layoffs at its US headquarters: “We are looking forward to getting past this painful phase with renewed energy and enthusiasm”

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

Bored at work? This Max for Live device will turn your spreadsheets into music

By Matt Mullen28 September 2023

IK Multimedia puts a piano on Mars (sort of), as it announces that its new Pianoverse plugin was created with the help of a “sampling robot” that has an almost human finger

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

AIAIAI launches 'first ever' wireless pro studio monitors (the 'first' being ultra-low latency)

By Andy Jones28 September 2023

Neural is going to bring its first Quad Cortex-compatible plugin out soon with Archetype: Plini X

By Rob Laing28 September 2023

We tested 5 of the best stem separation software tools (and the best one was free)

By Matt Mullen28 September 2023

Gaia 2: Roland revives its 2010 synth with a new hybrid wavetable and virtual analogue sound engine

By Ben Rogerson28 September 2023

The Vaporizer 2 wavetable synth plugin is now free and open-source: a commercial-quality instrument you can download for nothing?

By Ben Rogerson27 September 2023

Best guitar tuner apps 2023: keep in tune for free with our top picks

By Connor Godfrey27 September 2023

Yamaha, Korg, Roland and Casio face legal action from customers seeking compensation after all four companies were found to have engaged in price fixing in the UK

By Ben Rogerson27 September 2023

  1. DAWproject
    1
    Bitwig and PreSonus’s new open file format enables you to save projects in one DAW and open them in another, but will other developers support it?
  2. 2
    7 effects pedals that synth players need to try
  3. 3
    The missing piece for your ultimate pedalboard rig? Universal Audio announces the OX Stomp Dynamic Speaker Emulator pedal
  4. 4
    Harley Benton Fusion-T 25th review
  5. 5
    The Vaporizer 2 wavetable synth plugin is now free and open-source: a commercial-quality instrument you can download for nothing?
  1. hologram microcosm pedal
    1
    7 effects pedals that synth players need to try
  2. 2
    Yamaha, Korg, Roland and Casio face legal action from customers seeking compensation after all four companies were found to have engaged in price fixing in the UK
  3. 3
    Harley Benton Fusion-T 25th review
  4. 4
    The Vaporizer 2 wavetable synth plugin is now free and open-source: a commercial-quality instrument you can download for nothing?
  5. 5
    “For pianists, it's a magical feature”: StaffPad can now generate sheet music just by ‘listening’ to your acoustic piano playing, which sounds like an AI-powered tool we could get on board with

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.