It is characterized by a dark,<ref>{{cite book | last = Fritz | first = Jimi | authorlink = |author2=Tristan O'Neill |author3=Virginia Smallfry |author4=Trent Warlow | title = Rave Culture: An Insider's Overview | publisher = Small Fry Publishers | year = 1999 | ___location = | pages = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CiW3aOptLW4C | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-9685721-0-3}}</ref> [[sci-fi]] mood, near-exclusive use of [[synthesiser|synthesised]] or [[sampler (musical instrument)|sampled]] sound sources, influences from [[industrial music|industrial]] and [[techno music]], [[2-step garage|2-step]] kicks and snares<ref>{{cite web|title=Over two hours of prime techstep from DJ Mark N.|url=https://darkfloor.co.uk/two-hours-prime-techstep-dj-mark-n/|work=Darkfloor|url-status=}}</ref> and influences from [[industrial music|industrial]] and [[techno music]], what some writers have described as a "clinical" sound.<ref name="rough">{{cite book | last = Shapiro | first = Peter | authorlink = | title = Drum 'n' Bass: The Rough Guide | publisher = [[Rough Guides]] | year = 1999 | ___location = | pages = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IxEpAyPvyXoC | doi = | id = | isbn = 1-85828-433-3}}</ref> Although described as having a "techy" feel, techstep's relationship with techno should not be overstated. It shares the technique of creating a high-energy collage from abstract, synthetic noises, including samples, bleeps and squelches: it rarely uses instruments that have not been processed by effects. Similarly, [[Quantization (music)|quantized]] drum-machine kit and percussion sounds are favored over naturalistic human [[break (music)|breakbeats]]. However, it usually adheres to drum and bass norms in other regards, especially in terms of musical structure, with the emphasis on the "drop". Techstep saw [[Oldschool jungle|jungle music]]'s obsession with bass change, from aiming for low and deep to exploring [[timbre]], artists aiming to outdo each other with ever more [[distortion|distorted]] and "twisted" bass sounds.
