Two Step
Two step (also called 2-step garage or 2-step) is a British house subgenre which developed in the late 1990s as the second offspring from UK garage after speed garage.
Contrary to garage or other styles of house music two step does not rely on the typical 4-to-the-floor beat. Instead, a typical two step beat features two kick drums per bar with the second one syncopated (i.e. skipping a beat), like breakbeats. In combination with house-typical shuffle rhythms or triplets in other percussive elements the typical groove of two step comes alive. Further genre characteristics are low, dub-influenced basslines, the percussive use of non-percussive instruments and r&b style vocals (usually female) or vocals borrowed from r&b records, often processed and cut.
In the beginning, two step was popularized by pirate radio stations, often aired as a »mellow« alternative to speed garage at e.g. Sunday afternoons. Djs mixed UK garage tracks with US house and garage records which had to be pitched up to match the bpm of the UK tracks. The sound of these pitched-up records was then emulated by UK producers. Also an important role in nurturing the genre played the club night FWD>> (Forward) held at Plastic People which later also was crucial for the growth of dubstep. Earliest two step records include for example the »Kelly G Bump-N-Go Mix« of Tina Moore’s »Never Gonna Let You Go« by Chicago producer Kelly Griffin from 1995. Its re-release in 1997 was a huge success in the UK, peaking at No.1 in the dance charts and No.7 in the single charts. Another important early record was »Destiny« by British duo Dem 2 from 1997/1998 which also reached No. 1 in the UK dance single charts.
The first real two step hit was »Sweet Like Chocolate« by Shanks & Bigfoot from 1998 which peaked at No.1 of the UK single charts and stayed there for two weeks in 1999. The genre had found mainstream success. Southampton-based duo Artful Dodger had a string of hits featuring up-and-coming young vocalists, like Craig David on their track »Re-Rewind« (1999). New Zealand-British artist Daniel Bedingfield’s »Gotta Get Thru This (D'N'D Full Length Version)« reached No.1 in the UK single charts in both 2001 and 2002. Examples for the successful combination with ragga and hip hop are »Boo« by Sticky vs. Ms. Dynamite and »Has It Come to This« by The Streets (both 2001).
However, with the emerge of grime and dubstep the genre’s relevance began to decline after 2001. Nevertheless, Canadian artist the Weeknd's 2016 song »Rockin'« shows influences of two step.
