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Drum and bass

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Drum and bass
Stylistic originsBreakbeat hardcore, Techno, Hip hop, Reggae/Ragga, Dancehall/Dub, Funk, Breakbeat, Jazz
Cultural originsearly/mid-1990s, London, Bristol
Typical instrumentsSynthesizer - Drum machine - Sequencer - Keyboard - Sampler - Laptop
Subgenres
Darkstep - Drumfunk - Hardstep - Intelligent drum and bass - Jazzstep - Jump-Up - Liquid funk - Neurofunk - Ragga jungle - Sambass - Techstep
(complete list)
Fusion genres
Breakcore - Breakstep - Darkcore - Dubstep - Hipstep - Techbreaks - Raggacore
Other topics
Drum and bass artists, Drum and bass record labels

Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated dnb) is a type of electronic dance music also known as jungle.

Its most recognizable features are fast tempo (160-180 BPM) broken beat drums with loud intricate basslines.

In spite of its specific characteristics which would appear to limit its variety, drum and bass is a very varied musical style, ranging from laid back jazzy tracks like Roni Size's "Brown Paper Bag" to radio friendly pop dance track's like Shy FX's "Shake Ur Body" to ragga influenced rude bwoy tracks like Chase & Status' "2 Tone Sound" to atmospheric and moody tracks like 4 Hero's "Mr Kirk's Nightmare" to extremely fast, forbidding & aggressive techstep tracks like Technical Itch's "Stealth". This is only a sample of its variety, which could be compared to that of jazz.

It began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom breakbeat hardcore and rave scene and came into existence in the early 1990s. Over the first decade of its existence, drum and bass saw many permutations in style, incorporating everything from reggae and jazz to techno, house and trance.

History

Beginnings in the UK

See also: Oldschool jungle


Put on my raving shoes and I boarded the plane. Touch down in a land where the sky looks blue, in the middle of the pouring rain. Everybody was happy, ecstasy shining down on me. Yeah I've got a first class ticket, feel as good as a boy can be. - Shut up and Dance feat. Peter Bouncer - "I'm Raving I'm Raving" (SUAD) 1992

Acid house

Drum and bass evolved from the acid house period in late 1980s Britain which laid the foundations for both hardcore and jungle. Key tracks were Renegade Soundwave's 'The Phantom' and 'Ozone Breakdown' (both 1988), Meat Beat Manifesto's 'Radio Babylon' (1989), 808 State's 'Cubik' (1990), and Humanoid's 'Stakker Humanoid' (1988); all are examples of acid-era experimentation with breaks and bass. In addition, the bleep techno (or Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass) sound of 1989 - 1991 would prove hugely influential, featuring bass-heavy cuts by acts such as Unique 3, Nexus 21, Nightmares on Wax and LFO, and spearheaded by Sheffield's Warp Records. The third immediate and direct influence on drum and bass' existence was the 'Belgian Techno' sound, actually an internationally-created fusion of hardcore, house and techno, pioneered by Joey Beltram, LA Style, Frank De Wulf, CJ Bolland, Richie Hawtin and others. This scene existed briefly from approximately 1989-1990 to 1992 at the very latest, during which period there was much cross-pollination with the UK hardcore sound. This sound did survive in various forms in its mother countries - primarily Belgium, Holland and Germany - beyond 1992, but the general scenes in these countries had shifted over to trance, house, industrial techno or gabba (or happy hardcore / hard house, in UK terms).

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Drum and bass has its direct origins in breakbeat hardcore, a part of the UK rave scene. Hardcore DJs typically played their records at fast tempos, and breakbeat hardcore emphasised breakbeats over the 4-to-the-floor beat structure common to house music. Breakbeat hardcore records such as Lennie De Ice's "We are I.E" (1991), Rebel MC's 'Wickedest Sound' (1991) and "Tribal Bass" (1991), the Ragga Twins' "Spliffhead" (1990), Genaside II's "Sirens of Acre Lane" (1990) and "Narramine" (1991), DJ Dextrous' "Ruffneck Biznizz" (1992), Nightmares On Wax's "Aftermath" (1990) and LTJ Bukem's Demon's Theme (1992) are generally credited [1] as being among the first to have a recognizable drum and bass sound. The very first record would arguably be Meat Beat Manifesto's 'Radio Babylon', recorded in 1989, and is still recognisably 'drum and bass' in sound today.

Some hardcore tracks at the time were extremely light and upbeat; the most extreme example of this were the so called "toy-town" tracks such as Smart E's' Sesame's Treat which features the children's show Sesame Street theme song. This style of hardcore would many years later be known as happy hardcore.

In response to these lighter tracks, some producers started focusing on darker, more aggressive sounds; this style became known as darkside hardcore, or darkcore. Strange noises and effects, syncopated rhythms made from rearranged funk breaks and loud bass lines defined the genre. Examples of darkcore include Goldie's Terminator (1992), Rufige Kru's 'Darkrider' (1992), Top Buzz's "Living In Darkness" (1992) and Nasty Habits' (aka Doc Scott) "Here Comes the Drumz" (1992). These took their cue from the darker sounds of 'Belgian Techno', as found in tracks such as Beltram's "Mentasm" and "Energy Flash" (1991), as well as the dark breaks of 4 Hero's "Mr Kirks Nightmare" (1990) and The Psychopaths' "Nightmare" (1991) among other examples.

This darker, more aggressive sound appealed to many in the dancehall and reggae communities. Both darkcore and dancehall shared an emphasis on rhythm and bass, and the tempos were well suited to be mixed together. Soon many elements of dancehall reggae were being incorporated into the hardcore sound.

The influence of Jamaican sound-system culture can be found in the use of basslines and remixing techniques derived from dub and reggae music, alongside the fast breakbeats and samples derived from urban musics such as hip hop, funk, jazz, and r&b alongside many production techniques borrowed from early electronic music such as house, and techno.

As the genre aged, the use of sampled funk breakbeats became increasingly complex (most notable and widely spread is the Amen break taken from a b-side funk track "Amen, Brother" by the Winston Brothers [2]) producers began cutting apart loops and using the component drum sounds to create new rhythms. To match the complex drum lines, basslines which had less in common with the patterns of house and techno music than with the phrasings of dub and hip hop began to be used. As the beat-per-minute range rose above 165, Drum and bass became incompatible for straight-forward DJ mixing with house and techno, which typically range dozens of beats-per-minute less. This sonic identity became highly-distinctive for both the depth of its bass and the increasingly-complex, rapid-fire breakbeat percussion. Vastly different rhythmic patterns were distinctively being used, as well as new types of sampling, synthesis and effects processing techiniques, resulting in a greater focus on the intricacies of sampling/synthesis production and rhythm. This notably included early use of the time stretching effect which was often used on percussion or vocal samples. As the influences of reggae and dub became more prominent, the sound of drum and bass 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 vocal styles of these musical genres. This reggae/dancehall influenced sound is most commonly associated with the term jungle.

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A Guy Called Gerald "28 Gun Bad Boy" (1992)
30 second sample.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Template:Sample box end Particular tracks from the 1992 - 1993 period that demonstrated some of the beat and sampling progression within drum and bass include: A Guy Called Gerald's "28 Gun Bad Boy", 2 Bad Mice "Bombscare" (1992), Kaotic Kemistry "Illegal Subs" (1992), DJ Crystl "Warpdrive" (1993), Foul Play "Open Your Mind" (Remix) (1993), Bizzy B "Ecstacy is a Science" (1993) and Danny Breaks / Droppin Science "Droppin Science vol 1" (1993). This was an ongoing process however and can be demonstrated as a gradual progression over dozens of tracks in this period.

[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Early pioneers

Goldie

Pioneers such as Rebel MC, Danny Breaks, Bizzy B, Remarc, Krome & Time, DJ Dextrous-King of the Jungle, Fabio, DJ Hype, Grooverider, L Double, Andy C, Roni Size, DJ SS, Brockie, Aphrodite, Ray Keith, Kenny Ken, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Omni Trio and other DJs quickly became the stars of the genre. Other early artists include A Guy Called Gerald)[13][14]and 4hero ("Mr Kirk's Nightmare") who later developed their own styles, leaving the drum and bass mainstream. However, most of the early producers and DJs (of the music then mostly called jungle) still produce and play in today's drum and bass scene, forming something of a jungle 'old guard'.[15]

These early pioneers heavily used Akai samplers, Roland TR-808s and sequencers on the Atari ST to create their tracks[16]. Without these electronic instruments, the first wave of consumer priced but versatile electronic instruments, it is doubtful drum and bass (or many electronic music styles) could have appeared.

Jungle name

See also: Oldschool jungle § The_term_Jungle


Bad boys inna London, rude boys inna England, bad boys inna Jericho, rude boys inna Kingston. - Shy Fx feat. Uk Apache "Original nuttah" (S.O.U.R.) 1994

"We used to get this guy called Danny Jungle lead the dancefloor, going ‘Jungle, Jungle!’ and then before we knew it that was the tag." - Fabio [17].

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Sample box end While the origin of the term 'jungle' music to refer to electronic sound of the 1990's is debatable, the emergence of the term in musical circles can be roughly traced to Jamaican/Caribbean toasting (a pre-cursor to modern MCs), circa 1970. References to 'jungle', 'junglists' and 'jungle music' can be found throughout dub, reggae and dancehall genres from that era up until today. It has been suggested that the term 'junglist' was a reference to a person either from a section of Kingston, Trenchtown also known as 'the Concrete Jungle' or from a different area, 'the Gardens', which was a leafy area colloquially referred to as 'the Jungle'. The first documented use of the term in drum and bass is within a song featuring jungle producer and lyricist Rebel MC - "Rebel got this chant - "'alla the junglists".

Junglists

Main article: Junglist


When I'm weak, you're tellin' me that I'm strong. When I'm right, you're tellin' me that I'm wrong But I know, now I understand, now I see, I see your wicked plan. I'm a Junglist! - Tribe of Issachar "Junglist" (Congo Natty) 1996


The appearance of jungle also resulted in the appearance of junglist subculture, which, while not nearly as distinctive, alienated, ideological or obvious as other youth subcultures, and having many similarities with hip hop styles and behaviour, does function distinctively within the drum and bass listening community. Many drum and bass listeners would and do refer to themselves as junglists, regardless of their attitude on whether jungle differs from drum and bass.

Jungle to drum and bass

Your now say nuff ganja man inna de place, you know. Ah ganja every one innah deh hand and I know dat. Hold up your hand if you a ganja man! - Dj Krome & Mr Time "Ganja Man" (Tearin Vinyl) 1994


The phrase "drum and bass" had been used for years previously in the London soul and funk pirate radio scenes (and was even a bit of a catchphrase for UK Radio 1's R&B Guru Trevor Nelson in his pirate days, who used it to describe the deeper, rougher funk and "rare groove" sound that was popular in London at the time. A formal station ID jingle used on legendary London pirate Kiss FM from the late 1980s would proclaim "Drum and Bass style on Kiss").

One of Moving Shadow's logos

However, as the early nineties saw drum and bass 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" drum and bass by the music press, and its ambassador was LTJ Bukem and his Good Looking label along side Moving Shadow artists such as Foul Play, Omni Trio and Cloud 9. [18]

Since the term jungle was so closely related to the raggae influenced sound, DJs and producers who did not incorporate reggae elements began to adopt the term "drum and bass" to differentiate themselves and their musical styles.

Some say that the move to intelligent drum and bass 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. [19]. The release of General Levy's "Incredible" record in 1994 is taken by many as being the key-point in the transformation. This ragga influenced track contains a statement by General Levy claiming to be the "original junglist" at a time in which he was proclaiming publicly that "I run jungle" which in turn angered the most powerful and influential drum and bass producers, resulting in a blacklisting of General Levy and a conscious step away from the ragga sound. The Ragga jungle style (arguably subgenre or even seperate genre) refers directly to the 1994-1995. However many modern drum and bass mainstream productions contain ragga, dancehall and regga elements, they are just not as dominant as previously. [20] [21]

Intelligent drum and bass 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. It should be noted however that alongside other key producers in the scene, LTJ Bukem, boss of Good Looking and arguably the single most influential figure behind the style, is especially noted for disliking the term, owing to the implication that other forms of drum and bass are not intelligent. From this period on, drum and bass 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.

The mid 1990s also saw a large splintering of the scene. Each sub-genre would tend to be known by its name as opposed to either jungle or drum and bass, though today all sub-genres are usually grouped by the umbrella term drum and bass.

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Sample box end As intelligent drum and bass gained in popularity, the ragga jungle sound became more stripped-down; The complex chopped beats were dropped in favor of simplified rhythms featuring loud, aggressive-sounding snare drums. This hard percussive style eventually became known as hardstep. Simultaneously, certain producers developed a more hip hop and funk influenced style known as jump-up, which was exemplified by artists like Mickey Finn and Aphrodite (with their Urban Takeover label), and the releases on the Ganja Kru's True Playaz label. Outside these genres, which became the most popular styles, other artists pushed a smoother, dubby style of music which had more in common with the jazzy and soulful interests of intelligent drum and bass. Records in this style were often referred to as rollers.

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File:Goldie-timeless.jpg
Cover to the album 'Timeless (released in 1995)

Through 1996, hardstep and jump-up sounds were very popular in clubs and at raves, whereas intelligent drum and bass was pushing a sound which was considered more accessible to the home listener. This, combined with the popularity amongst the intelligentsia of the nascent techstep style, resulted in a popularizing within mainstream music magazines, as CD album releases by 4 Hero and Goldie with his classic Timeless[22] album were more readily-available than the underground dubplates which characterised the club-based styles. Stylistically, drum and bass began to adopt an ever more diverse range of influences, crossbreeding with many other forms of dance music to produce a series of hybrid sounds. In 1997, a sound which was influenced by the double-bass work of jazz musicians came to the forefront, producing a funky, accessible style which achieved mainstream success for artists such as Roni Size and Reprazent (having been instigated by the huge success of Adam F's 1995 double-bassline powered track, "Circles".). The group's New Forms album won the UK's Mercury Prize, and their innovative live band helped drum and bass to break out of the DJ circuit, winning acclaim for performances at music festivals and on television shows.

Around this time, drum and bass also sealed its popularity by winning a Friday night slot on Radio One, the BBC's flagship radio station, the legendary "One in the jungle" show. Initially presented by a revolving groups of jungle luminaries, hosted by MC Navigator, the station eventually secured the presenting services of Fabio and Grooverider, two of the oldest and most-respected DJs in the scene. Many djs made a suddent shift from pirate radio to legal radio at this time.

It should be noted that up to this point, pirate radio was the only radio source of jungle music and in particular Kool FM's and Rush FM's contribution to the development of this sound should not be overlooked or denied. It is doubtful whether jungle would have gained popularity without pirate radio stations. It should also be noted that the transition in name from "jungle" to "drum and bass" occurs at the same time as its legal appearance on airwaves. [23]

Each new hour holds new chances. For new beginnings. Do not be wedded forever. To fear, yoked eternally. To brutishness. The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change. - Ltj Bukem "Horizons" (Looking Good) 1995


Jungle vs. drum and bass

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 [24]. 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. 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[25]

The birth of techstep and "drum and bass" is dead

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Sample box end 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 and the soundscapes of science fiction and anime films. This style was championed by the labels Emotif and No U-Turn, and artists like Doc Scott, Trace, Ed Rush and Optical, and Dom and Roland, and is commonly referred to as techstep. Techstep focused intensely on studio production and applied new techniques of sound generation and processing to older jungle approaches. Self-consciously underground, and lacking the accessible influences of much other drum and bass, techstep is deeply atmospheric, often characterized by sinister or science-fiction themes, cold and complex percussion, and dark, distorted basslines. The sound was a conscious move back towards the darker sounds of Belgian techno and darkside hardcore ('darkcore'), albeit with a greater electro / techno emphasis than darkcore.

The sound also marked a period when drum and bass became more insular and began to draw inspiration from itself rather than other musical genres. The sampler at this time became less important with home computer equipment and generated beats and sounds becoming capable of creating an entire drum and bass track from scratch.

File:Fresh and D Bridge.jpg
Fresh (left) and D Bridge of the now defunct Bad Company.

As the 1990s drew to a close, drum and bass withdrew from mainstream popularity and concentrated on the new more ominous sounds which were popular in clubs, rather than on mainstream radio. Techstep came to dominate the drum and bass genre, with artists like Konflict and Bad Company amongst the most visible. As time went on, techstep was becoming more minimal, and increasingly dark in tone, and the funky, commercial appeal represented by Roni Size back in 1997 was waning. A characteristic of this was the increasing relative lack of female club goers and a generally more aggressive and dark atmosphere at clubs.[26] [27]

The withdrawal of drum and bass from the mainstream was not only a result of its growing fascination with its own sound, but also resulted from the explosive birth and growing popularity of speed garage and 2step, muscial genres heavily influenced by jungle, with similar beats, vocal and basslines but slower speeds and more friendly (or at least radio-friendly and girl-friendly) beats[28][29]. Drum and bass suddenly found itself losing popularity with established drum and bass producers shocked at its sudden alienation and abandonment. [30][31]. This is turn fuelled the harder sound of techstep.

Perhaps ironically despite media declarations that "drum and bass/jungle is dead" [32] and killed by garage, drum and bass has survived after a difficult period with the turn of the millenium seeing an increasing movement to "bring the fun back into drum and bass", heralded by the chart success enjoyed by singles from Andy C and Shimon ("Bodyrock") and Shy FX and T Power ("Shake UR Body"). In the clubs there was a new revival of rave-oriented sounds, as well as remixes of classic jungle tunes that capitalised on nostalgia and an interest in the origins of the music. Many felt that jungle music had weathered the ignorance, then support, and then hostility, of the mainstream media (which had declared that "Drum and bass is dead" in the late 90s), and that the revival of chart success indicated that the style was more than a passing fashion.

In turn, speed garage & 2step, after a brief period of extreme popularity, have found themselves pushed to the underground and mostly superceded by grime. Drum and bass' survival reflects the tenacity of its original producers and artists who continued and continue to produce drum and bass[33] as well as the vitality of the new generation of producers, such as London Elektricity.

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 though techstep appears to be losing its previous dominace, with a "return to old skool" movement apparent in tracks & clubs [34].

In 1998, Fabio began championing a form he called Liquid funk[35]. In 2000 he released 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 2002-2004, and by 2004 it was established as one of the biggest-selling subgenres in drum and bass, with labels like Hospital Records, State of the Art Recordings and Soul:R and artists including High Contrast, Calibre, Solid State, Nu:Tone, London Elektricity and Logistics among its main proponents. Alex reece was one of the first DJ/Producers to experiment with the deep smooth sound of Mellow drum and bass, now Known as Liquid Funk. Liquid funk does have some clear roots to the more mellow Ltj Bukem sounds of 1990's.

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Sample box end 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.

Sales figures for 2004 suggested that liquid funk and nu jump up combined probably accounted for a significant majority of the drum and bass market.[citation needed]

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.

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 Synaptic Plastic and the new wave of artists in this style include ASC, Fanu, Breakage, Fracture and Nepture, 0=0 and Equinox.

Ravers & Goldie.

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, Southampton based Gojira, Deadsilence Syndicate and U.V Ray (feat. Yuval Gabay)and Birmigham's PCM pursuing this avenue. In addition the popular Breakbeat Kaos label has begun to focus more and more on bringing a live sound into drum and bass, both in the records they release and in the live band night their group Pendulum proposed to host in London in 2006.

North America beginnings and scene

The rave scenes in the US (New York) and in Canada (Toronto) embraced the transition of hardcore to darkside jungle around 1994. America's longest running party, Konkrete Jungle also born in NYC, discovered the first US drum and bass MC's Blaise (Naughty Ride), Panic and Johnny Z. Outside of NYC, it was largely Dieselboy in Pittsburgh, Karl K & Kaos with MC Dub2 in Philadelphia and DJ Slant and the 2Tuff Crew in Washington, DC promoting the style. This small handful of US pioneers spent years in the underground playing "back rooms" before the sound caught on throughout America. Many of the US pioneers continue, though most have not gained the fame of their UK successors.

While New York and Toronto thrived in this culture in the early 90's, new scenes were rapidly gaining recognition in the mid 90's, such as; Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Orlando, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Producers and DJs such as AK1200 (ORL), DJ Dara (NY), Danny the Wildchild (CHI), and Dieselboy (PHI) helped push the genre further, by producing, promoting, releasing compilations available for the public, and performing at raves. These artists had a profound effect on the surrounding areas movements, causing drum and bass to spread in the majority of the United states. Clubs such as Buzz (DC), Breakdown (DEN), Seminar (CHI),Firestorm (ORL), Platinum (PHI), Eklektic (SF), Science (LA), and Baltic Room (SEA) helped generate a scene outside of the then prosperous rave scene.

Unlike Great Britain, drum and bass is not often played on commercial US radio, but it is often heard in television commercials and on cable networks like MTV and E!.

File:Goldiednbravechina3.jpg
Dnb rave in Shanghai China

The global scene in 2006

The other major development largely occurring since the turn of the millennium is geographical: from UK beginnings, drum and bass has firmly established itself worldwide. There are strong scenes in other English-speaking countries including the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is popular across Europe, especially in Germany and in The Netherlands, Baltics, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. 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. In Venezuela, artists have created new forms of drum and bass such as Drill N Bass / IDM, mixing also with Latin rhythms like Salsa or Latin Jazz. Asia also has a drum and bass scene in countries and cities like Shanghai, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

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. The sounds of drum and bass are extremely varied and to a person unfamiliar to them, there may seem to little connection between the subgenres.

The musicology of drum and bass is difficult to precisely define; however, the following key features 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 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. 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 however just as common.

File:808.jpg
Roland TR-808

In drum and bass productions, the basslines are subjected to many and varied sound effects, including standard techniques such as echo, 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' bassline sample - from 1988's classic "Just Another Chance". Of equal importance is the infamous 808 bass, actually an elongated kick drum derived from Roland's classic TR-808 drum machine, 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 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 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 however does not mean that the music cannot be appreciated on personal equipment.

The drum element, that is the syncopated breakbeat, is another 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.. The Amen break is generally acknowledged to have been the most-used (and often considered the most powerful) break in drum and bass. [36]

It would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that drum and bass (at least in its early days) is a style built around a single element, the broken beat and a single sample, the Amen, but other samples have had a significant impact, including the Apache break, the Funky Drummer, and others.[37] The Funky Drummer has perhaps superceded the Amen in modern productions but the Amen is accepted to continue to be an extremely powerful (in a musical sense) break.

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.[38]

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.[39]


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. Some producers have started to once again produce tracks with slower tempos (i.e. in the 150's and 160's). The mid-170 tempo is a hallmark of the drum'n'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.

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 say 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 Roni Size's "Shake Ur Body" often have higher BPMs than ominous techstep productions which might eject the unitiated very quickly from a dancefloor.

Context

File:Valvesoundsystem.jpg
Pendulum playing the Valve Sound System with MC IC3 at the Sheffield Octagon 05/03/06

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.

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.


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), and "rewinds."

File:Goldiednbravewithmcchina.jpg
Goldie with Mc Locqui

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 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 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. "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.

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.[40]

DJs are often accompanied by one or more MCs, drawing on the genre's roots in hip hop and reggae/ragga. [41]

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 Fats, Dynamite MC and Stevie Hyper D(deceased) as examples[42].

You and me - me and you! We haffi brock a smile and don't bother screw. This one dedicated to all junglist crew, we haffi get lively inna de venue! We bawl ... Where's the noise? I want you jump up and swing, 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:

The following are arguably, to a lesser and great degree, subgenres:

  • 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 drum and bass/jungle music - difficult to differentiate)
  • 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.

Clownstep is perjorative term for varieties of drum and bass not appreciated by certain listeners, not a subgenre as such. Most would producers would feel insulted by the labelling of their music as "clownstep".

Dubwise is more of a stylistic approach than subgenre.

Influences

Influences on drum and bass

Drum and bass music, born in samplers, has been and is heavily influenced by other music genres[43][44][45], though this influence has perhaps been lessened in the shift from jungle to drum and bass and the inteligent drum and bass and techstep revolution[46]. It still remains a fusion music style.

It could be stated that Miles Davis is one the most important influences [47] [48], with other jazz artists like Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters & B.B King being quoted by producers as inspiration.

As a musical style built around a funk or rock & roll beat (syncopated) Al Green[49], Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Temptations[50], 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[51], James Brownand even Michael Jackson, are funky influences on the music[52].

A very obvious and strong influence on jungle and drum and bass is the original dub and reggae[53] [54] sound out of Jamaica, with pioneers like King Tubby, Pete Tosh, Sly & Robbie, Bill Laswell, Lee Perry, Mad Professor, Roots Radics, Bob Marley[55] and Buju Banton heavily influencing the music. This influence has lessened with time but is still evident with many tracks containing ragga vocals.

File:N.W.A.StraightOuttaComptonalbumcover.jpg
The track "Straight Outta Compton" off the album of the same name shares an Amen break with many drum and bass songs

Early hip-hop is an extremely important influence on drum and bass[56][57][58], 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, Wildstyle, 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[59].

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.

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 Rage used to play it pitched up as far as the Technics 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

Drum and bass tracks often contain many direct samples from other tracks, some examples are listed below[60]:

  • 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)

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)
  • Goodfellas - The intro "One day the neighbourhood kids..." 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 [61] 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 millenium, 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 1990's, similar to breakcore but with more friendly dancehall beats (dancehall itself being a very important influence on drum and bass)[62]. 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, its 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[63], Slipknot, Timbaland, Missy Elliot, Pharell, Fat Boy Slim, Lamb, Nine Inch Nails, , Underworld, The Streets, The Freestylers 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.

Appearances in the mainstream

I'll keep you in safety, for ever 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

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Sample box end Shotter, hitter, serial killer! Go a your funeral & all drink out your liquor, when you are bury we stand next to the vicar. Fling on some dirt and make your bury a little quicker, shouldn't test the youth's them 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 and Pendulum's "Hold Your Colour" in 2006. Tracks such as Shy FX and T-Power's "Shake UR Body" gained a UK Top 40 Chart placing in 2005. Hive's "Ultrasonic Sound" was also used in The Matrix soundtrack.

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.

Drum and bass often makes an appearance as background music, especially in Top Gear and television commercials thanks its aggressive and energetic beats. Due to drum and bass' relative obscurity, most listeners would not recognise the music as drum and bass.

Record labels

Main article: List of jungle and drum'n'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 bedroom. Drum and bass labels are 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.

Accessing drum and bass

Purchasing

Drum and bass is mostly sold in 12-inch vinyl single format, although some albums, compilations and DJ mixes are sold on CD. Purchasing drum and bass can involve searching specialized record shops or using one of many online vinyl, CD and mp3 retailers.

File:Fabric Live 18.jpeg
Cover of Fabric Live 18 dj mix cd.
Cover of Pendulum Hold Your Colour album.

Distributors (Wholesale)

The bulk of drum and bass vinyl records and CDs are distributed globally and regionally by a relatively small number of companies.[64]

Drum and bass can also be purchased in the form of "tape packs".

These 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 CD tape packs contain 6 CD’s.

Media

Radio

File:Me & Grooverider.jpg
DJ Grooverider

The two highest profile radio stations playing drum and bass shows are Fabio and Grooverider on BBC Radio One and DJ Hype on the now legal Kiss 100 in London. The BBC's "urban" station 1Xtra also features the genre heavily, with DJs L Double and Bailey and Flight its advocates.

The genre has long been supported by pirate radio stations, particularly in London; these days, they are joined by a large, and ever-expanding number, of internet radio stations available globally. Pirate radio stations, in particular Kool FM and Rush FM, played a very important (if not key) role in the early days of jungle, similar to pirate stations role in today's grime music.

In the US, XM Satellite Radio dedicates two hours a day to its drum and bass show, "Pressure", from 3AM-5AM Monday thru Friday on channel 80 - The Move (XM). Marcus Visionary also has a show in Toronto, on 89.5 CIUT Sunday evenings.

Magazines

The best known drum and bass publication is Knowledge. Other publications include the longest running drum and bass magazine worldwide ATM Magazine, Canadian-based Rinse Magazine and Austrian-based Resident.

Books

  • All Crews: Journeys Through Jungle / Drum and Bass Culture by Brian Belle-Fortune (ISBN 0-9548897-0-3), nonfiction
  • The Rough Guide to Drum 'n' Bass by Peter Shapiro and Alexix Maryon (ISBN 1-85828-433-3), nonfiction
  • State of bass, jungle: the story so far by Martin James, boxtree (ISBN 0-7522-2323-2), nonfiction
  • King Rat by China Melville (ISBN 0330370987), 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 superceded the role of pirate radio stations in spreading and popularising the genre, as the stations have switched to newer genres. [65] Internet sites are a source of the latest mixes (professional or amateur) and tracks by unsigned producers.

Some of the most important internet sites are linked below for reference and research purposes.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.discogs.com/release/156749
  2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac
  3. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/events/xtrabass06/interact/timeline.shtml?id=1
  4. ^ http://www.jungleravers.com/interviews/2005/nicky-blackmarket.htm
  5. ^ http://www.smack-dynamik.com/articles/history%20of%20drum%20and%20bass%202.htm
  6. ^ http://www.trugroovez.com/history-drum-bass-music.htm
  7. ^ http://www.myvillage.com/pages/bars&music-drum-and-bass.htm
  8. ^ http://www.020.com/webs/02006/london/showArticle_london.cfm?id=384
  9. ^ http://www.jahsonic.com/DB.html
  10. ^ http://uploud.com/history7.htm
  11. ^ http://www.techno.de/mixmag/interviews/JungleHistoire.html
  12. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1063&ReviewID=1687&PageNumber=1&arcMagID=1062
  13. ^ http://www.samurai.fm/aguycalledgerald/index.php
  14. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1278&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  15. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1063&ReviewID=1678&PageNumber=1&arcMagID=1062
  16. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1062&ReviewID=1684&PageNumber=1
  17. ^ http://www.djhistory.com/djhistory/archiveInterviewDisplay.php?interview_id=49
  18. ^ http://www.trugroovez.com/history-drum-bass-music-c.htm
  19. ^ http://www.djhistory.com/djhistory/archiveInterviewDisplay.php?interview_id=49
  20. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/friday_review/story/0,,408024,00.html
  21. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1063&ReviewID=1678&PageNumber=1&arcMagID=1062
  22. ^ http://www.techno.de/mixmag/interviews/goldie.html
  23. ^ http://www.radiox.de/history/radiovisionen/KOOL.html
  24. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/events/xtrabass/section_one.shtml
  25. ^ http://www.realplayaz.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=13411
  26. ^ http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid=7&csid1=3760
  27. ^ http://www.descendingangel.com/nou-turn/intrview/int_srey.html
  28. ^ http://members.aol.com/blissout/over97.htm
  29. ^ http://www.garagemusic.co.uk/2step.html
  30. ^ http://www.djhistory.com/djhistory/archiveInterviewDisplay.php?interview_id=49
  31. ^ http://www.techno.de/mixmag/98.12/drum.1.html
  32. ^ http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep03/articles/londonelektricity.htm
  33. ^ In the label notes for his 2001 album "Goldie.co.uk", Goldie writes "Drum & Bass is dead ? How many times have I heard that over the past few years ? Too many to mention right ? But did you take note of who was saying it ? .... It can't die .. it can only evolve !"
  34. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1063&ReviewID=1044&PageNumber=1
  35. ^ http://www.techno.de/mixmag/98.12/drum.1.html
  36. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac
  37. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1062&ReviewID=1684&PageNumber=1
  38. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1610&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  39. ^ http://store.drumbum.com/drums/drum-n-bass-drum-and-bass.htm
  40. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1170&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  41. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD2OTWHppzs
  42. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?SectionID=1031&uid=&MagID=1063&ReviewID=1680&PageNumber=1&arcMagID=1062
  43. ^ http://www.weeklydig.com/music/articles/nookie
  44. ^ http://www.nigelberman.co.uk/feature1_nov2002.htm
  45. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1343&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  46. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1691&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  47. ^ http://www.breakbeat.co.uk/features/Illlogic&raf.html
  48. ^ http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/columbia/miles002
  49. ^ http://www.breakbeat.co.uk/news/default.asp?newsID=1382
  50. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/bailey/profile/
  51. ^ http://www.404audio.com/?q=interviews&more=1&p=315
  52. ^ http://www.rwdmag.com/articles/fullstory.php?&sid=&id=367
  53. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/cuttingroom/winners.shtml?deleon
  54. ^ http://www.planetdnb.com/dnb_interviews921.php
  55. ^ http://www.tranzfusion.net/articles/shownews.asp?newsid=4873
  56. ^ http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=photek2_us
  57. ^ http://www.dnbforum.com/interviews.php?332
  58. ^ http://www.planetdnb.com/dnb_interviews1196.php
  59. ^ http://www.techno.de/mixmag/97.09/Goldie.a.html
  60. ^ http://home.wanadoo.nl/jari/dnb_samples.html
  61. ^ http://www.garagemusic.co.uk/2step.html
  62. ^ http://www.lfodemon.com/raggacorearticle/index.htm
  63. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1278&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  64. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1574&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
  65. ^ http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk/features.asp?ReviewID=1683&PageNumber=1&SectionID=1031
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