Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in England in the early 1990s.
The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats with heavy bass and sub-bass lines.
History
See also: Oldskool Jungle In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a growing
nightclub and overnight outdoor event culture gave birth to a new electronic music style
called rave music, which, much like hip-hop, combined sampled syncopated beats or breakbeats,
other samples from a wide range of different musical genres and, occasionally, samples
of music, dialogue and effects from films and television programmes. But rave music
tended to feature stronger bass sounds and a faster tempo beats per minute than that
of early house music. This subgenre was known as "hardcore" rave but from as early as 1991,
some musical tracks made up of these high-tempo break beats, with heavy basslines and samples
of older Jamaican music, were referred to as "jungle techno", a genre influenced by
Jack Smooth and Basement Records, and later just "jungle", which became recognized as
a separate musical genre popular at raves and on pirate radio in Britain. It is important
to note when discussing the history of Drum n Bass that prior to Jungle, rave music was
getting faster and more experimental. Professional DJ & producer C.K. states, "There was a progression
as far as the speed of music is concerned. Anyone buying vinyl every week from 1989 to
1992 noticed this." By 1994 jungle had begun to gain mainstream
popularity and fans of the music became a more recognizable part of youth subculture.
The genre further developed, incorporating and fusing elements from a wide range of existing
musical genres, including the raggamuffin sound, dancehall, MC chants, dub basslines,
and increasingly complex, heavily edited breakbeat percussion. Despite the affiliation with the
ecstasy-fuelled rave scene, Jungle also inherited some associations with violence and criminal
activity, both from the gang culture that had affected the UK's hip-hop scene and as
a consequence of jungle's often aggressive or menacing sound and themes of violence.
However, this developed in tandem with the often positive reputation of the music as
part of the wider rave scene and dancehall-based Jamaican music culture prevalent in London.
By 1995, whether as a reaction to, or independently of this cultural schism, some jungle producers
began to move away from the ragga-influenced style and create what would become collectively
labelled, for convenience, as drum and bass. As the genre became generally more polished
and sophisticated technically, it began to expand its reach from pirate radio to commercial
stations and gain widespread acceptance. It also began to split into recognizable subgenres
such as jump-up and Hardstep. As a lighter and often jazz-influenced style of drum and
bass gained mainstream appeal, additional subgenres emerged including techstep which
drew greater influence from techno music and the soundscapes of science fiction and anime
films. The popularity of drum and bass at its commercial
peak ran parallel to several other homegrown dance styles in the UK including big beat
and hard house. But towards the turn of the millennium its popularity was deemed to have
dwindled as the UK garage style known as speed garage yielded several hit singles. Speed
garage shared high tempos and heavy basslines with drum and bass, but otherwise followed
the established conventions of "house music", with this and its freshness giving it an advantage
commercially. London DJ/producer C.K. says, "It is often forgotten by my students that
a type of music called "garage house" existed in the late 1980s alongside hip house, acid
house and other forms of house music." He continues, "This new garage of the mid 90s
was not a form of house or a progression of garage house. The beats and tempo that define
house are entirely different. This did cause further confusion in the presence of new house
music of the mid-1990s being played alongside what was now being called garage." Despite
this, the emergence of further subgenres and related styles such as liquid funk brought
a wave of new artists incorporating new ideas and techniques, supporting continual evolution
of the genre. To this day drum and bass makes frequent appearances in mainstream media and
popular culture including in television, as well as being a major reference point for
subsequent genres such as grime and dubstep and successful artists including Chase & Status
and Australia's Pendulum. Musical features
Drum and bass incorporates a number of scenes and styles, from the highly electronic, industrial
sounds of techstep through to the use of conventional, acoustic instrumentation that characterise
the more jazz-influenced end of the spectrum. The sounds of drum and bass are extremely
varied due to the range of influences behind the music.
Drum and bass could at one time be defined as a strictly electronic musical genre with
the only "live" element being the DJ's selection and mixing of records during a set. "Live"
drum and bass using electric, electronic and acoustic instruments played by musicians on
stage emerged over the ensuing years of the genre's development.
Influences A very obvious and strong influence on jungle
and drum and bass, thanks to the British African-Caribbean sound system scene, is the original Jamaican
dub and reggae sound, with pioneers like King Tubby, Peter Tosh, Sly & Robbie, Bill Laswell,
Lee Perry, Mad Professor, Roots Radics, Bob Marley and Buju Banton heavily influencing
the music. This influence has lessened with time but is still evident with many tracks
containing ragga vocals. As a musical style built around funk or syncopated
rock and roll breaks, James Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight
& the Pips, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the Supremes, the Commodores,
Jerry Lee Lewis and even Michael Jackson, are funky influences on the music. Jazz pioneer
Miles Davis has been named as a possible influence. Blues artists like Lead Belly, Robert Johnson,
Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B King have also been cited by producers as inspirations.
Even modern avant-garde composers such as Henryk Gorecki have received mention. One
of the most influential tracks in drum and bass history was "Amen Brother" by The Winstons
which contains a drum solo that has since become known as the "Amen break", which after
being extensively used in early hip hop music, went on to become the basis for the rhythms
used in drum and bass. Kevin Saunderson released a series of bass-heavy,
minimal techno cuts as Reese/The Reese Project in the late '80s which were hugely influential
in drum and bass terms. One of his more famous basslines was indeed sampled on Renegade's
Terrorist and countless others since, being known simply as the 'Reese' bassline. He followed
these up with equally influential tracks in the UK hardcore style as Tronik House in 1991–1992.
Another Detroit artist who was important for the scene is Carl Craig. The sampled-up jazz
break on Carl Craig's Bug in the Bassbin was also influential on the newly emerging sound,
DJs at the Rage club used to play it pitched up as far as their Technics record decks would
go. By the late 1980s and early 1990s the tradition
of breakbeat use in hip hop production had influenced the sound of breakbeat hardcore
which in turn lead to the emergence of jungle, drum and bass, and other genres that shared
the same use of broken beats. Drum and bass shares many musical characteristics with hip-hop,
though it is nowadays mostly stripped of lyrics. Grandmaster Flash, Roger Troutman, Afrika
Bambaata, Run DMC, Mac Dre, Public Enemy, Schooly D, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, Kid Frost,
Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Mos Def, Beastie Boys and the Pharcyde are very often directly sampled,
regardless of their general influence. Clearly drum and bass has been influenced
by other music genres, though influences from sources external to the electronic dance music
scene perhaps lessened following the shifts from jungle to drum and bass, and through
to so-called "intelligent drum and bass" and techstep. It still remains a fusion music
style. Some tracks are illegally remixed and released
on white label, often to acclaim. For example, DJ Zinc's remix of The Fugees' "Ready or Not",
also known as "Fugee Or Not", was eventually released with the Fugees' permission after
talk of legal action, though ironically the Fugees' version infringed Enya's copyright
to an earlier song. White labels along with dubplates play an important part in drum and
bass musical culture. Drum and bassline elements
The genre places great importance on the "bass line", a deep sub-bass musical pattern which
can be felt physically through powerful sound systems due to the low-range frequencies favoured.
There has been considerable exploration of different timbres in the bass line region,
particularly within techstep. The bass lines most notably originate from sampled sources
or synthesizers. Bass lines performed with a bass instrument, whether it is electric,
acoustic or a double bass, are less common but examples can be found in the work of bands
such as Shapeshifter, Squarepusher, Roni Size and STS9.
Of equal importance is the TR-808 kick drum, an artificially pitch-downed or elongated
bass drum sound sampled from Roland's classic TR-808 drum machine, and a sound which has
been subject to an enormous amount of experimentation over the years.
The complex syncopation of the drum tracks' breakbeat, is another facet of production
on which producers can spend a very large amount of time. The Amen break is generally
acknowledged to have been the most-used break in drum and bass.
The Amen break was synonymous with early drum and bass productions but other samples have
had a significant impact, including the Apache, Funky Drummer, "Soul Pride", "Scorpio" and
"Think" breaks. Many drum and bass tracks have featured more
than one sampled breakbeat in them and a technique of switching between two breaks after each
bar developed. Examples of this can be heard on mid-90s releases such as J Majik's "Your
Sound". A more recent commonly used break is the Tramen, which combines the Amen break,
a James Brown funk breakbeat and an Alex Reece drum and bass breakbeat.
The relatively fast drum beat forms a canvas on which a producer can create tracks to appeal
to almost any taste and often will form only a background to the other elements of the
music. Syncopated breakbeats remain the most distinctive element as without these a high-tempo
4/4 dance track could be classified as techno or gabber.
Tempo Drum and bass is usually between 160–180
BPM, in contrast to other breakbeat-based dance styles such as nu skool breaks, which
maintain a slower pace at around 130–140 BPM. A general upward trend in tempo has been
observed during the evolution of drum and bass. The earliest forms of drum and bass
clocked in at around 130 bpm in 1990/1991, speeding up to around 155–165 BPM by 1993.
Since around 1996, drum and bass tempos have predominantly stayed in the 170–180 range.
Recently some producers have started to once again produce tracks with slower tempos, but
the mid-170 tempo is still the hallmark of the drum and bass sound.
A track combining the same elements as a drum and bass track, but with a slower tempo, might
not be drum and bass but a drum and bass-influenced breakbeat track.
Context
Drum and bass exhibits a full frequency response which can only be appreciated on sound systems
which can handle very low frequencies. As befits its name, the bass element of the music
is particularly pronounced, with the comparatively sparse arrangements of drum and bass tracks
allowing room for basslines that are deeper than most other forms of dance music. Consequently,
drum and bass parties are often advertised as featuring uncommonly loud and bass-heavy
sound systems. There are however many albums specifically
designed for personal listening. The mix CD is a particularly popular form of release,
with a big name DJ/producer mixing live, or on a computer, a variety of tracks for personal
listening. Additionally, there are many albums containing unmixed tracks, suited for home
or car listening. Many mixing points begin or end with the "drop".
The drop is the point in a track where a switch of rhythm or bassline occurs and usually follows
a recognizable build section and "breakdown". Sometimes the drop is used to switch between
tracks, layering components of different tracks, though as the two records may be simply ambient
breakdowns at this point, though some DJs prefer to combine breakbeats, a more difficult
exercise. Some drops are so popular that the DJ will "rewind" or "reload" or "lift up"
by spinning the record back and restarting it at the build. "The drop" is often a key
point from the point of view of the dancefloor, since the drumbreaks often fade out to leave
an ambient intro playing. When the beats re-commence they are often more complex and accompanied
by a heavier bassline, encouraging the crowd to dance.
Although it declines, DJs are often accompanied by one or more MCs, drawing on the genre's
roots in hip hop and reggae/ragga. MCs do not generally receive the same level
of recognition as producer/DJs and some events are specifically marketed as being MC free.
There are relatively few well-known drum and bass MCs, Stevie Hyper D, MC GQ, Dynamite
MC, MC Fats, MC Conrad, Shabba D, Skibadee, Bassman, MC Stamina, MC Fun, Evil B, Trigga,
Harry Shotta and MC Infinity as examples. Live drum and bass
Many musicians have adapted drum and bass to live performances, which feature instruments
such as an drums or triggered drum, synthesizers, turntables, bass and guitars. Samplers have
also been used live by assigning samples to a specific drum pad or key on drum pads or
synthesizers. MCs are frequently featured in live performances. Artists who have been
known to perform live include Rudimental, DJ Fresh, Modestep, Roni Size, Salmonella
Dub, Shapeshifter, Pendulum, La Phaze, Netsky, Chase & Status and London Elektricity.
Music cartography Subgenres
Smaller scenes within the drum and bass community have developed and the scene as a whole has
become much more fractured into specific sub-genres, including:
Drumstep is a combination of drum and bass and dubstep where the beat structure is “half
time”, the remaining elements still adhere to the usual tempo and melody pattern style
from drum and bass. Since the early 2010s, drumstep has become one of the most popular
sub-genres of drum & bass, with some songs receiving over 10 million views on YouTube.
Breakcore is a style of electronic dance music largely influenced by hardcore, jungle, digital
hardcore and industrial music that is characterized by its use of heavy kick drums, breaks and
a wide palette of sampling sources, played at high tempos.
Ragga drum & bass was inspired by the original ragga jungle style, with influences from reggae
and dancehall music. Notable artists include Shy FX & T Power, Congo Natty, Potential Bad
Boy, Marcus Visionary, Serial Killaz, Benny Page and vocalists such as David Boomah, Top
Cat, Tenor Fly and General Levy. Hardstep is a harder style which uses gritty
basslines and heavy yet simple electronic melodies. Notable artists include Dillinja,
DJ Krust, Mampi Swift, Dieselboy, Current Value, MachineCode etc.
Darkstep is characterized by fast drums and a general dark mood, drawing influences from
dark ambient, industrial and hardcore music. Prominent artists include Technical Itch,
Dylan, Kryptic Minds & Leon Switch, B-Key, Resonant Evil, Infiltrata, SPL, Counterstrike,
Evol Intent, The Panacea, Limewax, and Current Value.
Techstep is characterized by sci-fi soundscapes and samples from science fiction culture.
Pioneered by artists such as Bad Company UK Ed Rush, Optical, Trace, Fierce and Nico,
Konflict, Dom & Roland, Dillinja, Ram Trilogy, Moving Fusion, Decoder & Substance, Digital
& Spirit, Future Cut, Dylan, Loxy & Ink, Total Science, D.Kay, Stakka & Skynet and Keaton
with Usual Suspects or Universal Project, Klute, Concord Dawn, and the label Moving
Shadow. Neurofunk or Neuro is the progression from
techstep incorporating more elements from jazz and funk. Prominent artists include Ed
Rush & Optical, Matrix, Bad Company UK, Cause 4 Concern, TeeBee, Future Prophecies, Black
Sun Empire, Calyx, Hive, Gridlok, Noisia, Phace & Misanthrop, Silent Witness & Break,
State Of Mind, The Upbeats, Chase & Status, Spor, Psidream, Catacomb, Rregula.
Jump-up, appeared in the mid 1990, employs heavy and energetic drum and bass, characterized
by robotic and heavy bass sounds. Notable artists include DJ Hazard, Generation Dub,
Baron, Cabbie, Clipz, Nightwalker, Callide, Taxman, Jaydan, Sub Zero, Original Sin, Annix,
Konichi, Decimal Bass, Tyke, DJ Zen, Majistrate, Twisted Individual, Distorted Minds, TC, Heist,
DJ Pleasure, DJ Hype and his label Playaz Recordings.
Ambient drum 'n' bass, Atmospheric drum & bass, Atmospheric drum and bass, Atmospheric drum
'n' bass, Intelligent drum & bass, Jazzy drum and bass, Intelligent drum and bass or Intelligent
jungle is a smoother style, influenced by ambient music, chillout, jazz and soul music.
It was pioneered by such artists as Timecode, Omni Trio, Foul Play, Hyper-On-Experience,
DJ Pulse, Higher Sense, Deep Blue, Photek, Jack Smooth, Blame, LTJ Bukem and his label
Good Looking Records, and the label Moving Shadow.
Jazzstep or Jazzy jungle demonstrates heavy influence by jazz. It uses typical jazz scales,
rhythms and instrumentation. Notable artists include Roni size & Reprazent, Goldie, Morgan
Sullyvan, Makoto, Peshay, Alex Reece, and DJ Dextrous.
Liquid funk draws heavily on harmonic and melodic grooves, and samples from funk, jazz,
soul, R&B, disco, house and breakbeat, while intelligent drum and bass or atmospheric drum
and bass creates a calmer yet more synthetic sound. It was pioneered by Calibre, Zero Tolerance
& Beta 2, London Elektricity, High Contrast, Logistics, Nu:Tone, Danny Byrd, Cyantific,
Netsky, Lenzman, Technimatic, Hobzee & Zyon Base, Paul T & Edward Oberon, Hybrid Minds
and labels such as Hospital Records, Fokuz Records and Liquid V.
Drumfunk or Choppage is atmospheric drum and bass with a heavy emphasis on complex drum
patterns, often with sections of the track where the drums are unaccompanied. Prominent
artists include Breakage, Seba, Paradox, and Equinox, Nebula, and the Scientific Wax label.
Funkstep incorporates elements from funky house, electro house and dubstep into drum
and bass. Funkstep songs start with calm intros, which can sometimes be mixed up with drumstep
because of its dubstep and drum and bass-like drums. But after starting with a typical funkstep
riff and changing the bassdrum to a consistent 4x4-candence, it is easy to recognize the
bridge to more complex house music, which is typical for a funkstep song. A song can
contain these bridges and changes repeatedly, which mostly indicate the drops and highlights.
Sambass incorporates elements from samba, bossa nova and other Latin music styles. Pioneered
by artists such as DJ Marky, XRS, DJ Patife and Bryan Gee's label V Recordings.
Drill 'n' bass incorporates double-time drum 'n' bass with undanceable rhythms, low-brow
humor, and ambient vibes. The subgenre was developed by Squarepusher and Aphex Twin,
whose rapid and irregularly syncopated basslines discouraged dancing.
Regional scenes Despite its roots in the UK, which can still
be treated as the "home" of drum and bass, the style has firmly established itself around
the world. There are strong scenes in other English-speaking countries including Australia,
Canada, South Africa, the United States and, New Zealand. It is popular throughout continental
Europe, and in South America. São Paulo is sometimes called the drum and bass Ibiza.
Brazilian drum and bass is sometimes referred to as "sambass", with its specific style and
sound. In Venezuela and Mexico, artists have created their own forms of drum and bass combining
it with experimental musical forms. In Colombia there is a lot of underground scene, The RE.set
Label and Bogotá Project are two collectives that focus all their energy in DnB events
in the city, besides there is a big event realized twice a year called Radikal Styles,
that reunite all the local talent and International big names.
Genres influenced by drum and bass Born around the same time as jungle, breakcore
and digital hardcore share many of the elements of drum and bass and to the uninitiated, tracks
from the extreme end of drum and bass, may sound identical to breakcore thanks to speed,
complexity, impact and maximum sonic density combined with musical experimentation. German
Drum and Bass DJ The Panacea is also one of the leading Digital Hardcore artists. Raggacore
resembles a faster version of the ragga influenced jungle music of the 1990s, similar to breakcore
but with more friendly dancehall beats. Darkcore, a direct influence on drum and bass, was combined
with influences of drum and bass itself leading to the creation of darkstep. There is considerable
crossover from the extreme edges of drum and bass, breakcore, darkcore, digital hardcore
and raggacore with fluid boundaries. The genre has influenced many other genres
like hip hop, big beat, dubstep, house music, trip hop, ambient music, techno, rock and
pop, with artists such as Bill Laswell, Incubus, Pitchshifter, Linkin Park, The Roots, Talvin
Singh, MIDIval Punditz, Missy Elliott, The Freestylers, Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie
and others quoting drum and bass and using drum and bass techniques and elements. The
USA has adopted the sound with a genre called ghettotech which have synth and basslines
similar to drum & bass. Record labels
Drum and Bass as a whole is dominated by a small group of "hardcore" record labels. These
are run mainly by some of the scene's most prominent DJ–producers, such as London Elektricity's
Hospital Records, Andy C's Ram, Goldie's Metalheadz, Basement Records, Chris Renegade's Lifted
Music, DJ Friction's Shogun Audio, DJ Fresh's Breakbeat Kaos and DJ Hype, Pascal and formerly
DJ Zinc's True Playaz. The major international music labels such
as Sony Music and Universal have shown very little interest in the drum and bass scene
though there has been a few signings, most recently Pendulum's In Silico LP to Warner.
Roni Size's Full Cycle Records played a big, if not the biggest, part in the creation of
Drum and Bass with their dark, baseline sounds. V Recordings also played a large part of the
development of drum and bass. Roni Size, Krust and DJ Die produced some of the first tracks
to be considered mainstream drum and bass tracks.
In recent times, Andy C's Ram Records have been pushing the boundaries of drum and bass
further into the mainstream with artists such as Chase and Status and Sub Focus releasing
many tracks on RAM Chase & Status as well as Pendulum are already hovering in the mainstream
and singles like "DJ Marky and XRS – LK" have in the past topped the UK charts. Bringing
back UK jungle music legends from LTJ Bukem's label Good Looking artists Bay B Kane, breakbeat
hardcore heavyweight Nebula II and original junglist Gappa G who had a big hit with Information
Center after remix's from DJ Zinc and Ray Keith. Other Bristol labels such as Cafe Bass
have also helped to push through a sound categorised as 'bass music' with the help of influential
artists such as Lone Ranger. Formats and distribution
Purchasing Originally drum and bass was mostly sold in
12-inch vinyl single format. With the emergence of drum and bass into mainstream music markets,
more albums, compilations and DJ mixes started to be sold on CDs. As digital music became
more popular, websites focused on electronic music, such as Beatport, began to sell drum
and bass in digital format. Distributors
The bulk of drum and bass vinyl records and CDs are distributed globally and regionally
by a relatively small number of companies such as SRD, ST Holdings, & Nu Urban.
As of 11 September 2012, Nu Urban Music Limited ceased trading and RSM Tenon were instructed
to assist in convening statutory meetings of members and creditors to appoint a liquidator.
This left many labels short on sales as Nu Urban were one of the main Distributors for
the vinyl market in the drum and bass scene. Media presence
Today, drum and bass is widely promoted throughout the world using different methods such as
video sharing services, blogs, radio and television, the latter being the most uncommon method.
More recently, music networking websites such as SoundCloud and MixCloud have become powerful
tools for artist recognition, providing a vast platform that enables quick responses
to new tracks. Record labels have adopted the use of Podcasts. Prior to the rise of
the internet, drum and bass was commonly broadcast over pirate radio.
Radio The two highest profile radio stations playing
drum and bass shows are The Drum and Bass Show with Friction on BBC Radio 1, simulcast
in the US and Canada on Sirius XM, and DJ Hype on Kiss 100 in London. The BBC's "urban"
station BBC Radio 1Xtra also features the genre heavily, with DJ Bailey and Crissy Criss
as its advocates. The network also organises a week-long tour of the UK each year called
Xtra Bass. London pirate radio stations have been instrumental in the development of Drum
and Bass, with stations such as Kool FM, Don FM, Rude FM, Origin FM, Wax Fm and Eruption
among the most influential. Internet radio
Internet radio stations, acting in same light as pirate stations, have also been an instrumental
part in promoting drum and bass music; the majority of them funded by listener and artist
donations. Sites such as junglist.com was very popular in the early years of the 2000s.
Other popular forums are Bassdrive, JungleTrain, DnbRadio, and EverydayJunglist.com. Digitally
Imported, known as di.fm, has three channels. Other well known sites include RenegadeRadio.co.uk,
drum and bass lounge, BassPort FM. Runningtingz.com was among the first of the stations and is
still operating. Satellite radio
In North America, XM Satellite, 89.5 CIUT With Marcus Visionary, DJ Prime and Mr. Brown
Is North America's longest running Jungle Radio show, Album 88.5 and C89.5fm have shows
showcasing drum and bass. Seattle also has a long standing electronica show known as
Expansions on 90.3 FM KEXP. The rotating DJs include Kid Hops, whose shows are made up
mostly of drum and bass. In Columbus, Ohio WCBE 90.5 has a two-hour electronic only showcase,
"All Mixed Up," Saturday nights at 10pm. At the same time WUFM 88.7 plays its "Electronic
Playground." Also, Tulsa, Oklahoma's rock station, 104.5 The Edge, has a two-hour show
starting at 10:00PM Saturday nights called Edge Essential Mix mixed by DJ Demko showcasing
electronic and drum and bass style. While the aforemention shows in Ohio rarely play
drum and bass the latter plays the genre with some frequency. In Tucson, Arizona, 91.3 FM
KXCI has a two-hour electronic show known as "Digital Empire", Friday nights at 10pm.
Resident DJ Trinidad showcases various styles of electronica, with the main focus being
drum and bass, jungle & dubstep. Magazines
The best known drum and bass publication was Kmag magazine before it went completely online
in August 2009. Other publications include the longest running drum and bass magazine
worldwide, ATM Magazine, and Austrian-based Resident. London-based DJ magazine has also
been running a widely respected drum and bass reviews page since 1993, written by Alex Constantinides,
which many followers refer to when seeking out new releases to investigate.
Literature All Crews: Journeys Through Jungle / Drum
and Bass Culture by Brian Belle-Fortune, nonfiction "Roots 'n Future" in Energy Flash by Simon
Reynolds, Picador, nonfiction Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno
and Rave Culture by Simon Reynolds, Routledge., nonfiction
Rumble in the Jungle: The Invisible History of Drum and Bass by Steven Quinn, in: Transformations,
No 3, nonfiction PDF file State of Bass: Jungle – The Story So Far
by Martin James, Boxtree, nonfiction The Rough Guide to Drum 'n' Bass by Peter
Shapiro and Alexix Maryon, nonfiction King Rat by China Miéville, fiction
Online Drum and bass has a very strong, important
and vocal online presence with many dedicated portals, forums, communities and internet
radio stations – the internet has to much degree superseded the role of pirate radio
stations in spreading and popularising the genre, as the stations have switched to newer
genres. Internet sites are a source of the latest mixes and tracks by unsigned producers.
The dominant and most popular websites are Dogs On Acid and Drum and Bass Arena. YouTube
has played a major role for Drum and Bass on the internet with the appearance of Pandadnb
in 2006 and DNBR in 2007, these were later followed by the hugely successful UKF which
to date has reached over 1 billion views. Mainstream acceptance
Certain drum and bass releases have found mainstream popularity in their own right,
almost always material prominently featuring vocals. Perhaps the earliest example was Goldie's
album Timeless from 1995, along with Reprazent's Mercury Music Prize-winning New Forms from
1997, 4hero's Mercury-nominated Two Pages from 1998, and Pendulum's Hold Your Colour
in 2005. Video games such as Hi-Rez Studios' Tribes:
Ascend and Rockstar Games' ''Grand Theft Auto'' series have contained drum and bass tracks.
DJ Timecodes MSX/MSX 98 radio station in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty
City Stories played drum and bass exclusively. The genre has some popularity in soundtracks;
for instance, Hive's "Ultrasonic Sound" was used in The Matrix's soundtrack and the E-Z
Rollers' song "Walk This Land" appeared in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Ganja Kru's "Super Sharp Shooter" is heard in the 2006 film Johnny Was.
The Channel 4 show Skins uses the genre in some episodes, notably in the first series'
third episode, "Jal", where Shy FX and UK Apache's Original Nuttah was played in Fazers
club. Drum and bass often makes an appearance as
background music, especially in Top Gear and television commercials thanks to its aggressive
and energetic beats. Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block employs it for television
spots and show intros, like the 1997 relaunch of SCI FI Channel segue music by the Jungle
Sky label. See also
Dogs On Acid Drum and Bass Arena
List of electronic music genres List of jungle and drum and bass artists
List of jungle and drum and bass emcees UKF Music
References
External links [1], The biggest collection of Drum And Bass
Lyrics History of drum & bass, a BBC timeline on
the history of drum & bass with track listings, quotes and samples
D&BFrance, Drum And Bass Social Network DnbSquad, Russian Drum and Bass Community
Drum and Bass India™, Indian Drum and Bass Community