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 hip hop breakbeats. Pioneers such as Fabio, Grooverider, Andy C, Roni Size, DJ SS, Brockie, Mickey Finn, Kenny Ken, Goldie, Velocity 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, and see drum and bass as essentially succeeding jungle with the newer, post-techstep developments. 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.
Beginnings in the UK
Early jungle was an offshoot of rave (US readers may think of this as techno music but "rave" is very different from the stripped-down Detroit "techno" sound) music that focused on the breakbeat. Although jungle music originated largely within Britain's Afro-Caribbean communities, it benefited from the diverse influences of many racial and cultural groups, often brought together in the inclusive ecstasy-fueled atmosphere of the Acid House raves which exploded in popularity in the late eighties. The subculture which produced jungle remains one of the most racially-mixed musical cultures, and the proliferation of sub-genres within drum and bass often proceeds from the adoption of unexpected musical elements. The influence of Jamaican sound-system culture can be found in the use of basslines derived from Dub and Reggae music, alongside the fast breakbeats derived from hip-hop and Funk, alongside many production techniques borrowed from House and Techno music.
As the speed of hardcore accelerated, the complex nature of the sampled funk breakbeats led to the adoption of basslines which had less in common with the simple patterns of house and techno music than with the complex phrasings of dub and hip-hop. Gradually, the bass and drum elements began to dominate to the music and, combined with the increase in speed, jungle became incompatible with house and techno and began to develop its own separate identity. This sonic identity became highly-distinctive for both the depth of its bass and the increasingly-complex, rapid-fire breakbeat percussion. New techniques of drum sampling and layering were developed by jungle producers to achieve these effects, resulting in a focus on the intricacies of drum production that continues to define the music. As the influences of reggae and dub became more prominent, the sound of jungle began to take on an urban sound which was heavily influenced by ragga and dancehall music as well as hip-hop, often incorporating the distinctive vocals and mc chants of these styles of music.
However, as the early nineties saw jungle break out from its underground roots and begin to win popularity with the general British public, many producers attempted to expand the influences of the music beyond the domination of ragga-based sounds. By 1995, a counter movement to the ragga style was emerging, dubbed "intelligent" jungle by the music press, and embodied by LTJ Bukem and his Good Looking label. Some say that the move to intelligent jungle was a conscious and concerted reaction by top DJs and producers against a culture that was becoming tinged with "gangsta" and violent elements, and stereotyped with the recognizable production techniques of the ragga-influenced producers. Intelligent jungle maintained the uptempo breakbeat percussion, but focused on more atmospheric sounds and warm, deep basslines over vocals or samples which often originated from Soul or Jazz music. From this period on, jungle would maintain the unity of a relatively-small musical culture, but one characterised by a competing group of stylistic influences. Although many DJs have specialised in distinctive sub-genres within jungle and drum and bass, the majority of artists within the genre remain connected via record labels, events and radio shows.
Since 2000
Since the revival in popularity in 2000, the drum and bass scene has become very diverse, despite its relatively-small size, to the point where it is difficult to point to any one subgenre as the dominant style.
In 2000, Fabio began championing a form he called Liquid funk, with a compilation release of the same name on his Creative Source label. This was characterised by influences from disco and house, and widespread use of vocals. Although slow to catch on at first, the style grew massively in popularity around 2003-2004, and by 2005 it was established as one of the biggest-selling subgenres in drumnbass, with labels like Hospital Records and Soul:R and artists including High Contrast, Calibre, Nu:Tone, Marcus Intalex and Logistics among its main proponents.
The decade also saw the revival of Jump-Up. Referred to as "Nu Jump Up", or pejoratively as Clownstep, this kept the sense of fun and the simplistic, bouncing basslines from the first generation of Jump Up, but with tougher, harder production values. Prominent Nu Jump Up artists include Twisted Individual, Generation Dub, and DJ Hazard.
Sales figures for 2004 suggest that liquid funk and Nu Jump Up combined probably account for a significant majority of the drum and bass market.
The period also saw the rise of a style known as Dubwise, which returned drum and bass to its reggae-influenced roots, combined with modern production techniques which had advanced immeasurably since the early days of jungle. Although the dub-influenced sound was not new, having long been championed by artists like Digital and Spirit, 2003-2004 saw a significant increase in its popularity and visibility, with new artists like Amit at the forefront.
Similarly, whilst there had long been a niche dedicated almost entirely to detailed drum programming and manipulation, championed by the likes of Paradox, the first half of this decade saw a revival and expansion in the subgenre known variously as Drumfunk, "Edits", or "Choppage". Major labels include Inperspective and the new wave of artists in this style include Fanu, Breakage, and Fracture and Nepture.
The new millennium also saw a fresh wave of live drum and bass bands. The likes of Reprazent and Red Snapper had performed live drum and bass during the 1990s, but the re-creation of London Elektricity as a live band focussed renewed interest on the idea, with acts like The Bays, Keiretsu and Ultra-Violet pursuing this avenue.
The global scene in 2005
The other major development largely occurring since the turn of the millennium is geographical: from UK-oriented beginnings, drum and bass has firmly established itself worldwide. There are strong scenes in other English-speaking countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is popular across Europe, especially in Mannheim Germany since 1992 and in 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 called Sambass, although in Venezuela, artists like Zardonic, Jimmy Flamante or Cardopusher have created Industrial forms of Drum and bass, and also Drill N Bass / IDM, mixing also with latin rhythms like Salsa or Latin Jazz.
Best D&B artists:
ANDY C
COUNTERSTRIKE
FABIO
DJ ZINC
MAYHEM
DRUMAJICK
