What is Drum & Bass?

THE SOUND: 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, it is difficult to precisely define; however, the following key features may be observed: Despite the apparent simplicity of drum & bass productions to the untrained ear, an inordinate amount of time is spent on preparing tracks by the more experienced producers.

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. 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 very common.

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 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, such as Paradox, 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.

THE HISTORY: It began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom breakbeat hardcore and rave scene and came into existence in the early 1990s. Drum and bass has its 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 (commonly called 'tunes' within the community) Lennie De Ice's "We are I.E" (1991), Rebel MC's 'Wickedest Sound' (1990) and 'Tribal Bass' (1991), the Ragga Twins' 'Spliffhead' (1990), Genaside II's 'Sirens of Acre Lane' (1990) and 'Narramine' (1991), Nightmares On Wax's 'Aftermath' (1990) and LTJ Bukem's Demon's Theme (1991) are generally credited [1] as being among the first to have a recognizable drum and bass sound. Although this title arguably belongs to Meat Beat Manifesto's 'Radio Babylon', recorded in 1989, and still recognisably 'drum & bass' in sound today.

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. Today it is usually heard in nightclubs and its most recognizable features include a heavy emphasis on fast tempo drums in addition to loud intricate basslines. 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 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, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. It is also popular in South America. S�o Paulo is sometimes called the drum and bass Ibiza. Brazilian drum and bass is sometimes called Sambass, although in Venezuela, artists have created Industrial forms of Drum and bass, and also Drill N Bass / IDM, mixing also with Latin rhythms like Salsa or Latin Jazz. Asia also has a drum and bass scene in places like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

THE PROPONENTS: Key players in the Drum & Bass scene over the years have been Roni Size with his Full Cycle and Dope Dragon labels, Jumping Jack Frost and Bryan Gee with V Recordings, DJ Hype (Ganja Records), DJ Zinc (Bingo Beats), XRS and DJ Marky (Innerground ), Andy C, Mampi Swift, Fabio and Grooverider, LTJ Bukem and the Trouble on Vinyl Records stable.

( Wikipedia )