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Drum and bass
Other namesDnB, drum 'n' bass, D&B
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly 1990s, United Kingdom
Typical instrumentsDrum machine, sampler, synthesizer, turntables, computer
Derivative forms
Subgenres
Fusion genres
Regional scenes
Sambass
Other topics
An example of a D&B song in the subgenre of liquid D&B

Drum and bass (D&B), also known as drum 'n' bass (DnB or D'n'B), is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s. It is characterised by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute[2][3]) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines,[4] samples, and synthesizers.

Originating in the UK jungle scene in the early 1990s, drum and bass drew on elements of reggae, dub, hip hop, breakbeat hardcore, techno, and house.[5][6] By the mid-1990s, it had become one of the most distinctive and technically innovative styles within the broader electronic dance music movement.[4] The style of drum and bass often incorporates an array of influences from other genres including ambient, funk, jazz, soul, rock, and pop.[7] The genre has since developed multiple subgenres and maintains both an underground and mainstream presence worldwide.

DJ Dextrous, a trailblazer in the early days of Jungle music, seen here during a performance in Switzerland in 2015.

The popularity of drum and bass at its commercial peak ran parallel to several other UK dance styles. A major influence was the original Jamaican dub and reggae sound that influenced jungle's bass-heavy sound. Another feature of the style is the complex syncopation of the drum tracks' breakbeat.[8] Drum and bass subgenres include breakcore, ragga jungle, hardstep, darkstep, techstep, neurofunk, ambient drum and bass, liquid funk (also known as liquid drum and bass), jump up, drumfunk, sambass, and drill 'n' bass. Drum and bass has influenced other genres such as big beat, dubstep, trip hop and has been influenced by hip hop, house, ambient music, techno, jazz, rock and pop.

Drum and bass is dominated by a relatively small group of record labels. Major international music labels had shown very little interest in the drum and bass scene until BMG Rights Management acquired RAM in February 2016.[9] Since then, the genre has seen a significant growth in exposure. Whilst the origin of drum and bass music is in the UK, the genre has evolved considerably with many other prominent fanbases located all over the world.

Adam F performs at Listen at Club Alchemy in New Haven, Connecticut, on 3 September 2006.

History

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Main article: History of drum and bass
See also: Breakbeat hardcore and hardcore jungle

Origins (late 1980s – early 1990s)

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Drum and bass traces its roots to the UK rave scene and breakbeat hardcore of the late 1980s. Tracks such as Lennie De Ice’s We Are I.E. (1991) combined breakbeats with reggae-influenced basslines and are often cited as precursors to jungle and drum and bass.[10] Early producers including 4hero, Doc Scott, LTJ Bukem, Goldie, and Grooverider began shaping the sound by stripping away elements of hardcore rave music and emphasising bass and complex drum patterns.[11]

Mid-1990s: Jungle and mainstream recognition

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By 1994, jungle — a style closely related to and often overlapping with early drum and bass — had entered mainstream UK youth culture. It was associated with sound system traditions, MC culture, and samples from reggae and dancehall.[12] The genre further developed, incorporating and fusing elements from a wide range of existing musical genres, including the raggamuffin sound, dancehall, MC chants, dub basslines, and increasingly complex, heavily edited breakbeat percussion. Despite the affiliation with the ecstasy-fuelled rave scene, jungle also inherited associations with violence and criminal activity, both from the gang culture that had affected the UK's hip-hop scene and as a consequence of jungle's often aggressive or menacing sound and themes of violence (usually reflected in the choice of samples). However, this developed in tandem with the often positive reputation of the music as part of the wider rave scene and dancehall-based Jamaican music culture prevalent in London. By 1995, whether as a reaction to, or independently of this cultural schism, some jungle producers began to move away from the ragga-influenced style and create what would become collectively labelled, for convenience, as drum and bass.[13]

Late 1990s: Expansion and subgenres

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Additional subgenres emerged in mid-1990s including techstep, influenced by techno and science-fiction aesthetics.[14] Parallel to these, more melodic and accessible forms like liquid funk emerged, pioneered by artists such as High Contrast and Calibre. Drum and bass became more polished and technically sophisticated in the mid-late 1990s. Subgenres such as hardstep, jump up, ragga, jazzstep and what was known as intelligent drum and bass emerged. Roni Size & Reprazent’s album New Forms (1997) won the Mercury Prize, signalling wider critical recognition.[15] Drum and bass began to expand its reach from pirate radio to commercial stations and gain widespread acceptance in the late 1990s, when darker styles such as neurofunk developed.

The 2000s saw drum and bass spread globally, with scenes developing in continental Europe, North America, Australia, and Brazil (where “sambass” fused local rhythms with D&B).[16]

The emergence of related styles such as liquid funk in the 2000s brought a wave of new artists (Carlito & Addiction, Solid State/DJ Dextrous, Subject 13 and Fellowship being amongst the early pioneers to champion the sound) incorporating new ideas and techniques, supporting continual evolution of the genre.

2010s – 2020s: Digital era and resurgence

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With the growth of digital distribution and streaming platforms, drum and bass continued to evolve in the 2010s. Artists such as Pendulum, Chase & Status, and Netsky achieved mainstream chart success while maintaining ties to the underground scene.[17]

In the 2020s, the genre has experienced renewed popularity. In 2021, Pitchfork noted a "rising zoomer affinity" for the genre in the 2020s.[18] Streaming in the UK grew by approximately 94% between 2021 and 2024, with a majority of listeners under age 34.[19] Emerging artists such as Nia Archives, Bou, and goddard., alongside established acts like Chase & Status, Sub Focus, and Hybrid Minds, have brought drum and bass to wider audiences through festivals, collaborations, and viral tracks.[20] Purple Sneakers described a "drum n' bass Renaissance" occurring at the time of the publication of their articles in 2023.[21]

Musical features

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Drum and bass incorporates a number of scenes and styles, from the highly electronic, industrial sounds of techstep to the use of conventional, acoustic instrumentation that characterise the more jazz-influenced end of the spectrum.[4][22] The sounds of drum and bass are extremely varied due to the range of influences behind the music. Drum and bass could at one time be defined as a strictly electronic musical genre, with the only "live" element being the DJ's selection and mixing of records during a set. "Live" drum and bass using electric, electronic and acoustic instruments played by musicians on stage emerged over the ensuing years of the genre's development.[23][24][25]

Influences

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A very obvious and strong influence on jungle and drum and bass, thanks to the British African-Caribbean sound system scene, is the original Jamaican dub and reggae sound, with pioneers like King Tubby, Peter Tosh, Sly & Robbie, Bill Laswell, Lee Perry, Mad Professor, Roots Radics, Bob Marley and Buju Banton heavily influencing the music.[26][27] This influence has lessened with time, but is still evident, with many tracks containing ragga vocals.

As a musical style built around funk or syncopated rock and roll breaks, James Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the Supremes, the Commodores, Jerry Lee Lewis, and even Michael Jackson acted as funk influences on the music.[28][29][30][31][32][33] Jazz pioneer Miles Davis has been named as a possible influence.[34] Blues artists such as Lead Belly, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters and B. B. King have also been cited by producers as inspirations. Even modern avant-garde composers such as Henryk Gorecki have received mention.[35] One of the most influential tracks in drum and bass history was "Amen Brother" by The Winstons, which contains a drum solo that has since become known as the "Amen break", which, after being extensively used in early hip hop music, went on to become the basis for the rhythms used in drum and bass.[8]

Kevin Saunderson 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. One of his more famous basslines (Reese – "Just Want Another Chance", Incognito Records, 1988) 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 to the scene was Carl Craig. The sampled-up jazz break on Craig's Bug in the Bassbin was also influential on the newly emerging sound. DJs at the Heaven nightclub on "Rage" nights used to play it as fast as their Technics record decks would go, pitching it up in the process.[36]

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the tradition of breakbeat use in hip hop production had influenced the sound of breakbeat hardcore, which in turn led to the emergence of jungle, drum and bass, and other genres that shared the same use of broken beats.[37][38] Drum and bass shares many musical characteristics with hip-hop, though it is nowadays mostly stripped of lyrics. Grandmaster Flash, Roger Troutman, Afrika Bambaata, Run DMC, Mac Dre, Public Enemy, Schooly D, N.W.A, Kid Frost, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Mos Def, Beastie Boys and the Pharcyde are very often directly sampled, regardless of their general influence.[39]

Clearly, drum and bass has been influenced by other music genres, though influences from sources external to the electronic dance music scene perhaps lessened following the shifts from jungle to drum and bass, and through to so-called "intelligent drum and bass" and techstep.[40][41][42][43] It still remains a fusion music style.

Some tracks are illegally remixed and released on white label records (technically bootleg), often to acclaim. For example, DJ Zinc's remix of Fugees' "Ready or Not", also known as "Fugee Or Not", was eventually released with the Fugees' permission after talk of legal action, though ironically, the Fugees' version infringed Enya's copyright to an earlier song.[39] White labels, along with dubplates, played an important part in drum and bass musical culture.

Drum elements

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Sampling

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The Amen break was synonymous with early drum and bass productions but other samples have had a significant impact, including the Apache, Funky Drummer, "Soul Pride", "Scorpio" and "Think (About It)" breaks.[44][45] Early pioneers often used Akai samplers and sequencers on the Atari ST to create their tracks.[46]

Synthesis

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The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, produced 1980–1984, had a bass drum sound which became very important in drum and bass.

Of equal importance is the TR-808 kick drum, an artificially down-pitched or elongated bass drum sound sampled from Roland's classic TR-808 drum machine, and a sound which has been subject to an enormous amount of experimentation over the years.[47]

Rhythm composition

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Many drum and bass tracks have featured more than one sampled breakbeat in them and a technique of switching between two breaks after each bar developed. A more recent commonly used break is the "Tramen", which combines the Amen break, a James Brown funk breakbeat ("Tighten Up" or "Samurai" break) and an Alex Reece drum and bass breakbeat.[48]

The relatively fast 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. Syncopated breakbeats remain the most distinctive element as without these a high-tempo 4/4 dance track could be classified as techno or gabber.[49]

The complex syncopation of the drum tracks' breakbeat is another facet of production on which producers can spend a very large amount of time. The Amen break is generally acknowledged to have been the most-used (and often considered the most powerful) break in drum and bass.[8]

Bass elements

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The genre places great importance on the bassline, in this case a deep sub-bass musical pattern which can be felt physically through powerful sound systems due to the low-range frequencies favoured. There has been considerable exploration of different timbres in the bass line region, particularly within techstep. The bass lines most notably originate from sampled sources or synthesizers. Bass lines performed with a bass instrument, whether it is electric, acoustic or a double bass, are less common.

Atmospheric elements

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Atmospheric pads and samples may be added over the fundamental drum and bass to provide different feels. These have included "light" elements such as ambient pads as found in ambient electronica and samples of jazz and world musics, or "dark" elements such as dissonant pads and sci-fi samples to induce anxiety in the dancer.

Vocal and melodic elements

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Old-school DnB usually included an MC providing vocals. Some styles (such as jazz-influenced DnB) also include melodic instruments soloing over the music.

Tempo

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Drum and bass is usually between 160 and 180 BPM, in contrast to other breakbeat-based dance styles 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 forms of drum and bass clocked in at around 130 bpm in 1990/1991, speeding up to around 155–165 BPM by 1993. Since around 1996, drum and bass tempos have predominantly stayed in the 170–180 range. Recently, some producers have started to once again produce tracks with slower tempos (that is, in the 150-170 bpm range), but the mid-170s tempo is still a hallmark of the drum and bass sound.[39][50]

A track combining the same elements (broken beat, bass, production techniques) as a drum and bass track, but with a slower tempo (say 140 BPM), might not be drum and bass, but instead may qualify as a drum and bass-influenced breakbeat track.[51]

Drop

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Many mixing points begin or end with a "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 tracks, as the two records may be simply ambient breakdowns at this point. Some DJs prefer to combine breakbeats, a more difficult exercise. Some drops are so popular that the DJ will "rewind" or "reload" or "lift up" the record by spinning it back and restarting it at the build. The drop is often a key point from the point of view of the dance floor, since the drum breaks 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 begin dancing.

Live performance

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Aphrodite in 2009 at Pirate Station, the world's largest drum and bass festival at that time, in Moscow

Drum and bass exhibits a full frequency response which can sometimes only be fully appreciated on sound systems which can handle very low frequencies, including sub-bass frequencies that are often felt more than heard. 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. Drum and bass tracks are meticulously designed to create a hard-hitting emotional impact, with the drums complementing the bass to deliver a pulsating, powerful experience. Consequently, drum and bass parties are often advertised as featuring uncommonly loud and bass-heavy sound systems.

However, there are many albums specifically designed for personal listening. The DJ mix is a particularly popular form of release, with a popular DJ or 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.[52]

DJ performance

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Although this practice has declined in popularity,[53] DJs are often accompanied by one or more MCs, drawing on the genre's roots in hip hop and reggae/ragga.[54]

MCs do not generally receive the same level of recognition as producer/DJs, and some events are specifically marketed as being MC-free. There are relatively few well-known drum and bass MCs, mainly based in London and Bristol, including Stevie Hyper D (deceased), MC Conrad (deceased), the Ragga Twins, Dynamite MC, MC Skibadee (deceased) and MC Tali.[55]

Live instrument performance

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Pendulum performing live in 2010

Many musicians have adapted drum and bass to live performances, which feature instruments such as drums (acoustic or electronic), samplers, synthesizers, turntables, bass (either upright or electric) and guitars (acoustic or electric). Samplers have also been used live by assigning samples to a specific drum pad or key on drum pads or synthesizers. MCs are frequently featured in live performances.

Subgenres

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Congo Natty, a ragga jungle artist

Smaller scenes within the drum and bass community have developed and the scene as a whole has become much more fractured into specific subgenres, which have been grouped[56] into "light" (influenced by ambient, jazz, and world music) and "heavy" (influenced by industrial music, sci-fi, and anxiety) styles, including:

Mainstream drum and bass

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  • Jump-up, appearing in the mid-1990s,[57] employs heavy and energetic drum and bass,[57] characterised by robotic and heavy bass sounds. It also is generally less serious and contains more humour than other subgenres.[58][59]
  • Drumstep or halftime is a combination of drum and bass and dubstep, where the beat structure is half time, while the remaining elements still adhere to the usual sub-bass and tempo of drum and bass.[60][61][62]
  • Drill 'n' bass (also known as fungle and spunk jazz) consists of very complex and chopped up rhythms, rapid and irregularly syncopated basslines and often ambient elements similar to earlier subgenres of IDM[63] (like ambient techno). The subgenre was developed by names like Squarepusher, Luke Vibert (known as Plug) and Aphex Twin.

Light drum and bass

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Heavy drum and bass

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Genres influenced by drum and bass

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Born around the same time as jungle, breakcore and digital hardcore share many of the elements of drum and bass. To the uninitiated, 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. German drum and bass DJ The Panacea is also one of the leading digital hardcore artists. Raggacore resembles a faster version of the ragga-influenced jungle music of the 1990s, similar to breakcore but with more friendly dancehall beats (dancehall itself being a very important influence on drum and bass).[69] Darkcore, a direct influence on drum and bass, was combined with influences of drum and bass itself leading to the creation of darkstep. There is considerable crossover from the extreme edges of drum and bass, breakcore, darkcore, digital hardcore and raggacore with fluid boundaries.

Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a form of art music based on DnB and other electronic dance musics, exploring their boundaries using ideas from science, technology, contemporary classical music and progressive rock, often creating un-danceable, art gallery style music.

Ghettotech, a club music genre from Detroit, contains synth and basslines similar to drum and bass.[50][70][71][72][73]

Industry

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Record labels

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See also: Category:Drum and bass record labels

Drum and bass is dominated by a small group of record labels. These are mainly run by DJ-producers.

List of DnB record labels and their owners
Label Owner(s)
Reinforced Records Marc Mac & Dego (4hero)
Hospital Records London Elektricity
RAM Records Andy C, Scott Bourne
Metalheadz Goldie
Creative Source Records Fabio, Sarah Sandy
King of the Jungle Records DJ Dextrous
Subverseive Recordings DJ Dextrous
State of the Art Recordings DJ Dextrous
Critical Music Kasra
Shogun Audio DJ Friction
Breakbeat Kaos DJ Fresh
Virus Recordings Ed Rush, Optical
V Recordings Bryan Gee and Jumpin Jack Frost
Pascal DJ Hype
NoCopyrightSounds Billy Woodford
Liquicity Maduk, Maris Goudzwaard

Prior to 2016, the major international music labels such as Sony Music and Universal had shown very little interest in the drum and bass scene, with the exception of some notable signings, including Pendulum's In Silico LP to Warner. Roni Size's label played a big, if not the biggest, part in the creation of drum and bass with their dark, baseline sounds. V Recordings also played a large part of the development of drum and bass.[74]

BMG Rights Management acquired Ram Records in February 2016,[9] making a strategic investment to help RAM Records. It has been pushing the boundaries of drum and bass further into the mainstream with artists such as Chase and Status and Sub Focus.[75]

Now defunct labels include—DJ Zinc's True Playaz (known as Real Playaz as of 2006); Rob Playford's Moving Shadow, running from 1990 until 2007, which played a pivotal role in the 1990s drum and bass scene, releasing records by artists such as Omni Trio.

Formats and distribution

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Purchasing

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Originally drum and bass was mostly sold in 12-inch vinyl single format. With the emergence of drum and bass into mainstream music markets, more albums, compilations and DJ mixes started to be sold on CDs. As digital music became more popular, websites focused on electronic music, such as Beatport, began to sell drum and bass in digital format.

Distributors (wholesale)

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The bulk of drum and bass vinyl records and CDs are distributed globally and regionally by a relatively small number of companies such as SRD (Southern Record Distributors), ST Holdings, & Nu Urban Music Limited.[76]

As of 11 September 2012, Nu Urban ceased trading and RSM Tenon were instructed to assist in convening statutory meetings of members and creditors to appoint a liquidator. This left many labels short on sales, as Nu Urban were one of the main distributors for the vinyl market in the drum and bass scene.[77]

Regional scenes

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Anglosphere

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Despite its roots in the UK, which is still treated as the "home" of drum and bass, the style has firmly established itself around the world. There are strong scenes in other English-speaking countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.[78][79]

Media presence

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Today, drum and bass is widely promoted using different methods such as video sharing services like YouTube and Dailymotion, blogs, radio, and television, the latter being the most uncommon method. More recently, music networking websites such as SoundCloud and Mixcloud have become powerful tools for artist recognition, providing a vast platform that enables quick responses to new tracks. Record labels have adopted the use of podcasts. Prior to the rise of the internet, drum and bass was commonly broadcast over pirate radio.[80]

Radio

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The three highest-profile radio stations playing drum and bass shows are BBC Radio 1 with The Drum and Bass Show – formerly with Friction, who was replaced with René LaVice in 2017,[81] simulcast in the US and Canada on Sirius XM, and DJ Hype on Kiss 100 in London. Fabio and Grooverider previously held a long-standing drum and bass show on Radio 1. Radio 1 also had the One in the Jungle show.

The BBC's Black music station BBC Radio 1Xtra used to feature the genre heavily, with DJ Bailey (show axed as of 29 August 2012) and Crissy Criss (show axed as of August 2014)[82] as its advocates. The network also organises a week-long tour of the UK each year called Xtra Bass. London pirate radio stations have been instrumental in the development of drum and bass, with stations such as Kool FM (which continues to broadcast today having done so since 1991),[83] Origin FM, Don FM (the only drum and bass pirate to have gained a temporary legal licence), Renegade Radio 107.2FM, Rude FM, Wax FM and Eruption among the most influential.

As of 2015, despite higher profile stations such as 1Xtra scaling back their drum and bass specialist coverage, the genre has made its way into UK top 10 charts with drum and bass inspired tracks from artists such as Rudimental and Sigma. Earlier in August 2014, before Crissy Criss' show was axed, the BBC held a whole prime time evening event dedicated to showcasing drum and bass by allowing four major labels to participate.[84]

As of November 2014, six drum & bass songs had reached the no.1 spot on the UK's top 40 chart, since the genre was first being played on the radio, around 1993. The first of these was in 2012. The fact that all six of these songs reached number 1 in only two years shows the increase in popularity and commercialisation of the genre in recent years. The artists who produced these songs are Sigma, Rudimental and DJ Fresh (all had two No.1 hits).

Internet radio

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Internet radio stations, acting in the same light as pirate stations, have also been an instrumental part in promoting drum and bass music; the majority of them funded by listener and artist donations.

Drum and bass was supported by Ministry of Sound radio from the early 2000s until 2014 and later featuring Tuesday shows from labels such as Metalheadz, Fabio & Grooverider, DJ Marky, Viper Recordings, Shogun Audio and Hospital Records. From September 2015, Ministry abruptly dropped all non-mainstream genres to focus on mainstream EDM, causing disappointment amongst the fans of the D&B community.[85]

North American radio
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In Toronto since 1994, The Prophecy on 89.5 CIUT-FM with Marcus Visionary, DJ Prime and Mr. Brown, is North America's longest running jungle radio show.[86]

Album 88.5 (Atlanta) and C89.5fm (Seattle) have shows showcasing drum and bass.

Seattle also has a long-standing electronica show known as Expansions on 90.3 FM KEXP. The rotating DJs include Kid Hops, whose shows are made up mostly of drum and bass. In Columbus, Ohio WCBE 90.5 has a two-hour electronic only showcase, All Mixed Up, Saturday nights at 10 pm. At the same time, WUFM 88.7 plays its Electronic Playground.

Tulsa, Oklahoma's rock station, 104.5 The Edge, has a two-hour show starting at 10 pm Saturday nights called Edge Essential Mix, mixed by DJ Demko, showcasing electronic and drum and bass style. While the aforementioned shows in Ohio rarely play drum and bass, the latter plays the genre with some frequency.

In Tucson, Arizona, 91.3 FM KXCI has a two-hour electronic show known as Digital Empire, Friday nights at 10 pm (MST). Resident DJ Trinidad showcases various styles of electronica, with the main focus being drum and bass, jungle and dubstep.

In Augusta, Georgia, Zarbizarre of the Cereal Killaz hosts a show called FreQuency on WHHD on Friday nights from 11 pm until 1 am, showcasing drum and bass during the second hour of the show.[87]

Magazines

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The best-known drum and bass publication was Kmag magazine (formerly called Knowledge Magazine) before it went completely online in August 2009. Although it is still live, after 20 years Kmag ceased updating their site at the end of 2016. Kmag has announced a book to celebrate their 25th anniversary to be published in December 2019. Kmag's publishing arm, Vision, published Brian Belle-Fortune's All Crews in 2004.

Other publications include the longest-running drum and bass magazine worldwide, ATM Magazine, and Austrian-based Resident. London-based DJ magazine has also been running a widely respected drum and bass reviews page since 1994, written by Alex Constantinides, which many followers refer to when seeking out new releases to investigate. In 2012 he stopped writing the reviews, and they are now contributed by Whisky Kicks.

Mainstream acceptance

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The earliest mainstream drum and bass releases include Goldie's album Timeless from 1995. Other early examples include the Mercury Music Prize-winning album New Forms (1997) from Reprazent;[88] 4hero's Mercury-nominated Two Pages from 1998; and then, in the 2000s, Pendulum's Hold Your Colour in 2005 (the best-selling drum and bass album).

In 2012, drum and bass achieved its first UK No. 1 single, "Hot Right Now", by DJ Fresh, which was one of the fastest-selling singles of 2012 at the time of release, launching the career of Rita Ora in the process.[89] In total, there has been seven drum and bass songs to hit number one in the UK. DJ Fresh's Hot Right Now (featuring Rita Ora) in 2012, Rudimental's Feel the Love (featuring John Newman) in 2012 and Waiting All Night (featuring Ella Eyre) in 2013, Sigma's Nobody to Love and Changing (featuring Paloma Faith) both in 2014, Kenya Grace's Strangers in 2023 and Chase & Status and Stormzy's BACKBONE in 2024.

Numerous video games (such as Hudson Soft's Bomberman Hero, Hi-Rez Studios' Tribes: Ascend, Electronic Arts' Need for Speed: Undercover, Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series, and Sony's Wipeout series from Pure onward) have contained drum and bass tracks.[90][91] Microsoft Studios' Forza Horizon 2, 3, 4 and 5 feature a Hospital Records radio channel dedicated to the genre.[92]

The genre has some popularity in film soundtracks. Hive's "Ultrasonic Sound" appeared on The Matrix's soundtrack, and the E-Z Rollers' song "Walk This Land" appeared in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.[93] Ganja Kru's "Super Sharp Shooter" can be heard in the 2006 film Johnny Was.[94]

The Channel 4 show Skins uses the genre in some episodes, notably in the first series' third episode, "Jal", where Shy FX and UK Apache's "Original Nuttah" was played in Fazer's club.[95]

See also

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References

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Further reading

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Drum and bass

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Drum and bass, also known as drum 'n' bass or D&B, is a genre of characterized by fast-paced breakbeats typically ranging from 160 to 180 beats per minute and prominent, heavy basslines that form its sonic foundation. Emerging from the UK's underground scene in the early , it evolved from and , blending influences from , hip-hop, dub, and to create a high-energy sound designed for dance floors. The genre's origins trace back to the early 1990s rave culture, where producers experimented with sped-up breakbeats—often sampling the iconic "" from records—and deep sub-bass synthesized or sampled from diverse sources, marking a shift from the more vocal-heavy style toward a focus on rhythmic complexity and atmospheric depth. By the mid-1990s, drum and bass had splintered into subgenres such as jump-up (energetic and bouncy), (melodic and soulful), (dark and futuristic), and (industrial and aggressive), reflecting its adaptability and innovation driven by stations and culture. This evolution was fueled by key events like the 1993 launch of Speed FM, a show that promoted deeper sounds, and the 1995 opening of the club, which hosted influential sessions pushing the genre's sonic boundaries. Pioneering artists like Goldie, whose 1995 album Timeless introduced orchestral elements and won critical acclaim, and Roni Size, whose 1997 Mercury Prize-winning New Forms blended live instrumentation with breakbeats, helped elevate drum and bass from underground obscurity to mainstream recognition in the late 1990s. The genre experienced commercial peaks with acts like Pendulum fusing rock influences for hits in the 2000s, but faced a decline in the early 2000s before a resurgence in the 2010s, highlighted by DJ Fresh's 2012 UK No. 1 single "Hot Right Now," with continued growth in the 2020s including a 94% increase in global streams from 2021 to 2024 and rising popularity in markets like the United States. Culturally, drum and bass emerged as an expression of disenfranchised urban youth, particularly in multiracial communities, with its high-energy performances featuring MCs, mosh pits, and powerful sound systems fostering a rebellious, inclusive subculture tied to rave and dancehall scenes.

History

Origins in the United Kingdom (late 1980s–1990s)

Drum and bass emerged from the UK's and rave culture in the late 1980s, drawing influences from , hip-hop, and electro to create a high-energy fusion that reflected the multicultural urban experience of . The Second Summer of Love (1988–1989) marked a pivotal moment, as warehouse parties and outdoor raves proliferated, fueled by acid house imports from and the rise of ecstasy culture, which shifted clubbing from traditional venues to illicit gatherings attended by thousands. Collectives like organized these underground events, emphasizing free access and DIY ethos, which laid the groundwork for the genre's rebellious spirit amid growing police crackdowns. By 1991–1992, producers began evolving from the scene, accelerating breakbeats to 160–180 BPM and incorporating vocals and heavy basslines for a more aggressive sound. Pioneers such as Shut Up and Dance released tracks like "£10 to Get In" (1991), blending hip-hop samples with hardcore rhythms, while Doc Scott's "Vapour Tracks" (1992) on Reinforced Records introduced darker, atmospheric elements that foreshadowed the genre's depth. This period saw the genre gain traction in London's clubs and on , where the fast-paced breaks and vocal chops captured the energy of the multicultural youth scene. The transition to jungle occurred in 1993–1994, as labels like Reinforced Records championed a rawer style with chopped Amen breaks, deep sub-bass, and Jamaican dancehall influences, distinguishing it from broader hardcore. Seminal releases included Omni Trio's "Renegade Snares" (1994), but tracks like "Original Nuttah" by UK Apachi & Shy FX (1994) exemplified the ragga-jungle fusion, becoming anthems for the sound's infectious energy and lyrical flair. Around 1994, DJs like Goldie popularized the term "drum and bass" to describe the genre's focus on complex drum patterns and prominent basslines, differentiating it from the wider jungle umbrella and signaling a maturation toward more sophisticated production. Pirate radio stations played a crucial role in disseminating these sounds during the , operating illegally to bypass commercial restrictions and connect directly with listeners. , launched in 1994, became a cornerstone for jungle and early drum and bass, broadcasting sets from DJs like DJ Hatcha and fostering community through live MC interactions and exclusive dubs that shaped the genre's grassroots growth. Stations like complemented this by airing high-energy shows that amplified the music's reach across , helping it evade mainstream gatekeepers until legal legalization in the late 1990s.

Global expansion and stylistic evolution (2000s–2010s)

During the 2000s, drum and bass experienced significant international adoption beyond its origins, particularly in where the developed a robust scene influenced by local and hardcore traditions. Dutch producers like and integrated these harder-edged elements into drum and bass, contributing to a thriving continental network that emphasized high-energy, technical . This expansion was paralleled in the early US scene, where DJ Dara, having relocated to New York in 1994, played a pivotal role in establishing North American drum and bass through performances and the formation of the Planet of the Drums collective in 2000, which united prominent DJs for cross-continental tours and mixes. The mid-2000s marked the rise of neurofunk and liquid drum and bass as influential stylistic evolutions, with liquid funk gaining traction through Hospital Records, founded in 1996 and reaching its commercial peak during the decade. Artists such as Calibre and High Contrast exemplified this shift, blending atmospheric melodies and soulful elements with breakbeat rhythms; High Contrast's 2003 BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, featuring Hospital label tracks, highlighted the subgenre's polished, accessible sound. Neurofunk, meanwhile, emerged with darker, more complex synth-driven productions, further diversifying the genre's global appeal among producers seeking experimental depth. Commercial milestones underscored this evolution, including the enduring influence of Goldie's 1995 album Timeless, which saw renewed attention through remixes and reissues that reinforced its status as a drum and bass cornerstone into the 2000s. Pendulum's rock-infused albums Hold Your Colour (2005) and Immersion (2010) represented breakthroughs, achieving mainstream chart success and broadening the genre's audience by fusing electronic breaks with live instrumentation and anthemic structures. Festival integration bolstered this growth, exemplified by the Let It Roll event in the Czech Republic, which began in 2003 as a club series before evolving into Europe's largest drum and bass gathering, drawing international lineups and fostering community. Digital platforms like Beatport, launched in 2004, revolutionized distribution by enabling direct sales of drum and bass tracks, empowering independent artists and labels amid shifting markets. This period of adaptation highlighted the genre's resilience, as digital tools and networks sustained stylistic and global connectivity through the .

Recent resurgence and developments ()

In the early , drum and bass underwent a notable resurgence, fueled by the post-COVID-19 recovery and the rise of digital platforms. Streaming services played a pivotal role, with reporting a 94% increase in drum and bass streams since 2021, driven largely by younger audiences discovering the genre through algorithmic recommendations and . On , #DnB content experienced 50% year-on-year growth in video creations, amplifying viral clips of high-energy tracks and dance challenges that introduced the sound to global users. By 2025, the genre reached a landmark milestone with the Drum & Bass Awards, held online on December 7, 2025, solidifying its status as a major event and showcasing the breadth of contemporary talent. Emerging and active artists like Empress, known for her high-energy sets and releases on Empower Recordings, and , a Norwich-based producer blending jump-up and liquid styles, exemplified the fresh wave of innovators gaining prominence. The witnessed parallel growth, with drum and bass infiltrating mainstream festivals such as EDC , where bass-heavy stages featured integrations of the genre. Producers like , who fuse drum and bass rhythms with drops, headlined sets that drew large crowds, including a kineticFIELD stage performance in 2024. This crossover helped elevate drum and bass's visibility in , contributing to its broader mainstreaming. Sustainability became a growing focus within drum and bass events, aligning with wider industry trends toward eco-friendly practices. Festivals like Hospitality's Weekend , revived post-pandemic in 2022, incorporated measures such as reduced single-use plastics and reusable cup systems, reflecting efforts to minimize environmental impact amid expanding lineups. Collaborations with mainstream pop and rap figures further bridged drum and bass to wider audiences, as seen in Chase & Status's 2023 album 2 RUFF, Vol. 1, which included tracks like "Selecta" featuring and "Liquor & Cigarettes" with , blending high-tempo breaks with vocal hooks for chart success.

Musical elements

Breakbeats and rhythmic foundations

Drum and bass emerged in the early as an evolution from the scene, where producers shifted away from the rigid 4/4 beats of hardcore rave music toward more intricate, polyrhythmic breaks that incorporated chopped samples and layered percussion for greater rhythmic density. This transition, driven by London-based artists and sound system , emphasized breakbeat manipulation to create a sense of urgency and propulsion, distinguishing —and later drum and bass—from the more straightforward and influences of the late . Central to this rhythmic foundation is the , a six-second drum solo from ' 1969 track "Amen, Brother," performed by drummer Gregory "G.C." Coleman and originally recorded at around 135 BPM. In drum and bass, this break is typically chopped into smaller segments, sped up to 160–180 BPM, and layered with additional snares and hi-hats to form the genre's signature percussive backbone, as heard in early tracks like Lennie De Ice's "We Are I.E." (1991). This acceleration and fragmentation not only intensified the energy but also allowed for seamless integration with bass elements, enhancing the overall groove. The genre's rhythms are characterized by , which blends feels—where the pulse feels slower, often around 80–90 BPM in perception—with double-time percussion elements that double the note density to build tension and momentum. This interplay creates a disorienting yet danceable complexity, with off-beat accents and swung sixteenth notes derived from classic breakbeats, contributing to the "skittering" quality that defines drum and bass percussion. Producers achieve the fluid, "rolling" drum patterns iconic to the genre through programming techniques such as —subtle, low-velocity snare hits that add texture without overpowering the main beat—and strategic fills that transition between sections. These elements, often applied to variations, simulate the organic swing of live drumming while maintaining electronic precision, fostering a continuous forward drive that underpins the music's hypnotic intensity.

Basslines and low-end frequencies

Drum and bass basslines are characterized by a pronounced emphasis on sub-bass frequencies, typically in the 20–60 Hz range, which provides the genre's foundational low-end power and physical intensity. This range is often achieved using clean sine waves for the core sub layer, ensuring clarity and efficiency in club playback where the sound is more felt than heard. Layered above this, the Reese bass technique employs detuned sawtooth oscillators—usually two slightly offset in pitch—to create a rumbling, supersaw-like texture that adds harmonic richness without overwhelming the fundamental tone. Originating in late-1980s electronic music and popularized in drum and bass through tracks like Ray Keith's "Terrorist" (1994), the Reese bass is processed with low-pass filtering around 650 Hz and subtle chorusing to enhance its pulsating movement. Dynamic variation in basslines is further realized through techniques like wobble bass, where a low-frequency oscillator (LFO) modulates the of a , often using a for smooth sweeps. This LFO modulation, synced to the track's , produces the signature "wobbling" effect that injects rhythmic energy and texture, particularly in subgenres like and jump-up. Reese bass variants can incorporate similar LFO-driven filtering for added motion, evolving the static detuned foundation into evolving patterns that complement the rhythms. Harmonically, drum and bass basslines frequently draw from minor scales such as , , and , which contribute to the genre's dark, intense atmosphere through dissonant intervals like minor thirds and tritones. These structures, often spanning notes from D#1 to G#1, balance audibility with tactile impact, evoking a sense of tension or depending on resolution and layering. The use of harmonic minor variants amplifies this complexity, introducing raised seventh degrees that heighten emotional depth in the low-end. In club environments, the acoustic impact of these basslines demands specialized to reproduce frequencies below 50 Hz, translating auditory elements into visceral sensations that drive crowd energy and immersion. This physicality—felt as vibrations in the chest and body—enhances the genre's dance floor potency, with proper subwoofer placement against walls optimizing bass reinforcement and preventing phase issues for uniform low-end delivery.

Atmospheric and melodic layers

In drum and bass, particularly within atmospheric and subgenres, reverb-heavy and samples are employed to craft cinematic atmospheres that provide emotional depth and spatial immersion. These elements often feature sustained, evolving synth processed with extensive reverb to create a sense of vastness, frequently arranged in minor keys to evoke or tension. For instance, producers layer orchestral samples over ambient drones, allowing them to swell during breakdowns for a filmic quality that contrasts the genre's rapid rhythms. Melodic hooks in liquid drum and bass further enhance this layer through the integration of instruments like , guitar, or occasional ethnic elements, introducing catchy, soulful progressions that prioritize over aggression. riffs, often chopped and filtered for a vintage feel, or live guitar lines with subtle , serve as focal points in the mid-to-high range, adding uplift and narrative flow to tracks. These melodies are typically built around simple chord sequences in major or relative minor scales, ensuring accessibility while maintaining the genre's energetic pace. Vocal chops and soulful samples contribute textured nuance without dominating the mix, drawing from sources like soul records to infuse warmth and humanity. Producers pitch-shift and time-stretch vocal snippets—such as echoed phrases or ad-libs from artists like —applying effects like chorus and delay to create rhythmic, ethereal motifs that blend seamlessly with pads. This approach avoids full lyrical narratives, instead using fragments for emotional resonance and subtle hooks. To accommodate the high tempos of drum and bass, often exceeding 170 BPM, producers balance space and density in these layers by strategically muting elements and employing for builds, preventing overcrowding while allowing atmospheric components to breathe. This judicious arrangement ensures clarity, with and melodies occupying distinct frequency pockets to support immersive listening experiences.

, , and drops

Drum and bass tracks typically operate at a tempo of 160–180 beats per minute (BPM), with 174 BPM being a common standard that facilitates DJ mixing and dancefloor energy. This rapid pace is driven by intricate breakbeats, but the genre's basslines often employ a half-time rhythm, syncing to every other beat and creating a perceived groove of 80–90 BPM that contrasts the frenetic drums for a grounded, pulsating feel. The standard track structure in drum and bass follows a dynamic progression designed to build and release tension, often spanning 4–6 minutes in total length. It begins with an intro of 16–64 bars, where sparse elements like filtered drums or ambient pads gradually layer in to establish atmosphere and allow seamless DJ transitions. This leads into a breakdown of 16–32 bars, stripping back to atmospheric textures—such as reverb-heavy pads or vocal snippets—for a moment of respite that heightens anticipation. The build-up follows, typically 16–32 bars long, escalating energy through rising synth sweeps, accelerating snares, and tension-building effects like white noise risers or snare rolls, sometimes incorporating melodic hints to draw listeners in. The drop serves as the genre's climactic high-energy release, usually lasting 32–64 bars, where the full rhythm and crash in simultaneously, delivering a bass-heavy re-entry that evokes power and . This moment, often marked by sub-bass drops and syncopated rhythms, propels the track's emotional peak, with and valence peaking compared to preceding sections. Tracks commonly repeat this cycle—breakdown to build-up to drop—with variations in the second iteration to maintain interest, before fading into an outro that mirrors the intro's sparseness. While the core structure remains consistent, drops exhibit stylistic variations across drum and bass expressions; for instance, often features rolling bass drops with continuous, modulating low-end lines for a hypnotic drive, whereas variants emphasize clean builds leading to smoother, melodic drops that prioritize flow over aggression.

Production techniques

Sampling and manipulation

Sampling in drum and bass production has long centered on breakbeats, with producers sourcing and editing drum loops from funk, , and records to create the genre's signature syncopated rhythms. The , a six-second drum solo from ' 1969 track "Amen, Brother," emerged as the archetypal sample in the early , particularly in , the direct precursor to drum and bass. British producers heavily sampled and reused it for its punchy, syncopated groove, chopping and rearranging elements to fit the high-tempo, 160-180 BPM framework of the genre. Other foundational breakbeat sources included 1970s recordings, such as the Incredible Bongo Band's "" from their 1973 album Bongo Rock, whose bongo-driven percussion break was adapted into rapidfire patterns in tracks like Goldie's 1994 drum and bass classic "." Jamaican dub and influences also shaped sampling practices, with producers incorporating basslines, dubbed effects, and ragga vocal snippets—often sped up and layered over breakbeats—as heard in early ragga jungle cuts like The ' 1990 track "Spliffhead," which blended gritty Jamaican samples with hip-hop-inspired rhythms. Key manipulation techniques involved slicing the into 1/16th-note segments using early workstations like Cubase on PCs or , allowing producers to reprogram rhythms for complexity and variation during the . Time-stretching emerged as a pivotal method in the early , enabling producers to alter sample tempos without changing pitch—often via hardware like the Eventide H3000 or software—to create elastic, stuttering effects, as exemplified in tracks like 4Hero's "Journey From the Light" and Dillinja's "." Layering multiple breaks, such as combining the Amen with elements, added depth and polyrhythmic intricacy, filling sonic gaps and enhancing the genre's propulsive drive without relying on synthesized drums. Post-2010s legal shifts facilitated easier sample access through royalty-free platforms like Splice, launched in 2013, which democratized production by offering cleared packs and reducing clearance hurdles that once plagued electronic genres. This evolution allowed contemporary drum and bass artists to build on traditional techniques while navigating more efficiently.

Synthesis, sound design, and digital tools

In drum and bass production, synthesized basslines form a core element, often generated using wavetable and (FM) synthesis techniques to create the characteristic wobble effects. Software synthesizers such as Xfer Serum and Native Instruments Massive have become staples for crafting these sounds, allowing producers to modulate waveforms with low-frequency oscillators (LFOs) synced to the track's tempo—typically around 170-175 BPM—to produce rhythmic, pulsating bass movements that define subgenres like jump-up and . Serum's flexible wavetable engine enables precise control over harmonic content and filter movement, while Massive's performer and step sequencer facilitate evolving wobbles through envelope-driven FM modulation between oscillators. Hardware synthesizers have evolved significantly in drum and bass workflows, tracing roots to the Bass Line from the , whose analog filter resonance and sequencer influenced the squelchy, acidic bass tones that informed later electronic genres. By the 2020s, systems have gained traction in professional studios for their customizable patching, enabling complex bass synthesis through voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), filters, and envelope generators that integrate seamlessly with digital audio workstations (DAWs) for hybrid production. These setups allow for experimental , such as chaining multiple modules to generate sub-bass harmonics or modulated effects that complement synthesized elements alongside briefly integrated sampled breaks. Sound design techniques emphasize clarity and impact in the low end, with sidechain compression commonly applied to basslines to automatically duck their volume under kick drum transients, preventing frequency masking and ensuring punch in dense mixes. This is achieved by routing the kick as the sidechain input to a on the bass channel, with fast attack times (around 1-5 ms) and release synced to the for natural pumping. EQ sculpting further refines these elements, involving high-pass filtering on non-bass layers to carve space below 100 Hz and parametric boosts or cuts to enhance mid-range definition without muddiness. Since the , digital audio workstations like are widely used in drum and bass production due to their robust real-time manipulation capabilities, including warping for tempo-synced audio, clip launching for live arrangement, and integration with Max for Live devices for custom synthesis and effects processing. This shift has enabled producers to iterate quickly on synthesized sounds, applying automation to LFO rates or filter sweeps directly within the session for dynamic builds and drops. By 2025, AI-assisted tools for generating samples and elements, such as stem separation and generative synthesis plugins, have begun integrating into workflows to enhance creativity and efficiency.

Subgenres

Atmospheric and liquid styles

Atmospheric drum and bass emerged in the early 1990s as an experimental offshoot of the UK's scene, emphasizing ambient textures and emotional depth over aggressive rhythms. Influenced by ambient artists such as , the style incorporates deep, swirling pads, minimal breakbeats, and extended intros that create immersive, journey-like soundscapes. Key early examples include Photek's "T-Raenon" (1996), which layers intricate percussion with ethereal atmospheres. Labels like 31 Records played a foundational role, releasing influential tracks that blended atmospheric elements with the era's evolving drum and bass foundations. Liquid drum and bass developed in the mid-2000s, building on atmospheric roots to introduce smoother, more melodic structures with soulful R&B vocals and flowing basslines. This subgenre prioritizes lush synths, reverb-heavy ambiences, and emotive chord progressions at around 170 BPM, offering a less aggressive alternative to heavier variants. Pioneered through compilations like Fabio's Liquid Funk Volume 1 (2000), it gained prominence with releases such as High Contrast's Tough Guys Don’t Dance (2007). A representative track is Netsky's "Rio" (2010), which exemplifies the style's harmonious blend of uplifting melodies and subtle percussion. Prominent artists in these styles include Calibre, whose 2001 album Musique Concrete features rolling basslines and melancholic melodies that define liquid's groove-oriented ethos, and Lenzman, a Dutch known for deep, soul-sampled tracks like those on his Looking at the Stars LP (2013). Labels such as Spearhead Records have sustained the scene, championing expressive sounds through artists like BCee and Seba. Overall, atmospheric and styles highlight and bass's capacity for introspection and musicality, contrasting the genre's more intense forms.

Heavy, dark, and neurofunk variants

The heavy, dark, and variants of drum and bass emerged as aggressive, futuristic offshoots in the late 1990s and , emphasizing dystopian soundscapes, distorted low-end frequencies, and rapid, intricate rhythms typically locked at 174 beats per minute. These styles diverged from earlier melodic forms by prioritizing industrial harshness, cyberpunk-inspired aesthetics, and dissonant melodic elements that evoke tension and unease, often drawing on sci-fi and horror influences to create immersive, narrative-driven tracks. Techstep, originating in the late , pioneered this darker direction with its dirge-like death-funk grooves, bludgeoning breakbeats, and harsh industrial timbres that contrasted the upbeat energy of contemporaneous subgenres. Producers like & Optical defined the sound through relentless, distorted basslines and atmospheric menace, as exemplified by their 1998 Wormhole on Virus Recordings, which featured tracks such as "Funktion" and "Lifespan" that blended clashing percussion with pessimistic, millennium-evocative themes. This subgenre's immersive structures, often spanning 6-9 minutes, allowed for evolving tension built on "dirty, deadly bass" and minimal melodic resolution, solidifying as a foundational shift toward experimental intensity in drum and bass. Building on techstep's foundations, arose in the early 2000s as a more minimalist and glitch-oriented evolution, characterized by snarling midrange bass, abrasive textures, and influences from heavy metal and to craft dystopian, soundtrack-like compositions. Pioneers and advanced the style with precise, time-based effects and complex, glitchy bass manipulations that minimized traditional funk elements in favor of cerebral, futuristic aggression, as heard in Noisia's Split the Atom (2008) and Black Sun Empire's Lights and Wires (2010). 's cyberpunk ethos often manifests in dissonant, angular melodies and high-tempo drops exceeding 170 BPM, fostering a sense of mechanical alienation over emotional warmth. Darkstep, also developing in the late 1990s and peaking through the , intensified the genre's shadowy undercurrents with dystopian , heavy drops, and abrasive synthesizer-driven atmospheres that prioritize raw power and horror-infused narratives. Artists like Audio exemplified this through tracks incorporating horror-themed samples—such as eerie vocal snippets and cinematic effects—to heighten tension, alongside overdriven bass and thunderous variants that deliver visceral impact. Works by Audio, including releases on labels like , underscore darkstep's focus on building unrelenting dread via distorted rhythms and sparse, ominous layers, distinguishing it as a brutal, thematic counterpart to neurofunk's technical precision.

Jump-up and mainstream commercial forms

Jump-up emerged in the early as a high-energy subgenre of drum and bass, rooted in jungle's influences and characterized by its bouncy, riffy basslines designed for dancefloor excitement. This style quickly gained traction through labels like True Playaz, emphasizing aggressive, elastic "wobbly" bass sounds that modulated in pitch and rhythm to create a playful yet intense vibe. At its core, jump-up operates around 175 beats per minute, featuring heavy sub-bass frequencies that drive the low end, often paired with chopped breakbeats and call-and-response MC vocals to hype crowds. By the late , jump-up had waned amid the rise of more atmospheric drum and bass variants, but it experienced a notable revival starting around 2004, led by producers like who reinvigorated the sound with modern production techniques. 's tracks, such as "Mr Happy" and "Bricks Don't Roll," exemplified the revived style's focus on bold, hook-driven basslines and party-oriented energy, helping jump-up reclaim prominence in club scenes. The saw further momentum, with a surge in popularity by the mid-decade as festivals like Let It Roll showcased its enduring appeal, bolstered by endorsements from EDM artists including . This era solidified jump-up's role as drum and bass's most accessible, vocal-heavy branch, distinct from darker influences through its emphasis on fun and crowd interaction. Parallel to jump-up's evolution, mainstream commercial drum and bass expanded significantly from the onward, blending the genre's rapid breaks and bass with pop and EDM elements to reach broader audiences. In the , acts like pioneered this crossover by incorporating rock guitars and anthemic structures into tracks like "Vault," achieving stadium-filling success and international chart placements. This commercial trajectory peaked in the with vocal-driven hits; for instance, DJ Fresh's "" featuring became the UK's first drum and bass number-one single in 2012, topping the Official Charts through its infectious pop hooks and radio-friendly production. Into the 2020s, mainstream drum and bass continued hybridizing with pop and EDM, evident in collaborations like and Dimension's "Desire" (2018, extended into the decade's sound), which fused melodic drops with major-label polish for play. Lighter commercial variants, including liquid-influenced tracks with uplifting vocals, dominated events, as seen in High Contrast's "Racing Green" and similar anthems that prioritized emotional, house-tinged grooves over raw aggression. These hybrids thrived at 2020s s like Ultra Miami and , where drum and bass acts blended sub-bass pulses with house rhythms to appeal to diverse EDM crowds, maintaining the genre's 175 BPM tempo while softening edges for mainstream accessibility.

Influences on and from other genres

Drum and bass drew significant influences from dub and through the UK's adoption of Jamaican soundsystem in the late and , where dubplates—exclusive custom recordings—became central to dancefloor exclusivity and energy. Pioneers like and blended reggae dubplates with breakbeats and elements, laying the groundwork for 's evolution into drum and bass in the early . Ragga jungle, a substyle, incorporated gritty ragga basslines and vocals, as exemplified by The ' 1990 track "Spliffhead," which fused reggae samples over hip-hop-inspired beats. The genre also borrowed heavily from hip-hop's techniques, particularly the from ' 1969 track "Amen, Brother," a six-second drum solo that became a foundational element in over 1,500 songs across genres. In drum and bass, this break provided syncopated rhythms ideal for chopping and speeding up, influencing early tracks and later productions like Skrillex's sped-up manipulations in "I Know Who You Are." Hip-hop's sampling practices, seen in tracks like N.W.A.'s "" (1989), directly shaped drum and bass's rhythmic complexity and break manipulation. In the 2000s UK bass scene, drum and bass exerted a profound influence on emerging genres like grime and , sharing roots in and soundsystem culture. evolved as a "mutation" of drum and bass, slowing its tempos while retaining heavy sub-bass and atmospheric elements, as organizers of the DMZ club night sought to recapture the raw energy of 1990s . Grime, with its aggressive MC flows, drew from drum and bass's breakbeat foundations and MC traditions, fostering a interconnected bass music ecosystem. Drum and bass impacted broader EDM subgenres in the 2010s, particularly , where producers like incorporated its rapid breaks and basslines, citing influences from drum and bass records and artists like . rhythms, a drum and bass variant at roughly half-speed (around 85 BPM) with deep 808s and intricate percussion, influenced trap and other bass-heavy EDM styles by emphasizing sub-bass grooves and hip-hop elements. Crossovers extended to media, with drum and bass featuring prominently in the 1995 video game WipEout and its series soundtracks, which showcased electronic tracks including drum and bass to enhance high-speed racing aesthetics. The 1999 film The Matrix incorporated drum and bass in its soundtrack, notably Rob Dougan's "Clubbed to Death," a moody track blending strings with breakbeats that underscored the film's action sequences. This integration helped popularize the genre in cinematic contexts, inspiring remixes like the 2003 Matrix Reloaded Drum 'n' Bass Version album.

Performance practices

DJ sets and mixing techniques

DJ sets in drum and bass (DnB) originated in the early 1990s rave scene, where pioneers like and played a pivotal role in shaping the genre's performance culture. As residents at influential events such as Rage, they performed on vinyl turntables, employing to synchronize tracks at the genre's characteristic tempo of approximately 170 beats per minute (BPM), which allowed for seamless transitions between high-energy breakbeats. Their sets often incorporated techniques, drawing from hip-hop influences to add rhythmic flair and emphasize percussive elements, creating a raw, improvisational feel that energized crowds in underground clubs. Key mixing techniques in DnB DJ sets focus on building tension and release to maintain dancefloor momentum. Echo outs, where a track's outro is delayed and faded using reverb effects, provide smooth handoffs between tunes, while high-pass filters are commonly applied to gradually strip low frequencies during transitions, heightening anticipation for incoming basslines and drops. These methods enable DJs to craft dynamic builds, often culminating in synchronized double drops for explosive energy. MC collaborations further enhance sets by providing live vocal hype, with performers like or Skibadee delivering rapid-fire lyrics to rally audiences and bridge tracks, a tradition rooted in jungle's heritage. By the 2010s, DnB DJ setups evolved from vinyl to digital formats, with Pioneer CDJ-2000 players—introduced in 2009—becoming standard for their waveform displays and cue point features, facilitating precise control over fast-paced mixes. Accompanying software like Rekordbox allowed DJs to prepare USB drives with analyzed tracks, enabling quick loading and beatgrid alignment at 170 BPM, which streamlined performances in professional environments. This shift reduced reliance on physical records while preserving tactile mixing, as seen in sets by contemporary artists adapting pioneer methods to club-standard gear. DnB set structures vary by context, balancing atmospheric warm-ups with peak-time intensity to guide crowd energy. Early in a night, DJs select rolling, melodic tracks to establish a groove without overwhelming the floor, gradually introducing heavier elements; in contrast, peak-time slots emphasize aggressive drops and rapid swaps to sustain high adrenaline, often extending sets to two hours or more for immersive flow.

Live bands and instrumental performances

While drum and bass originated as a predominantly electronic genre, live band formats emerged in the mid-1990s, blending acoustic instruments with programmed elements to create dynamic stage experiences. Roni Size's Reprazent pioneered this hybrid approach, winning the 1997 for their album New Forms, which featured live instrumentation including drums, bass, and jazz-infused elements performed by a full ensemble. Their debut live show at the 1997 Tribal Gathering festival showcased this setup, marking a shift toward band-based performances that expanded the genre's appeal beyond club DJ sets. Goldie further advanced live drum and bass through his Metalheadz imprint, organizing early live shows that incorporated band elements starting in the late 1990s. By the 2010s, Goldie's performances evolved into full live band configurations, featuring a dual-drummer setup with Adam Betts and John Blease, alongside other musicians providing guitar, bass, and keyboards. This format allowed for explosive reinterpretations of classics like "Inner City Life," performed at festivals. In the 2000s, Australian group popularized guitar-driven live sets, fusing drum and bass with rock influences through their 2005 debut album . Their lineup included live guitar by ap , bass and backing vocals by Gareth McGrillen, drums by Kevin 'KJ' Sawka, and synths/vocals by , often headlining major events like and Reading Festival with high-energy, instrument-led renditions. These acts highlighted typical instrumentation in drum and bass live bands—live drums, bass guitars, and synths—triggered and looped to integrate with pre-recorded electronic tracks for seamless transitions. Replicating the genre's studio complexity onstage presented significant challenges, as intricate breakbeats and layered sound design required precise synchronization between live players and digital elements. Artists addressed this by employing triggers on instruments to activate loops and samples in real-time, ensuring the fast-paced, polyrhythmic essence of drum and bass translated to live contexts without losing intensity, as seen in Reprazent's 2001 House of Blues performance. This hybrid method not only overcame technical hurdles but also fostered immersive festival experiences, with groups like Reprazent appearing at events such as Exit Festival to deliver full-band drum and bass sets. In the 2020s, live drum and bass performances have continued to innovate, with acts like integrating orchestral elements in collaborations such as their classical project, expanding the genre's live presentation amid its broader resurgence.

Industry and

Record labels and distribution models

Drum and bass has been shaped by a network of independent record labels that prioritize artistic innovation and subcultural roots over mainstream commercial pressures. , established in 1994 by artist alongside DJs and , emerged as a cornerstone for the genre's atmospheric and intelligent variants, releasing seminal works that emphasized intricate production and emotional depth. , co-founded in 1992 by DJ and producer and Ant Miles, focused on high-energy, club-oriented tracks, becoming a leading imprint for and jump-up styles through its consistent output of influential singles and albums. , launched in 1996 by Tony Colman and Chris Goss under their alias, specialized in uplifting and soulful drum and bass, fostering a community-driven ethos that supported emerging talent and collaborative projects. These labels, primarily UK-based, have maintained autonomy by handling production in-house and cultivating direct artist relationships, often releasing limited-edition vinyl to preserve the genre's tactile heritage. Distribution models for drum and bass evolved significantly from physical to digital formats, reflecting broader shifts in electronic music infrastructure. In the , vinyl records dominated releases, with independent labels relying on specialist pressing plants and wholesale distributors like Pinnacle in the UK to supply record shops and DJs, enabling rapid dissemination of white-label promos and 12-inch singles essential for club play. In the , distributors such as handled physical shipments for indie electronic labels, bridging transatlantic gaps by warehousing and shipping imports to urban outlets. The transition to digital in the was accelerated by platforms like , launched in 2004 as a dedicated electronic music download site, and , which empowered direct-to-fan sales for niche labels starting around 2008, reducing intermediary costs and allowing instant global access to tracks. By the 2010s, streaming services transformed revenue streams, with drum and bass benefiting from increased visibility on platforms like , where genre streams rose 94% between 2021 and 2024, generating royalties through pro-rata models that allocate pools based on play counts. Labels adapted by partnering with aggregators for wider reach, though challenges persisted with low per-stream payouts, prompting a hybrid approach combining downloads, merchandise bundles, and live event tie-ins. As of 2025, emerging trends incorporate and NFTs for enhanced artist ownership, enabling direct tokenization of tracks and royalties on platforms that automate perpetual payments upon resales, as seen in experimental releases from electronic imprints experimenting with to bypass traditional intermediaries. This shift, while nascent, addresses longstanding issues of transparency in drum and bass distribution, particularly for independent labels concentrated in the UK.

Regional scenes and global communities

The maintains its position as the dominant force in drum and bass, with and anchoring the genre's historical and contemporary scenes. In , artists like propelled drum and bass from intimate venues off to national superclubs, establishing the city's role as a creative powerhouse. 's legacy in bass music, encompassing jungle and drum and bass evolutions, continues through community-driven events such as the annual Drum & Bass bike ride, which in 2025 drew hundreds of riders parading customized bicycles adorned with sound systems through the streets. The genre's deep ties to cultural traditions are evident at , where soundsystems have integrated drum and bass since the 1990s, attracting over a million attendees each August Bank Holiday and featuring live broadcasts from the event since at least 2002. Europe hosts thriving regional hubs, notably in the , where the Let It Roll festival emerged amid the early 2000s drum and bass surge, debuting in 2002 at Prague's Mlejn club before evolving into the world's largest dedicated event by 2003. Held annually near Milovice, it now draws over 25,000 attendees across multiple stages for open-air celebrations of the genre. In , longstanding events like Drum 'n' Bass Sessions, originating at Shinjuku's Liquidroom in the late , sustain a dedicated club culture, providing consistent platforms for local and international DJs in Tokyo's underground scene. The United States has witnessed accelerated drum and bass growth in the 2020s, fueled by a "stateside explosion" of producers adopting UK-influenced sounds and securing support from global icons like Andy C and Sub Focus. In New York, the scene thrives through live performances at venues such as Nowadays, where DJs like Analog Soul deliver extended drum and bass sets amid the city's evolving club ecosystem. This expansion extends to major festivals, exemplified by Kenya Grace's 2024 Coachella appearance, where her drum and bass-infused pop tracks highlighted the genre's crossover appeal. Australian drum and bass communities parallel this momentum, with intergenerational resurgence driven by club takeovers like Chinese Laundry Invites in Sydney, which in recent years have showcased full-venue events featuring international acts such as Halogenix from the UK's Critical Music label. Global connectivity has been amplified by online platforms, where communities like Reddit's r/dnb serve as vital spaces for fans to exchange tracks, production tips, and event updates, supporting the genre's worldwide dissemination. Discord servers further enable cross-border collaborations, as demonstrated by Tasha Baxter's lockdown-era community, which evolved into a hub for creative exchanges among drum and bass producers and enthusiasts during the early .

Media, festivals, and cultural events

Drum and bass has received significant exposure through radio broadcasts, evolving from underground pirate stations to mainstream platforms. In the early 1990s, pirate radio played a crucial role in disseminating the genre, with stations like Kool FM—founded in 1991 in London—broadcasting hardcore, jungle, and drum and bass from makeshift studios despite frequent raids by authorities. Over time, Kool FM transitioned to legal operations, securing a DAB license and online streaming presence while maintaining its focus on drum and bass and related sounds. BBC Radio 1 has further amplified the genre's reach with dedicated programming, including the ongoing Radio 1's Drum & Bass Show, which features new releases, guest mixes, and exclusives since its inception in the late . The station has also produced historical content, such as the 2022 series Turn It Up: A Short History of Drum & Bass, narrated by genre pioneers and highlighting key developments from the onward. Print and digital magazines have chronicled the scene's evolution, providing in-depth coverage of artists, releases, and cultural shifts. Knowledge Magazine (also known as Kmag), launched in 1994, became a cornerstone publication with 106 issues until 2014, offering interviews, track reviews, and accompanying cover CDs that captured the genre's golden era. In the digital age, ATM Magazine—the world's longest-running drum and bass outlet, originating as a free photocopied in the 1990s—has adapted to online formats in the 2020s, emphasizing underground culture, artist features, and mix compilations. Festivals serve as major gatherings that unite the global community, often building on regional scenes with large-scale productions. , a UK-based drum and bass event series originating in 1999 as club nights under , has expanded into multi-day weekenders and international editions, attracting thousands with lineups of leading DJs and live acts. Similarly, Outlook Festival, launched in 2008 in Croatia's Petrcane region, combines drum and bass with bass-heavy genres in unique venues like seaside fortresses and boat parties, drawing international attendees for its immersive atmosphere. Cultural events extend beyond music into fashion and visual arts, reflecting the genre's high-energy ethos. Rave wear for drum and bass events in the 1990s and 2000s favored practical, urban styles like cargo pants, tracksuits, and trainers from brands such as Adidas, suited to intense shuffling and jumping in dimly lit venues. Album covers have similarly embodied futuristic and abstract aesthetics, with designers like Burenko creating bold, digital-inspired visuals for releases on labels such as 1985 Music, enhancing the genre's identifiable iconography.

Cultural impact

Mainstream adoption and collaborations

Drum and bass achieved significant chart success in the early 2010s, signaling its breakthrough into mainstream pop culture. DJ Fresh's "Louder," featuring vocals by Sian Evans, debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in July 2011, becoming the first drum and bass track to top the chart and selling over 140,000 copies in its debut week. This milestone was amplified by the song's prominent feature in a Lucozade Sport television advertisement, which helped propel its commercial appeal. In the 2020s, the genre's fusion with pop continued through acts like Rudimental, whose drum and bass-infused tracks such as "All I Know" with Khalid peaked at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart in 2025, demonstrating sustained chart presence amid evolving electronic trends. High-profile collaborations have bridged drum and bass with broader music scenes, enhancing its visibility. Pendulum's 2010 Live Lounge cover of Linkin Park's "The Catalyst" exemplified early crossovers, blending the genre's high-energy breaks with nu-metal's intensity and drawing attention from rock audiences. Rudimental has similarly partnered with pop and R&B artists, incorporating drum and bass rhythms into accessible hits that appeal to mainstream listeners. While official drum and bass remixes of Ed Sheeran's tracks, such as Netsky's 2014 rework of "Don't," have circulated widely, they underscore the genre's adaptability to pop structures without formal 2023 collaborations emerging as pivotal. Media placements have further embedded drum and bass in popular entertainment. The television series Skins, which premiered in 2007, frequently incorporated drum and bass tracks into its party scenes and soundtracks, exposing the genre to younger, non-specialist viewers through episodes featuring high-tempo electronic elements. Advertisements have also leveraged the genre's dynamic energy, as seen with "Louder"'s role in boosting sales and cultural resonance. Once stigmatized as underground rave music, drum and bass has overcome barriers to gain institutional recognition by the mid-2020s. The viral drum and bass rap track "The Spark," created by an Irish youth group, was longlisted but did not receive a nomination for the 2025 in the Best Children's Music Album category, highlighting the genre's broadening consideration in electronic and specialized fields. This nod reflects a shift toward Grammy considerations in electronic categories, where drum and bass elements increasingly appear alongside and pop nominations.

Social and artistic influences

Drum and bass originated within the multicultural landscape of Britain, drawing heavily from sound system traditions and Asian musical elements to articulate the realities of urban youth. Influenced by , dub, and , the genre evolved from , which blended rapid breakbeats with basslines rooted in Jamaican immigrant communities, capturing the vibrancy and tensions of inner-city life in and beyond. Concurrently, movements integrated eastern scales and rhythms into drum and bass, providing British Asian youth with a platform to express hybrid identities amid societal marginalization. Artistically, drum and bass has fostered visual expressions intertwined with , evident in sleeves that showcase futuristic and abstract designs evoking the genre's high-energy . These artworks often feature bold colors and digital manipulations, serving as cultural artifacts of the underground scene. Additionally, the genre maintains strong ties to , with street art's rebellious aesthetics mirroring the DIY spirit of early , where murals and tags adorned event spaces and record covers to symbolize resistance and community. On the social front, drum and bass has promoted advocacy, particularly through figures like , whose personal struggles with depression and creative burnout highlighted the industry's pressures, leading to collaborations with charities such as Music Minds Matter to support artists' . In the , the scene has advanced diversity in lineups, with promoters and labels actively including more women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and artists of color to counter historical underrepresentation and foster inclusive spaces. The genre's enduring legacy lies in galvanizing within electronic music, exemplified by initiatives like Drum & Bass Against , launched in 2020 amid global protests, which united producers, DJs, and fans to combat through events, releases, and statements emphasizing the music's multicultural . This movement has inspired broader efforts in the electronic community, reinforcing drum and bass as a force for social cohesion and equity.

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