Nowadays, a lot of people think of dubstep as the music that plays while drunken frat boys pump their fists. From a Key & Peele parody to a general disdain among dance music fans over 30, dubstep has become somewhat of a whipping boy for EDM.

It wasn’t always this way.

Once upon a time, dubstep was the underground alternative to the overly commercial direction UK garage took in the mid-2000s. Dubstep was dark, sparse, and a direct link back to the drum & bass roots.

Our guests today remember dubstep’s formative days, because they were there. Although the genre was well established in the UK by then, Caspa & Rusko's 2007 collab Fabriclive.37 helped introduce dubstep to audiences around the world.

They also know what it’s like to lose the plot. Following the success of Fabriclive.37, they got caught up in touring and their partnership just sort of faded. They never exactly split up, but ended up not working together for more than half a decade. Now, they’re back together and making the kind of music they love, starting with the formidable new single, Blouse an Skirt.

Along the way they’ve learned some important lessons about hard work, commitment, and avoiding the trap of making music to satisfy the crowd instead of making what you love.

Listen in and learn what we learned. Then leave us a comment and a one-million star review. And don’t forget to come back next week for more.

If you enjoyed the music from the episode, see below for links to download:

EDM.com Track of the Week is Caspa and Rusko Blouse an Skirt - https://soundcloud.com/dubstep/caspa-rusko-blouse-an-skirt

Snap, Rhythm Is A Dancer
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rhythm-is-dancer-original/id41892433?i=41892396

DJ Narrows, Saved Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVc1546lk3w

Rusko, Jahova
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jahova/id931859882?i=931864975

Skepta ft. JME, That's Not Me
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/thats-not-me-feat.-jme-radio/id872559345?i=872559356