History
- Drum and Bass
Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated to DnB, dnb, drum n
bass and drum & bass) is a type of electronic dance music also known as
jungle. Emerging in the early 1990s, the genre is characterised by fast
tempo broken beat drums (generally between 160 & 180 beats per minute)
with heavy, often intricate basslines. Today, drum and bass is still
considered an underground musical style, but its currents of influence
run throughout popular music and culture.
Drum and bass began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom breakbeat
hardcore and rave scene of the late 1980s; and over the first decade of
its existence there have been many permutations in its style,
incorporating elements from ragga, dancehall, electro, funk, hip hop,
house, jazz, heavy metal, reggae, rock, techno and trance.
History
Main article: History of drum and bass
See also: Oldschool jungle
For the detailed history of drum and bass music, please refer to the
history article which details the origins of this genre in UK rave
culture alongside the origin of the name jungle, the appearance of
junglist subculture, the change in name and musical evolution to drum
and bass and its development through its short-lived mainstream
popularity, subsequent crisis and post-millennial rebirth.
Summary
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the development of a musical style
and scene (referring to the social aspects around the music) known as
acid house in the UK. The music of acid house combined regular beats
alongside broken, syncopated, beats and strong basslines and fast tempos
(faster than house music tempos). As time drew by, musical tracks
containing only broken beats began to be known as "jungle" and began to
constitute a separate and recognizable musical genre (circa 1991-1992)
popular at raves and on pirate radio in urban Britain. These tracks
often combined ragga vocal tracks, broken beats and basslines. By 1994
jungle began to gain mainstream popularity and junglists as fans of the
music began calling themselves became a recognisable part of British
youth subculture. At this time jungle began to be associated with
criminal activity and perhaps as a reaction or perhaps independently of
this, producers began to draw away from the ragga style and create what
they labelled drum and bass. There is no clear point at which jungle
became drum and bass, though most jungle producers continue nowadays to
produce what they call drum and bass.
As the music style became more polished and sophisticated, it began to
shift from pirate to commercial radio and gain widespread acceptance
(circa 1995-1997). It also began to split into recognisable subgenres
such as jump-up. As a lighter sound of drum and bass began to win over
the musical mainstream, many producers continued to work on the other
end of the spectrum, resulting in a series of releases which highlighted
a dark, technical sound which drew more influence from techno music and
the soundscapes of science fiction and anime films, this sub-genre
became know as techstep (circa 1997-1998). Whilst evolving musically,
drum and bass found itself suddenly upstarted by the garage/2step
musical style, which drew part of its inspiration from drum and bass.
This genre quickly eclipsed drum and bass in popularity and nearing the
turn of the millennium, predictions and statement were being made that
"drum and bass is dead". Drum and bass however survived this event and
the turn of the millennium has seen a revival in its popularity and
continuing development, i.e. the appearance of the liquid funk subgenre
which draws its inspiration from house and disco alongside a new wave of
artists, joining the "jungle" pioneers. It remains a fairly unknown
musical style but makes frequent unrecognised appearance in the
mainstream as well as being highly influential on other musical styles
and some of its artists are widely known, perhaps none more so than
Goldie. It remains most popular in its birthplace in the UK but has
spread worldwide over the short period of its existence.[1]
Musicology of drum and bass
Goldie, one of the most recognizable drum and bass artists.
Goldie, one of the most recognizable drum and bass artists.[2]
There are many views of what constitutes "real" drum and bass as it has
many scenes and styles within it, from heavy paranoid vocal free
techstep beats to the relaxed singing vibes of liquid funk. It has been
compared with jazz where the listener can get very different sounding
music all coming under the same music genre, because like drum and bass,
it is more of an approach, or a tradition, than a style.[3] The sounds
of drum and bass are extremely varied - and to a person unfamiliar to
them, there may seem to be little connection between the subgenres.
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. However, the appearance and development
of live acts using acoustic and electrically amplified instruments - in
particular those employing live drumming by a drummer - pushes the genre
outside of the sometimes narrow definition of electronic music.[4][5][6]
For the already mentioned reasons, the musicology of drum and bass is
difficult to precisely define; however, the following key
characteristics may be observed:
Defining characteristics
Importance of drum and bassline elements
The name "drum and bass" should not lead to the assumption that tracks
are constructed solely from these elements. Nevertheless, they are by
far and away the most critical features, and usually dominate the mix of
a track. Despite the apparent simplicity of drum and bass productions to
the untrained ear, an inordinate amount of time is spent on preparing
tracks by the more experienced producers.
The genre places great importance on the "bass line", a deep sub-bass
musical pattern which is felt physically as much as it is heard. There
has also been considerable exploration of different timbres in the bass
line region, particularly within techstep. Bass lines exist in many
forms, but most notably they originate from sampled sources or
synthesizers. Bass lines performed with a bass (instrument), whether it
is electric, acoustic or a double bass, are rare. Sampled basslines are
often taken from double bass recordings or from publicly available
loops. Synthesized bass lines are however just as common.
In drum and bass productions, the bass lines are subjected to many and
varied sound effects, including standard techniques such as dynamic
compression, flanger, chorus, over-drive, equalization, etc. and drum
and bass specific techniques such as the "Reese Bass", in fact not a
technique per se, but the degrees of processing, distortion and
filtering placed upon a widely-used sample of Kevin Saunderson's most
infamous 'Reese' bass line sample - from 1988's classic "Just Another
Chance".
Of equal importance is the "808"[7] 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. These techniques are fully
appreciated in a club or rave environment as only large,
professional-grade woofers, coupled with powerful cross-over amplifiers,
can fully reproduce the sound of the eponymous bass drum, the
frequencies of which are sometimes lower than audible (they can however
be felt on the body). This has led to the creation of very large and
intensely loud soundsystems by producers wishing to show off their
tracks in a true high fidelity environment, such as Dillinja's Valve
Sound System. This does not mean, however, that the music cannot be
appreciated on personal equipment.
The complex syncopation of the drum tracks breakbeat, is another facet
of production on which producers spend a very large amount of time. A
drum phrase lasting seconds may often take a day or more to prepare,
depending on the dedication of the producer. The Amen break is generally
acknowledged to have been the most-used (and often considered the most
powerful) break in drum and bass.[8]
It would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that drum and bass
(at least in its early days) was a style built around a single broken
beat element which was a single sample, the Amen, but other samples have
had a significant impact, including the Apache break, the Funky Drummer,
and others.[9] The Funky Drummer has perhaps superseded the Amen in
modern productions.
A commonly used break is the Tramen, a combined beat that is perhaps the
ultimate statement on the fusion of musical styles in drum and bass as
it combines the Amen, a James Brown funk breakbeat ("Tighten Up" or
"Samurai" break) and an Alex Reece drum and bass breakbeat.[10]
The very fast (objectively) 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. However, without a fast
& broken beat, a drum and bass track would not be a drum and bass track
but could be classified as a gabber, techno, breaks or house music
track.[11]
"Stone cold sober, how can I? I can't go to work today. Lord oh Lord
what have I done? I wanna dance to the beat of a different drum." -
London Elektricity "Different Drum" (Hospital) 2003
Tempo
Drum and bass is usually between 160-180 BPM, in contrast to other forms
of breakbeat 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 old skool rave was
around 125 / 135 bpm in 1989 / 1991, early (late 1992 - 1993) jungle /
breakbeat hardcore was around 155-165 BPM. Since around 1996,
drum'n'bass tempos have predominantly stayed in the 173 to 180 range.
Recently some producers have started to once again produce tracks with
slower tempos (i.e. in the 150's and 160's), but the mid-170 tempo is
still the hallmark of the drum and bass sound.
A track combining the same elements (broken beat, bass, production
techniques) as a drum and bass track, but with a slower beat (say 140
BPM), would not be drum and bass but a drum and bass influenced
breakbeat track.[12]
The speed of drum and bass is not however only characterised by that of
the broken beat. Drum and bass has a bassline, which will typically play
at half the speed of the drums, bringing its speed down to that of, for
instance, a laid back hip-hop track. A listener or dancer can
concentrate on this element rather than the faster drums.
It should be noted that the speed of music is subjective. A aggressively
produced track with a complicated beat and synthesizer sounds may 'sound
faster' than one with a sampled double bass bassline, guitar riffs and
simpler beat, however the second track may be in strict BPM terms
faster. Radio friendly tracks like Shy FX's "Shake Ur Body" often have
higher BPMs than ominous techstep productions which might eject the
unitiated very quickly from a dancefloor.
It is interesting to note that the faster a track is in BPM terms, the
less complex its drum patterns can be because at higher step the
elements cease to be heard separately, turning them into a wall of
sound. A faster drum and bass track will therefore generally have a less
complex drum pattern than a slower one.
Live performances of drum and bass music on electric and acoustic
instruments will often entail a drop in relative BPM (though not
necessarily) , unsurprising in light of the complexity of drum patterns
and the high exertion required of a drummer.
Context
For the most part, drum and bass is a form of dance music, mostly
designed to be heard in clubs. It exhibits a full frequency response and
physicality which often simply cannot be fully appreciated on home
listening equipment. 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.[13][14]
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.[15]
Importance of the DJ and MC
Drum and bass is often heard via a DJ. Because most tracks are designed
to be mixed by a DJ, their structure typically reflects this, with intro
and outro sections designed for a DJ to use while beat-matching, rather
than being designed to be heard in entirety by the listener. The DJ
typically mixes between records so as not to lose the continuous beat.
In addition, the DJ may employ hip hop style "scratching",
"double-drops" (where two tracks are synchronized such that both tracks
drop at the same time[16]), and "rewinds."
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 recognisable 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" 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.
The name of a genre of drum and bass, "jump up" initially referred to
the urge for those seated to dance at this point.
DJ support (that is playing a track) in a club atmosphere or on radio is
critical in track success, even if the track producer is well known.[17]
To this end, djs will receive dubplates a long time before a general
release of a track, sometimes many months before, in order to spark
interest in it as well as benefit the DJ (exclusive and early access to
tracks is a hallmark of DJ success, i.e. the case of Andy C). Sometimes
a DJ will receive versions of tracks that are not planned for general
release, these are so-called VIP mixes.
DJs are often accompanied by one or more MCs, drawing on the genre's
roots in hip hop and reggae/ragga.[18]
The role of MCs in the music cannot be underestimated but they do not
generally receive the same level of recognition as producer/djs. There
are relatively few well-know drum and bass MC's, with MC GQ, Dynamite
MC, MC Fats and Stevie Hyper D (deceased) as examples.[19]
"You and me - me and you! We haffi brock a smile and don bother screw
dis one dedicated to all massive and crew, we haffi get lively inna di
venue! mi bawl ... Where's the noise? I want you jump up and swing an
sway, and move your body with no delay. Hyper on the microphone, I've
nuff to say, nuff to say, nuff to say." - Congo Natty "Stevie Hyper D
Tribute" (Congo Natty) 2005
Subgenres
Recently, 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. The generally accepted and major sub-genres of drum
and bass include:
* Darkstep (or "Darkside" or "Dark")
* Drumfunk (or "Choppage", "Edits")
* Electrostep (or "Trancestep" or "Futurestep"]
* Hardstep
* Intelligent (or "Atmospheric" or "Ambient")
* Jazzstep (or "Jazz and Bass")
* Jump-Up
* Liquid funk (or simply "Liquid")
* Neurofunk
* Sambass (or "Brazilian Drum and Bass")
* Techstep
The following are to a lesser and great degree, arguable subgenres, they
would generally be described as separate genres by their proponents:
* Breakcore (arguably a different genre, not a subgenre, with many
differences)
* Darkcore (both a precursor and a descendant of drum and bass since
modern darkcore productions share much with darkstep)
* Raggacore (arguably a different genre, not a subgenre, with many
differences)
* Ragga jungle (arguably a different genre, not a subgenre - a modern
sound which shares most if not all characteristics with early jungle
music - difficult to differentiate - perhaps through frequent mention of
H.I.M. Haile Selassie and Rastafarian themes)
* Techmospheric (arguably not a recognized subgenre)
As with all attempts to classify and categorize music, the above should
not be treated as definitive. Many producers release albums and tracks
which touch into many of the above styles and there are significant
arguments as to the classification of tracks as well as the basic
defining characteristics of subgenres. The list of arguable subgenres in
particular should not be treated as definitive.
The modern distinctive ragga jungle style (arguably subgenre or even
separate genre) is a direct throwback to the 1994-1995 style of drum and
bass production. However, many modern drum and bass mainstream
productions contain ragga, dancehall and regga elements, they are just
not as dominant as previously.
Clownstep is a derisory term for varieties of drum and bass not
appreciated by certain listeners (in particular the jump-up variety) and
is prevalent on the internet, whilst not being a subgenre as such. Most
producers would feel insulted by the labelling of their music as
"clownstep".[20]
"Dubwise" is more of a stylistic approach than subgenre.
Jungle vs. drum and bass
Music sample:
* 4 track illustration of the evolution and continuity of the drum and
bass sound (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 2 minute sample. This clip contains 4 tracks ranging from proto-jungle
"Tribal Bass" (1991) to a jungle "Here I Come" (1995) to an ominous
early drum and bass remix (1995) to an Aphrodite modern drum and bass
remix in the jump up style (2005), "Tribal Natty". All contain the same
Barrington Levy vocals (originally contained in the title song of the
album Here I Come). Listen and compare the sound. Barrington Levy's
vocals illustrate the wide degree of cross over with dancehall/ragga.
o Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Nowadays the difference between jungle (or oldschool jungle) and drum
and bass is a common debate within the "junglist" community. There is no
universally accepted semantic distinction between the terms "jungle" and
"drum and bass". Some associate "jungle" with older material from the
first half of the 1990s (sometimes referred to as "jungle techno"), and
see drum and bass as essentially succeeding jungle. Others use jungle as
a shorthand for ragga jungle, a specific sub-genre within the broader
realm of drum and bass. In the U.S., the combined term "jungle drum and
bass" (JDB) has some popularity, but is not widespread elsewhere.
Proponents of a distinction between jungle and drum and bass argue that:
* Drum and bass has an integrated percussion and bass structure while
jungle has a distinct bass line separated from the percussion.
* The relatively simple drum break beats of modern drum and bass are
less complex than the 'chopped' 'Amen' breakbeats of jungle.
* The usage of ragga vocals differs drum and bass from jungle.
* Jungle is the music of the early nineties and drum and bass appeared
at a later time.
Opponents of a distinction would argue that there are many modern drum &
bass productions with seperated basslines, complex breakbeats and ragga
vocals.
Probably the widest held viewpoint is that the terms are simply
synonymous and interchangeable: drum and bass is jungle, and jungle is
drum and bass.
"At the end of the day I am an ambassador for Drum and Bass the world
over and have been playing for 16 years under the name Hype... To most
of you out there Drum and Bass will be an important part of your lives,
but for me Drum and Bass/Jungle is my life and always has been... We all
have a part to play and believe me when I say I am no fucking bandwagon
jumper, just a hard working Hackney man doing this thing called Drum and
Bass/Jungle." DJ Hype[21]
Influences
Influences on drum and bass
"A lot of the people who are producing now are influenced only by drum
'n' bass so they're losing contact with the outside world. It's a really
narrow-minded sound right now. Years ago the producers were listening to
all sorts of styles to make their music -- they were into hip-hop and
jazz and hearing new sounds. Now there's a new generation that grew up
on drum 'n' bass and that's all they know. It's like it's created its
own monster." - Dillinja[22]
Drum and bass music, born in samplers, has been and is heavily
influenced by other music genres,[23][24][25][26] though this influence
has perhaps been lessened in the shift from jungle to drum and bass and
the intelligent drum and bass and techstep revolution.[27] It still
remains a fusion music style.[3]
It could be stated that Miles Davis is one the most important
influences.[28] Blues artists like Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Charlie
Patton, Muddy Waters & B.B King have also been cited by producers as
inspirations.
As a musical style built around a funk or rock & roll beat (syncopated)
Al Green,[29] Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight & the Pips,
Temptations,[30] Jackson 5, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Otis
Redding, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, the Supremes, the Commodores,
George Clinton, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Herbie Hancock,[31] James
Brown and even Michael Jackson, are funky influences on the
music.[32][33]
A very obvious and strong influence on jungle and drum and bass is the
original dub and reggae[34] sound out of Jamaica, with pioneers like
King Tubby, Pete Tosh, Sly & Robbie, Bill Laswell, Lee Perry, Mad
Professor, Roots Radics, Bob Marley[35] and Buju Banton heavily
influencing the music. This influence has lessened with time but is
still evident with many tracks containing ragga vocals.
Early hip-hop is an extremely important influence on drum and
bass,[36][37][38] with the genres sharing the same broken beat. Drum and
bass shares many musically characteristics with hip-hop though it is
nowadays mostly stripped of lyrics. Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaata,
De La Soul, 2 Live Crew, Jungle Brothers, Kool Keith, Run DMC, Public
Enemy, Schooly D, NWA, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr Dre, Mos Def, Beastie Boys and
the Pharcyde are very often directly sampled, regardless of their
general influence.
Even modern avant-garde composers such as Henryk Gorecki have influenced
drum and bass.[39]
Many tracks belonging to other genres are 'remixed' into drum and bass
versions. The quality of these remixes varies from the simple and
primitive adding of broken beats to a vocal track or to complete
reworkings that may exceed the original in quality and effort put into
them. Original artists will often ask for drum and bass remixes of their
tracks to be made in order to spark further interest in their tracks
(i.e. Aphrodite's remix of Jungle Brothers' "Jungle Brother").
On the other hand, some tracks are (illegally) remixed and released on
white label (technically bootleg), often to acclaim. For example: "Ready
or Not", DJ Zinc's remix of The Fugees' "Ready or Not", also known as
"Fugee Or Not", was eventually released with Fugee permission after talk
of legal action - ironically the Fugee's version infringed Enya's
copyright to an earlier song.[40]
White labels along with dubplates play an important part in drum and
bass musical culture.
As a final note, without The Winstons "Amen break", drum and bass may
never have appeared, so perhaps their influence is the greatest.
Direct influence
In mentioning drum and bass influences, special mention needs to be
given to a few scenes and individuals.
The first is the US breakbeat scene which emerged in the 1980s, the most
famous artist being NYC's Frankie Bones whose infamous 'Bones Breaks'
series from the late '80's onwards helped push the house-tempoed
breakbeat sound (especially in the UK) and can be said to be a direct
precursor to the UK breakbeat / hardcore scene.[3]
The second is Kevin Saunderson, who 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 infamous
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 (and bassline heavy) 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
(increased speed) as far as their Technics record decks would go.
The third precursor worth mentioning here is the Miami, USA Booty Bass /
Miami Bass scene, first popularised by 2 Live Crew in the mid to late
'80's. There are clear sonic parallels with drum bass here in the use of
uptempo synths and drum machines in producing bass-heavy party music.
However, this movement had absolutely no connection with either the US
house scene or the UK acid house / rave scene, and to that extent is not
classifiable as 'rave' music in the same way as the above examples
possibly are.
Samples
Music sample:
* 2 track ilustration of sampling and mixing of drum and bass tracks
(file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample. This clip contains 2 tracks, "Bad Ass" by Aphrodite
& Mickey Finn (1996) sampling the film "South Central" and Sound of the
Future's "Lighter" (1995) which samples the piano theme from the film
"Love Story". The clip also illustrates mixing techniques from Dj Hype
on the cd compilation "Jungle Massive". Both tracks are treated as
classic drum and bass tracks.
o Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Drum and bass tracks often contain many direct samples from other
tracks, some examples are listed below:[41]
* Afrika Bambaataa's eponymous "Planet Rock" - the beat is sampled in
Hypnotist's "Pioneers Of The Warped Groove" (Rising High)
* A-Ha's pop megahit "Take On Me" - the synths are sampled in Yolk's
"Bish Bosh" (Ruffbeat)
* Beastie Boys's highly influential "The New Style" - the word "drop" is
sampled in Lemon D's "Break It Down" (Reinforced)
* Cypress Hill's searing "I Wanna Get High" - the horn loop beat is
sampled in Shy FX Feat. UK Apachi's "Original Nuttah" (Sound Of
Underground Recordings)
* De La Soul's "The Game Show" - the vocal "now, here's what we'll do"
is sampled in DJ Krust's "Guess" (V)
* Rankin Joe's "Step it Pon da Rastaman Scene" (taken from the Easy Star
All-Stars' Dub Side of the Moon) - the vocal line is sampled in the DJ
Fresh and Pendulum collaboration "Babylon Rising" (Breakbeat Kaos)
* Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" is heavily sampled in High
Contrast's "Days Go By" (The Contrast)
Drum and bass also samples other media, including film and television:
* Apocalypse Now - The phrase "And for my sins they gave me one" is
sampled in Hyper On Experience's "Ouiji Awakening" (Moving Shadow)
* Blade Runner - The phrase "Angels fell" is sampled in Dillinja's
"Angels Fell" (Metalheadz)
* Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - The song that is sung by Willy
Wonka during the boat scene is sampled in Pendulum's "Through The Loop"
* Goodfellas - The introduction narration "One day the kids from the
neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know
why? It was outta respect. ." is sampled in Shy Fx Feat. UK Apachi's
"Original Nuttah" (Sound Of Underground Recordings)
* Robocop - The phrase "You're gonna be a bad muthafucker" in A Guy
Called Gerald's "Cyber Jazz"
* Scarface - The phrase "All I have in this world are my balls and my
word... and I break them for nobody" in DJ Hype's "True Playaz Anthem"
(Parousia)
Influenced by drum and bass
Jungle/drum and bass has and continues to influence many other musical
genres, thanks to its variety, experimentation and producer (borderline
obsessive) professionalism.
Speed garage and 2step in the UK were born at the height of the
popularity of jungle, copying the bass-lines, fast tempo (though much
slowed down), ragga vocals (with frequent MC accompaniment) and
production techniques. They may be referred to as descendants of drum
and bass[42][43]and at one time drove drum and bass into relative
obscurity. It is perhaps ironic, that grime and dubstep, their
descendants have driven these genres underground whilst drum and bass
has survived and evolved. Dubstep combines sounds of 2step with the deep
basslines and reggae vibe of early jungle.
Born at the end of the millennium, breakcore shares many of the elements
of drum and bass and to the unitiated, 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. Raggacore resembles a faster version of the ragga
influenced jungle music of the 1990s, similar to breakcore but with more
friendly dancehall beats (dancehall itself being a very important
influence on drum and bass).[44] Darkcore a direct influence on drum and
bass, is itself heavily influenced by drum and bass, especially
darkstep. There is considerable crossover from the extreme edges of drum
and bass, breakcore, darkcore and raggacore with fluid boundaries.
Drill and bass, a sub-genre of intelligent dance music (also known as
"IDM"), popularized by Aphex Twin, features many of the same types of
rhythms used in drum and bass and is generally focused on complexity in
programming and instrumentation. Its main proponents include
Squarepusher and Venetian Snares, amongst others. IDM itself has been
heavily influenced by drum and bass.
Despite never gaining the mainstream popularity of speed garage and
2step, drum and bass' impact in musical terms has been very significant
and the genre has influenced many other genres like jazz, metal, hiphop,
big beat, house music, trip hop, ambient music, techno, hardcore and
pop, with artists such as Bill Laswell,[45] Slipknot, Incubus,
Timbaland, Missy Elliot, Pharell, Fat Boy Slim, Lamb, Underworld, The
Streets, The Freestylers, Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie (the last two
both using elements of Goldie's "Timeless")[46] and others quoting drum
and bass and using drum and bass techniques and elements. This is only
the tip of the iceberg in terms of impact and influence.
Media & samples
Also see media links accompanying text.
* Rebel Mc "Wickedest Sound" (1991) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample illustrating dancehall ragga vocals combined with a
broken beat in a proto-jungle track.
* A Guy Called Gerald "28 Gun Bad Boy" (1992) (file info) — play in
browser (beta)
o 30 second sample illustrating the combination of basslines, broken
beats, rave melody and aesthetics in a proto-jungle track. Still
recognisably drum and bass in sound.
* Shy FX's "Original Nuttah" (1994) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample containing references to "jungle". One of the best
known drum and bass tracks and familiar to almost all listeners.
* Adam F's "Circles" (1995) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample. Notice the subtle usage of drums and melodic
elements, as contrasted to previous music samples. It still contains a
fast broken beat but the beat is less audible.
* DJ Krust's "Warhead" (1997) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample. Note that this song has no vocals and is driven by a
simple, though powerful beat. This is another 'standard' track for drum
and bass listeners. The powerful bassline in this song is distorted by
the restrictions of the ogg format.
* Bad Company's "The Nine" (2001) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample. This eponymuous techstep tune contains all the
ominous and dark elements of its subgenre and is regularly stated as a
favourite by listeners and producers. Compare it to the lighter sounds
of Circles or Warhead. Bassline once again is limited by ogg file
constraints.
* Aphrodite "Ganja Man" (2002) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 30 second sample. A modern jump-up track with simple beats, a Lauryn
Hill sample and vocal throwbacks to the ragga era of jungle.
* 4 track illustration of the evolution and continuity of the drum and
bass sound (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o 2 minute sample. This clip contains 4 tracks ranging from proto-jungle
"Tribal Bass" (1991) to a jungle "Here I Come" (1995) to an ominous
early drum and bass remix (1995) to a white label modern drum and bass
remix in the jump up style (2005?). All contain the same Barrington Levy
vocals (originally contained in the title song of the album Here I
Come). Listen and compare the sound. Barrington Levy's vocals illustrate
the wide degree of cross over with dancehall/ragga.
* Problems playing the files? See media help.
Drum and bass globally
Despite its roots in the UK, which can still be treated as the "home" of
drum and bass, drum and bass has firmly established itself around the
world. There are strong scenes in other English-speaking countries
including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United
States.[47] It is popular in Europe, in countries ranging from Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia,
Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Iceland, Belgium and the
Netherlands. It is also popular 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, artists have created their own forms of drum and bass
combining it with experimental musical forms. Asia also has a drum and
bass scene in countries and cities like Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan,
Malaysia, Shanghai and Singapore.
Established international drum & bass producers and DJ's include names
like Pendulum (Australia), DJ Marky (Brazil), D-Kay (Austria), Noisia
(Netherlands), Hive (United States), Dieselboy (United States), Black
Sun Empire (Netherlands), XRS (Brazil), Patife (Brazil), Teebee
(Norway), Makoto (Japan), Concord Dawn (New Zealand) and Tactile
(Hungary).
Appearances in the mainstream
"I'll keep you in safety, forever protect you. I'll hide you away from,
the world you rejected. I'll hide you, I’ll hide you." - Kosheen "Hide
U" (Moksha) 1999
"Shotter, hitter, serial killer! Go a your funeral and all drink out
your liquor, when you are bury, we a stand next to vicar. Fling on some
dirt and make you bury lickle quicker, shouldn't test the youth dem in
the Tommy Hilfiger." - Pendulum & Fresh & Tenor Fly "Tarantula"
(Breakbeat Kaos) 2005
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 "Timeless" album of 1995,
along with Reprazent's "New Forms" in 1997[48] and Pendulum's "Hold Your
Colour" in 2005. Tracks such as Shy FX and T-Power's "Shake UR Body"
gained a UK Top 40 Chart placing in 2005.
More recently, video game tracks, specifically Rockstar Games releases,
have contained many drum and bass tracks, i.e. the MSX/MSX 98 radio
station in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City
Stories.
The genre has some popularity in soundtracks, for instance Hive's
"Ultrasonic Sound" was used in the Matrix's soundtrack and the EZ
Rollers' song "Walk This Land" appeared in the film "Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels". Goldie himself appeared in another Guy Richie film,
Snatch.
Drum and bass often makes an appearance as background music, especially
in Top Gear and television commercials thanks to its aggressive and
energetic beats. However, due to the relative obscurity of the genre,
most listeners would not recognise the music as drum and bass.
Record labels
Drum and bass is dominated by a few large drum and bass specific record
labels (run by veteran drum and bass producers and djs, i.e. Dillinja's
Valve label) but there exist many tiny record labels often run from
bedrooms. Drum and bass labels are generally run for pleasure and profit
by its artists.
The major international music labels such as Sony Music, Universal and
such are generally not interested in drum and bass artists due to their
relatively low sales figures, although they have in the past made
exceptions for higher profile names (for example, Grooverider's
Mysteries of Funk album was released through a Sony subsidiary).
Accessing drum and bass
Purchasing
Drum and bass is mostly sold in 12-inch vinyl single format. With the
emergence of drum and bass into mainstream music markets, more and more
albums, compilations and DJ mixes are being sold on CDs. Still,
purchasing drum and bass music can involve searching for new releases in
specialized record shops or using one of the many online vinyl, CD and
MP3 retailers.
Drum and bass can also be purchased in the form of "tape packs", which
are a collection of recordings recorded at a selected rave or party.
Each tape contains the set by one DJ at that particular rave/party
including the MC's.
Most tape packs contain 8 tapes with sets from different DJ's. More
recently tape packs have become available on CD as tape cassettes are
being phased out and recordable CD media is more available, although the
CD packs still retain their traditional name of "tape packs". Most of
these packs contain 6 CDs.
Distributors (Wholesale)
The bulk of drum and bass vinyl records and CDs are distributed globally
and regionally by a relatively small number of companies.[49]
Media presence
Radio
The two highest profile radio stations playing drum and bass shows are
Fabio and Grooverider on BBC Radio 1, which can be heard in the USA and
Canada on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 11, and DJ Hype on the now
legal Kiss 100 in London. The BBC's "urban" station BBC 1Xtra also
features the genre heavily, with DJs L Double, Bailey and Flight as its
advocates. The network also organises a week long tour of the UK each
year called Xtra Bass. Also worthy of mention is the pioneering and
leading London pirate radio station Kool FM, which exclusively
broadcasts drum&bass since 1991.
In North America, XM Satellite, 89.6 CIUT (Toronto), Album 88.5
(Atlanta) and C89.5fm (Seattle) have shows showcasing drum and bass.
Magazines
The best known drum and bass publication is Knowledge magazine. Other
publications include the longest running drum and bass magazine
worldwide ATM Magazine, Canadian-based Rinse Magazine' and
Austrian-based Resident.
Literature
* A History of Rock Music, , 1951-2000 by Piero Scariffo (ISBN
978-0595295654), nonfiction in HTML form
* All Crews: Journeys Through Jungle / Drum and Bass Culture by Brian
Belle-Fortune (ISBN 0-9548897-0-3), nonfiction
* 'Roots 'n Future' in Energy Flash by Simon Reynolds, Picador (ISBN
0-330-35056-0), nonfiction
* 'Rumble in the Jungle: The Invisible History of Drum and Bass' by
Steven Quinn, in: Transformations, No 3 (2002), nonfiction (ISSN
1444-377) PDF file
* State of Bass, Jungle: The Story So Far by Martin James, Boxtree (ISBN
0-7522-2323-2), nonfiction
* The Rough Guide to Drum 'n' Bass by Peter Shapiro and Alexix Maryon
(ISBN 1-85828-433-3), nonfiction
* King Rat by China Melville (ISBN 0-330-37098-7), fiction
Online
Drum and bass has a very strong, important and vocal online presence
with many dedicated portals, forums, communities and the already
mentioned 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.[50] Internet sites are a source of the latest mixes
(professional or amateur) and tracks by unsigned producers. The two
dominant and most popular websites are Dogs On Acid and Drum and Bass
Arena, listed here for reference and research reasons.
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_and_bass
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