The Artful Fare Dodgers

It's taken me a while, but thanks to recent reviewing for musicOMH.com and DMC Update I've finally come around to the idea that, in electronic music at least, dubstep represents a big part of the future.

Initially I was tempted to write it off as a bit of a one hit wonder, like 'two step' (or 'UK garage', 'speed garage', or - cringe - 'raggage', as it was briefly known in the late '90s). But then it occurred to me that particular style, whatever you call it, hasn't really died out either. If anything, dubstep takes its lead from the likes of Tuff Jam, Double 99 and 187 Lockdown, all prominent names in 1998 or thereabouts.

Few styles evoke the empty streets of night time South London so vividly. I remember falling asleep once on the night bus, missing my stop and waking up in Penge (don't ask!). The Bug's 'London Zoo' album was still on the headphones – and it seemed totally appropriate to be listening to that, if not a tad scary once the lights were off and the bus empty. Caspa, too, had quite an effect, and so did the recent album from Scuba that I finished reviewing last night. This record, his third if you include a recent DJ mix, shows that dubstep is actually a really flexible musical form. Along with the likes of D-Bridge and Instra:mental, whose Fabric compilation I recently reviewed for DMC Update, Scuba has brought it into focus alongside house and drum 'n' bass, reminding me a bit of the music of Photek in the late 1990s. When done at its best like this, dubstep might have a pretty basic set of elements, but it creates a mean and moody atmosphere.

The pinnacle of the genre remains Burial, and that wonderful pair of albums, thickly layered with fog and not a little paranoid. His approach is among the darkest, with little upward movement through either record, but the music is deeply emotive. Skream and Benga more club friendly, and we await their second albums with interest. But proof that dubstep is here to stay comes with the fact most of its main producers have now made and released successful second albums, carrying them off to better effect than their first. Very few areas of dance music can claim that as an achievement – big beat certainly couldn't, nor drum 'n' bass, and definitely not UK garage, as none were really suited to the long playing format.

Dubstep's next move, then, will be well worth watching. While some of it might be a touch on the bleak side, this is understated but very powerful music, especially when powered up on headphones late at night, whatever night bus you're on...