![[Column] Chillstep / Liquid Dubstep](/../assets/images/column-chillstep-liquid-dubstep.webp)
Prologue Bass sinking into silence: What is Chillstep / Liquid Dubstep?
Text: mmr｜Theme: About the “emotional dubstep” born between silence and bass
Chillstep and Liquid Dubstep are spin-off genres that began to take shape on the internet around 2010, emphasizing the melodic and ambient aspects of dubstep. Unlike traditional dubstep’s aggressive wobble bass, harsh filter modulation, and post-brostep metal leads, Chillstep brings to the fore ““quietness, transparency, and a soft contour of the low range.’’
The background flow is as follows.
- Late 2000s: Deepening of UK dubstep (Skream, Benga, Digital Mystikz)
- 2008–2010: Rise of melodic approaches (e.g. Mt. Eden)
- 2010s: Spread of “Chillstep Compilation” on YouTube
- Artists such as Blackmill and MitiS have established a melody-oriented style
The result was ““dubstep as an emotional expression,’’ which absorbed liquid elements from ambient, trance, and drum and bass, and grew into a genre deeply connected to EDM, lo-fi, and beautiful video editing culture.
1. Roots and establishment: late 2000s to early 2010s
1-1 Dubstep evolution and melody development
Dubstep was originally rooted in the London underground and was characterized by heavy sub-bass and harsh snare sounds. However, from 2008 to 2010, tracks with a melodic approach became popular on YouTube and SoundCloud.
Features include the following:
- Narrows the bass wobble width for softer modulation
- Increased ratio of piano strings pads
- Gives breathing dynamics without making the side chain extremely deep
- Focus on “build ~ melody” rather than drop
Although the influence of Mt. Eden is large, the name ““Chillstep’’ as a genre arose spontaneously within internet culture.
2. Genre characteristics: Chillstep / Liquid Dubstep acoustic structure
Here, we will organize the characteristics at the production process level.
2-1 BPM/Structure
- BPM is most commonly around 140 (dubstep standard)
- Halftime drum (snare beat 2)
- Drops exist, but use “white space” rather than aggression
2-2 Base design
The symbol of Chillstep is “smooth sub-bass.”
- Sine wave center
- Adjust warmth with slight distortion (soft clipping)
- Produce breathing-like fluctuations with light LFO (1/4, 1/8, etc.)
- Add emotion through volume changes without using excessive filter modulation
2-3 Melody and synth design
- Lead: Soft saw wave, or analog emulation
- Pad: Wide stereo, high-density texture with suppressed overtones
- Piano: Reverb with long reverberation and less pre-delay
- Strings: strengthen the legato and connect the top line smoothly
**It is important to note that the emotional peak is placed at the melody’s extension, not at the drop. **
2-4 Effects
- Reverb: Large, but with strong high cut
- Delay: 1/4, 1/8 dotted soft reflections
- Sidechain: Create distance between drums and pads
- Noise layer: Ambience such as wind, rain, analog hiss, etc.
2-5 Differences with Liquid Dubstep
Liquid Dubstep inherits the feel of Liquid Drum”n”Bass, with a more “transparent, water-like” texture.
- Clear high-end and sparkling impression *High vocal chop ratio *Base is smoother and less jittery
- Often uses one-shot FX like bubbles
If Chillstep is the “calmness of the night,” Liquid Dubstep is the “light in the water.”
3. Blackmill and MitiS: Genre Establishers
3-1 Blackmill — symbol of chillstep
Blackmill is a representative of melodic dubstep, gaining international acclaim as it spread through YouTube. The characteristics are below.
- Lyrical and emotional melody
- Extremely clean sub-bass
- Trance arpeggio
- Careful layering of strings
- Drops do not attack, but instead “spread out”
Blackmill’s style became the template for Chillstep and created a large following.
Blackmill style production process
- Create a chord progression on the piano (such as a simple I–V–vi–IV type)
- Layer the strings and set the attack to be slow
- Generate high frequency lead with analog style soft synth
- Create a sub-bass with a sine wave and lightly shake it with a 1/4 LFO
- Drums are modest, kicks are deep and short
- Big reverb on pads and leads
- Place windy white noise FX in the background
3-2 MitiS — Pianist sensitivity and emotional construction
MitiS has a background in classical piano and brings a unique emotion to Chillstep/Melodic Dubstep.
- Piano main melody
- Transparent and unbreakable mix
- Trance-like rising feeling
- Carefully processed vocal chop
- Layered with a staccato synth lead
MitiS’s work smoothly straddles the boundary between Chillstep and Melodic Dubstep, exhibiting a more dramatic structure.
4. Chillstep’s video culture and internet spread
It is important that Chillstep spread as a ““visual culture’’ along with music.
- Night view, starry sky, fog, forest
- Low saturation cinematic tone
- Slow motion water drops and waves
- Cinematic depth of field
- Lo-Fi style texture
Chillstep compilations on YouTube proliferated, combining visual beauty and sonic clarity, visually reinforcing the genre’s identity.
Visual composition
- Still lake surface, distant light, slow-moving fog
- Pad sound that spreads gently above it
- Reflections on the water surface resonate with the overtones of the lead melody
- The base sinks with the afterglow of the night city
- A production in which the flow of stars synchronizes with the arpeggio
The Chillstep viewing experience symbolizes the genre characteristics of the Internet era, where “music + visual expression” are integrated.
5. Production process: How to make Chillstep / Liquid Dubstep
Here, we will organize sound creation and mixing step by step from a producer’s perspective.
5-1 Idea building
- Late night silence
- Natural motifs such as water, fog, and stars
- The melody is built around simple, long lines.
- Create a “mental space” that is neither positive nor negative
5-2 Chord progression
Chillstep has a lot of clear code.
*I–vi–IV–V *I–V–vi–IV
- iii–IV–I–V etc.
Emphasis is placed on ““sustainability” and ““lingering resonance” rather than modulation or complication.
5-3 Synth Design
Lead Synth
- Saw wave + noise blend
- Slower attack, longer release
- Add analog style drift
Pad
*4~6 layers
- The filter has a strong high cut
- Reverb tail is long and pre-delay is short
Vocal Chop
- Pitch correction
- Stretch by granular processing
- High frequency shelf for airy feel
5-4 Subbase
- Sine wave center
- Mix in triangle waves to add warmth if desired
- LFO is gentle
- Side chain is thin
- Release is short and tight
5-5 drums
- Kick: Do not reduce the low range too much
- Snare: Thin deep reverb
- Hat: Reduces shake and smoothes high end
- Percussion: water droplet FX enabled
5-6 mix
*Smoothly suppresses 5-7kHz stimulation
- Minimize background noise (analog hiss, wind, rain, etc.)
- Fog-like texture with high-cut reverb
- Sidechain is suppressive, only creates movement
6. Chronology by scene
Chillstep / Liquid Dubstep development history (brief)
7. Illustrated: Chillstep Acoustic Structure Overview
8. Current status and future prospects of the genre
Chillstep/Liquid Dubstep is not just an offshoot of dubstep, but a typical example of how the internet and visual culture have shaped a musical genre. Even in the 2020s, it has smoothly integrated with genres such as lo-fi culture, ambient, melodic bass, and future garage, and has been widely accepted as a form of “quiet electronic.”
Additionally, the following trends have been observed in recent years.
- Incorporating Lo-Fi aesthetic
- Organic percussion (wood, stone, paper sounds)
- Connection with cinematic sound
- Integration with VR, underwater footage, nature walk footage, etc.
Chillstep, which is a combination of “music + visuals + story,” is likely to continue to have a quiet place on the Internet, even if it is not mainstream.
9. Summary
Chillstep / Liquid Dubstep is music that strips away the aggressive aspects of dubstep and restructures it around emotion, scenery, and tranquility. Artists such as Blackmill and MitiS defined the genre through their lyricism and careful sonic processing, creating many followers.
Its musicality is not based on “strength” but on “temperature, breathing, and blank spaces.” A quiet late night, the light of a video, a foggy landscape–Chillstep continues to have a solid presence by nestling into these scenes.
