Rhythm

One of the key defining features of dubstep music is the unique styles of rhythm.  Some of the most common styles, those that will be discussed on this webpage, are syncopated rhythm and shuffle rhythm.

Syncopated Rhythms

Syncopation, in the context of music, is the "disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm".  More specifically, it is the "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur." [2]  This style of rhythm was certainly not invented along with the ushering in of dubstep.  It has been commonly featured in differing music genres since the dawn of music itself.  Beginning in Africa, musicians developed the practice of shifting the accent of the beats in a measure to add to the appeal of the rhythm.  Howard Goodall explains the concept further.

http://youtu.be/zTQ1A7YT1pQ

 What's intriguing about these rhythms is that upon being studied by professionals through experimentation with syncopated and unsyncopated rhythms, it was found that "syncopated patterns were more enjoyed, and rated as happier than unsyncopated patterns..."  The "results suggest[ed] that syncopation influence[d] emotional valence positively..." [4] Overall, people tend to find musical phrases more appealing when syncopated styles are implemented.

Shuffle Rhythms

While syncopated rhythms shift the accent away from what would normally be expected, thus creating a more complex sound, shuffle rhythms lean toward much more basic patterns.  Occurring predominantly in 4/4 timing, shuffle rhythms accent the 2nd and 4th beat of each measure.  The result is a very constant, predictable swing feel, common in genres ranging from blues to modern dance. [5]

The Power Law - 1/f

There is a widely accepted law stemming from fractal mathematics that describes natural disasters by defining the relation between the frequency of the event and the intensity of the event.  It states:

f = c/M^N


Where f is the temporal frequency,  M is a parameter indexing the intensity of event, c is a constant on proportionality and D is the fractal dimension.  A result of this law is what is known as the Richardson Effect, which states that "measurements of natural phenomena are characterized by 1/f noise.  1/f fluctuations are also a prominent feature of human cognition."  A study conducted by Daniel J. Levitin, Parag Chordia and Vinod Menon concluded that the 1/f ratio could also be applied to the describing of musical rhythms.  It is this ratio that measures the "balance of predictability and surprise" found in the fluctuations of musical rhythms.  This balance, exhibited by musical rhythms, "contribute[s] in a fundamental way to our aesthetic experience of music." [1]
It is the balance of the predictability, provided by the usage of shuffle rhythms, and the surprise, offered by syncopation, that create an overall "aesthetic experience" for the listeners of dubstep.  This appeal lies deep in the science of the structures themselves and manages to do its work away from the notice of the majority of those who are drawn to it.

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