What is glitch hop?

Glitch hop fuses the broken, stuttering aesthetics of glitch music with hip-hop rhythms and bass music energy. The genre features syncopated beats interrupted by digital artifacts, vocal chops, and synthesizer glitches layered over heavy bass lines.

Emerging in the late 2000s from the electronic bass music scene, glitch hop draws from dubstep, IDM, and funk. Artists like Tipper, Buku, and Gramatik defined the sound with technically complex productions that maintain danceability despite their experimental elements.

Production involves heavy use of beat slicing, granular synthesis, time-stretching artifacts, and precision editing. Unlike pure glitch music’s often abstract nature, glitch hop maintains groove and structure -the glitches serve the rhythm rather than replacing it.

The genre remains popular in festival and electronic music culture, with live performances featuring visual synchronization between glitchy graphics and audio. Understanding the audio side enhances visual glitch art intended for music contexts.