Late-2000s glitch hop absorbed dubstep and neurofunk into an EDM strand that diverged from its hip hop roots

By the late 2000s, as dubstep rose commercially, many glitch hop producers began incorporating its bass-driven aesthetic and elements of the drum and bass subgenre neurofunk. This produced an EDM-oriented iteration that kept the ‘glitch hop’ name despite diverging substantially from the genre’s hip hop origins — bass drops and festival dynamics replacing the earlier beat-scene feel. The Glitch Mob, GRiZ, KOAN Sound, and Pretty Lights are associated with this strand; The Glitch Mob’s Drink the Sea (2010) reached mainstream audiences via film trailers and TV ads. The point is that a genre name can persist across a substantial stylistic drift, so ‘glitch hop’ now spans two fairly different practices.

Examples

KOAN Sound began as dubstep producers before moving into glitch hop / neurohop. Compared with a Prefuse 73 beat, a Glitch Mob track foregrounds heavy dubstep-style bass and drop dynamics over the earlier swung hip hop groove.

Assessment

Which two styles did late-2000s glitch hop absorb, and how does this EDM strand differ from the genre’s earlier hip hop-rooted form? Name one associated artist.