Drum and bass (drum n bass, drum'n'bass, DnB, d'n'b) is an electronic music style.
Originally an offshoot of the United Kingdom breakbeat hardcore and rave scene, it came into existence when djs and producers mixed reggae basslines with sped-up breakbeats, predominantly sampled from 80's funk and hip hop records. Pioneers such as Fabio, Grooverider, Andy C, Roni Size, DJ SS, Brockie, Mickey Finn Kenny Ken, Goldie, and other DJs quickly became the stars of drum and bass, then still called jungle.
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 USA, the combined term "Jungle Drum and Bass" (JDB) has some popularity, but is not widespread elsewhere. 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 - although many drum and bass or jungle fans will debate this belief.
Musicology of drum and bass
There are many views of what constitutes "real" drum and bass as it has many scenes and styles within it, from heavy pounding bass lines to the relaxed 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. As such, therefore, it is difficult to precisely define; however, the following key features may be observed:
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Defining characteristics
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Basslines
Regarded by many as being the most important musical element in drum and bass. Basslines exist in many forms, but most notably they originate from sampled sources or synthesizers. Live played basslines are rare. Sampled basslines are often taken from double bass recordings or from publicly available loops. Synthesized basslines are very common and have sprouted a classic sound known as the Hoover or Reese.
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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 School rave and breakbeat-descended jungle was around 155-165 BPM, whilst 21st Century material rarely falls below 170BPM, and often hits 180BPM.
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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 far and away the most critical features, and usually dominate the mix of a track. The genre places great importance on deep sub-bass which is felt physically as much as it is heard, the "bassline". There has also been considerable exploration of different timbres in the bassline region, particularly within techstep.
Despite the apparent simplicity, to the untrained ear, of drum & bass productions, an inordinate amount of time is spent on preparing tracks by the more experienced producers.
In drum & bass productions, the basslines are subjected to many and varied sound effects, including standard techniques such as echo, equalization, flanger, chorus, over-drive, equalization, etc. and drum & bass specific techniques such as the Reece Bass. These techniques are fully appreciated in a club or rave environment as only high grade bass speakers can fully reproduce the sounds of the eponymous bassline, whose frequences are sometimes lower than audible (they can however be felt on the body). This has led to the creation of 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 Soundsystem. This however does not mean that the music cannot be appreciated on personal equipment.
The drum, element, the syncopated break is another element that producers spend a very large amount of time on, a drum fragment lasting seconds may often take a day or more to prepare, depending on the dedication of the producer, here Remarc is an acknowledged master.
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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.
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), and "rewinds."
Most 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 tunes, though as the two records may be simply ambient breakdowns at this point, this could be considered lazier than blending the music where breakbeats play together. Some drops are so popular that the DJ will "rewind" or "reload" by spinning the record back and restarting it at the build. This is a technique which can easily be overused as it breaks the continuity of a set. "The drop" is 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. "Jump up" initially referred to the urge for those seated to dance at this point, though it came later to refer more specifically to a style of the music. A "rewind" would be popular here as the crowd could dance from the start of the record, and to the change in music they hadn't anticipated.
DJs are typically accompanied by one or more MCs, drawing on the genre's roots in hip hop and Reggae/Ragga.
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.
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Relationship to other electronic music styles
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. Some major sub-genres of drum and bass include:
* Clownstep
* Drumfunk (or "Choppage", "Edits")
* Hardstep
* Intelligent drum and bass (or "Atmospheric DnB")
* Jazz step (or Jazz'n'Bass)
* Jump-Up
* Jungle
* Liquid funk
* Techmospheric
* Techstep
* Neurofunk
* Wobble
* Dubstep
* Darkstep
As with all attempts to classify and categorize music, the above should not be treated as gospel. Many producers release albums which touch into many of the above styles.
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. Amongst its main proponents include Squarepusher, Amon Tobin and Venetian Snares, amongst others.
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Appearances in the mainstream
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. More recently, tracks such as Shy FX and T-Power's "Shake UR Body" gained a UK Top 40 Chart placing. Hive's "Ultrasonic Sound" was also used on the first Matrix soundtrack. More recently, game tracks, specifically Rockstar Games releases have contained many drum & bass tracks, i.e. the MSX radio station in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
On the other hand, pop music has also occasionally co-opted elements of drum and bass, albeit in watered-down fashion. Examples include Puretone and Girls Aloud. Drum and bass also often appears in advertising and TV.
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Key record labels
The following are some of the major labels within drumnbass:
* [[31 Records]
* Barcode records
* Black Sun Empire
* Breakbeat Kaos
* Certificate 18 Records
* Commercial Suicide
* Counter Intelligence
* Creative Source
* Easy Records
* Formation Records
* Full Cycle Recordings
* Good Looking Organisation
* Hospital Records
* Metalheadz
* Moving Shadow
* No U-Turn
* RAM Recordings
* Reinforced Records
* Renegade Hardware (part of the Trouble on Vinyl group)
* Soul:R
* Subtitles Recordings
* Suburban Base Records
* Taciturn Records
* Underfire Recordings
* V Recordings
* Violence Recordings
* Virus Recordings
* Valve Recordings
* Rinse Proof Records
01/08/11, 04:44
