GENRES

Drum and bass is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. Commonly abbreviated to d&b the genre is characterised by fast-paced breakbeats (typically between 160-180 beats per minute), syncopated drum patterns, and deep basslines. The roots of drum and bass can be traced back to the UK rave scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s and evolved from the fusion of various musical styles, including hardcore, breakbeat, reggae, hip-hop, dub and dancehall- resulting in the birth of jungle.

With the introduction of new laws affecting the dance music industry and new drugs making an appearance, the rave scene started to change and the music followed suit. DJs and producers began experimenting with different breakbeats and manipulating samples to create unique sounds- jungle became a sub-genre within the wider-reaching genre of drum & bass. Drum and bass continued to gain popularity and various subgenres and styles emerged, such as; liquid funk, jump-up, neurofunk, and more. The genre expanded globally, with scenes developing in countries around the world.

Over the years drum and bass has sometimes had a turbulent relationship with the mainstream music industry. Originally rejected as street music in its infancy, the genre built itself a strong and self-sufficient community which has thrived in the underground for more than 30 years. However, drum and bass has long threatened widespread acceptance, with M-Beat and General Levy’s ‘Incredible’ chartting in 1994 and Roni Size & Reprazent’s New Forms winning the 1997 Mercury Music award. Since then the genre has prospered outside of major label limelight with the occasional hit. Now it has become usual to hear drum and bass charting high in the top 40, as well as being used in adverts, film and video games, proving the resilience and longevity of the genre.