Techstep was a deliberate reaction against pop and virtuosic elements entering jungle/DnB

Techstep emerged as a cultural reaction against the infiltration of pop and virtuosic musical elements into jungle and drum and bass in the mid-1990s, which some producers saw as an adulteration of “true” jungle. Techstep producers stripped away R&B elements and replaced them with a simpler, colder, more hardcore sound. Understanding this oppositional origin matters for learners because it explains why techstep sounds deliberately stripped-down and harsh rather than merely aesthetically neutral — the austerity is a political stance about what DnB should be.

Examples

The shift away from R&B-flavored jungle (e.g. vocal hooks, jazzy chord progressions) toward the dystopian atmosphere of films like Blade Runner and RoboCop was deliberate. No U-Turn and Prototype records embodied this stance.

Assessment

What musical trend prompted the emergence of techstep? Describe the sonic tradeoffs: what did techstep producers remove from jungle, and what did they substitute?