New Book 'Aftershock' Tells Dubstep’s Origin Story From the Inside

Velocity Press has announced Aftershock: The Seismic Impact of Dubstep, a new book from music journalist Lauren Martin, arriving August 3, 2026.

It is a book that brings us inside the story of dubstep, told by the people who were actually there, before the sound got dragged into the global machine and turned into something else entirely.

Built from first-hand interviews, Aftershock follows dubstep from the edges of London into clubs, record shops, pirate radio, cutting houses, forums and soundsystems, where the whole thing started to take shape.

The book features more than two dozen voices from the scene, including Mala, Loefah, Coki, Kode9, Hatcha, Youngsta, Skream, Rusko, Plastician, Joker, Appleblim, Shackleton, Pinch, Pearson Sound, The Bug, Kahn and more.

Expanding on Martin’s 2015 VICE oral history, Aftershock digs into FWD>>, DMZ, Hyperdub, Skull Disco, Tectonic and the underground ecosystem that made dubstep happen. It also comes packed with photography, flyers and archive material from inside the scene.

Aftershock: The Seismic Impact of Dubstep lands on August 3. Pre-order your copy here.

Photos by: Orson Sieverding