History of DubStep

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that has its roots in London's early 2000s UK garage scene. Musically, dubstep is distinguished by its 2-step rhythm, or use of snare sounds similar to 2step garage and grime, and an emphasis on bass, often producing "dark" sounds, but just as frequently producing sounds reminiscent of dub reggae or funky US garage. Dubstep tracks are generally produced at a tempo of around 140 beats per minute and in recent years have developed signature half time rhythms, often heavily shuffled or syncopated, and usually, though not exclusively, including only one snare drum hit per bar, often on the third beat. Such factors make dubstep rhythms markedly different fromfour-to-the-floor rhythms used in other styles of electronic dance music such as house music, which usually have two snare hits accompanying the second and fourth kick drum. Often, the sense of rhythm in dubstep is propelled more by the bassline than by the percussive content.

The earliest dubstep releases, which date back to 1999, were darker, more experimental, instrumental dub remixes of 2-step garage tracks attempting to incorporate the funky elements of breakbeat, or the dark elements of drum and bass into 2-step, which featured as B-sides of single releases. In 2001, this and other strains of dark garage music began to be showcased and promoted at London's club night Forward>>, which went on to be considerably influential to the development of dubstep. The term "dubstep" in reference to a genre of music began to be used by around 2002, by which time stylistic trends used in creating these remixes started to become more noticeable and distinct from 2-stepand grime.

A very early supporter of the sound was legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who started playing it from 2003 onwards. In 2004, the last year of his show, he put DistanceDigital Mystikz and Plasticman in his top 50 for the year.[1] Dubstep started to spread beyond small local scenes in late 2005 and early 2006; many websites devoted to the genre appeared on the Internet and thus aided the growth of the scene, such as dubstepforum, the download site Barefiles and blogs such as gutterbreakz.[2] Simultaneously, the genre was receiving extensive coverage in music magazines such as The Wire and online publications such as Pitchfork Media, with a regular feature entitled The Month In: Grime/Dubstep. Interest in dubstep grew significantly after BBC Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs started championing the genre, beginning with a show devoted to it (entitled "Dubstep Warz") in January 2006.[3][4][5]

Contents[edit]Characteristics4-bar example of a dubstep drum pattern, corresponding to the image below.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.Musical score of the above recordingSkream - Rutten (2006)
Excerpt from "Rutten" by Skream, demonstrating a bassline driven track backed up by a sparse, half-time drum beat.Problems listening to this file? See media help.Shackleton - Naked (2006)
Excerpt from "Naked" by Shackleton, demonstrating a bass drop.Problems listening to this file? See media help.Dubstep's early roots are in the more experimental releases of UK garage producers, seeking to incorporate elements of drum and bassinto the South London-based 2-step garage sound. These experiments often ended up on the B-side of a white label or commercial garage release.[3][6][7] Dubstep is generally instrumental. Like another, more vocal garage hybrid, grime, the genre's feel is commonly dark; tracks frequently use a minor key and can feature dissonant harmonies such as the augmented fourth within a riff. Other distinguishing features often found are the use of samples, a propulsive, sparse rhythm,[8] and an almost omnipresent sub-bass. Some dubstep artists have also incorporated a variety of outside influences, from dub-influenced techno such as Basic Channel to classical music or heavy metal.[8][9][10]

[edit]RhythmDubstep rhythms are usually syncopated, and often shuffled or incorporating triplets. The tempo is nearly always in the range of 138-142bpm.[8] Dubstep rhythms typically do not follow the four-to-the-floor patterns common in many other styles of electronic dance music such as techno and house, but instead tend to rely on a kickdrum based around the first and third beat of a bar (a characteristic inherited from 2-step garage) and longer percussion loops than the four-bar phrases present in much techno or house. Often, a track's percussion will follow a pattern which when heard alone will appear to be playing at half the tempo of the track; the double-time feel is instead achieved by other elements, usually the bassline. An example of this tension generated by the conflicting tempo is Skream's Rutten, which features a very sparse rhythm almost entirely composed of kick drumsnare drum, and a sparse hi-hat, with a distinctly half time implied 69bpm tempo. The track is instead propelled by a constant sub-bass following a four to the floor 138bpm pattern, and a sampled flute phrase.

In an Invisible Jukebox interview with The WireKode9 commented on a DJ MRK1 (formerly Mark One) track, observing that listeners "have internalized the double-time rhythm" and the "track is so empty it makes [the listener] nervous, and you almost fill in the double time yourself, physically, to compensate".[11]

[edit]Structure, Bass drops, Rewinds and MCsMala of Digital MystikzOriginally, dubstep releases had some structure similarities to other genres like drum and bass and UK garage. Typically this would comprise an intro, a main section (often incorporating a bass drop), a midsection, a second main section similar to the first (often with another drop), and an outro.

Many dubstep tracks incorporate one or more "bass drops", a characteristic inherited from drum 'n' bass. Typically, the percussion will pause, often reducing the track to silence, and then resume with more intensity, accompanied by a dominant subbass (often passing portamento through an entire octave or more, as in the audio example). However, this is by no means a completely rigid characteristic, rather a trope; a large portion of seminal tunes from producers like Kode9 and Horsepower Productions have more experimental song structures which don't rely on a drop for a dynamic peak - and in some instances don't feature a bass drop at all.

Rewinds (or reloads)[12] are another technique used by dubstep DJs. If a song seems to be especially popular, the DJ will 'spin back' the record by hand without lifting the stylus, and play the track in question again. Rewinds are also an important live element in many of dubstep's precursors; the technique originates in dub reggae soundsystems, and is also used at UK garage and jungle nights.[13]

Taking direct cues from Jamaica's lyrically sparse deejay and toasting mic styles in the vein of reggae pioneers like U-Roy, the MC's role in dubstep's live experience is critically important to its impact.[14] As the music is largely instrumental, the MC operates in a similar context to drum and bass and is generally more of a complement to the music rather than the deliverer of lyrical content.[15]

Notable mainstays in the live experience of the sound are MC Sgt Pokes and MC Crazy D from London, and Juakali from Trinidad.[16][17][18][19]Production in a studio environment seems to lend itself to more experimentation. Kode9 has collaborated extensively with the Spaceape, who MCs in a dread poet style. Kevin Martin's experiments with the genre are almost exclusively collaborations with MCs such as Warrior QueenFlowdanKhalief Khadafi, and Tippa IrieSkream has also featured Warrior Queen and grime artist JME on his debut album, Skream!Plastician who was one of the first DJ's to mix the sound of grime and dubstep together,[9] has worked with notable grime duo Boy Better Know and has released tracks with a dubstep foundation and grime verses over the beats.[20] Coki and Mala of Digital Mystikz have experimented with abrupt, 16-bar intros and have produced tracks with dub vocalists,[21] and dubstep artist and label co-owner Sam Shackleton has moved toward productions which fall outside the usual dubstep tempo, and sometimes entirely lack most of the common tropes of the genre.[22]

[edit]History[edit]Early FoundationsWhile dubstep is its own distinct form of electronic music, its roots are surely located within Jamaican dub music and soundsystem cultures. Jamaican soundystems were "large mobile hi-fi or disco...[with] an emphasis on the reproduction of bass frequencies, its own aesthetics and a unique mode of consumption" [23]. These soundsystems represented the appearance of records (dub plates) as modes of legitimate artistic creation. This was an integral moment in the evolution of electronic musics, both in Britain and worldwide. A vast number of record-based musical genres emerged in the last 50-60 years, all of which owe their base form to soundsystems.

Jamaican soundsystem culture gave birth to the dub variety of reggae music, which itself originated many of dubstep's characteristic sounds and sonic techniques. Features like sub-bass (bass near or below 40 Hz), skittering and jittery drums (which would later be termed '2-step'), distortive echo and reverberation effects were all used prominently [23] These features, along with held over soundsystem techniques, would go on to form the crux of numerous electronic musics which emerged from Britain, including jungle, garage, and eventually dubstep.

[edit]1999–2002: OriginsThe Mixing Records record shop, formerly Big Apple Records, in CroydonThe sound of dubstep originally came out of productions by El-B,[6] Steve Gurley,[6] Oris Jay,[10] and Zed Bias[24][25] in 1999-2000. Ammunition Promotions, who run the influential club Forward>> and have managed many proto dubstep record labels (including Tempa, Soulja, Road, Vehicle, Shelflife, Texture, Lifestyle and Bingo),[4][10] began to use the term "dubstep" to describe this style of music in around 2002. The term's use in a 2002XLR8R cover story (featuring Horsepower Productions on the cover) contributed to it becoming established as the name of the genre.[24][26] It gained full acceptance with the Dubstep Allstars Vol 1 CD (Tempa) mixed by DJ Hatcha.[27][28]

The club Forward>> was originally held at the Velvet Rooms in London's Soho and is now running every Sunday at Plastic People in Shoreditcheast London.[8] Founded in 2001, Forward>> was critical to the development of dubstep, providing the first venue devoted to the sound and an environment in which dubstep producers could premier new music.[29] Around this time, Forward>> was also incubating several other strains of dark garage hybrids, so much so that in the early days of the club the coming together of these strains was referred to as the "Forward>> sound".[30] An online flyer from around this time encapsulated the Forward>> sound as "b-lines to make your chest cavity shudder."[31]

Forward>> also ran a radio show on east London pirate station Rinse FM, hosted by Kode9.[32][33][34] The original Forward>> residents included Hatcha, Youngsta, Kode9, Zed Bias, Oris Jay,[10] Slaughter Mob, Jay Da Flex, Slimzee and others, plus regular guests. The line up of residents has changed over the years to include Youngsta, Hatcha, Geeneus and Plastician, with Crazy D as MC/host. Producers including D1, Skream and Benga make regular appearances.[29]

Another crucial element in the early development of dubstep was the Big Apple Records record shop in Croydon.[4] Key artists such as Hatcha and later Skream worked in the shop (which initially sold early UK Hardcore / Rave, Techno and House and later, garage and drum and bass, but evolved with the emerging dubstep scene in the area),[6] while Digital Mystikz were frequent visitors. El-B, Zed Bias, Horsepower, and a young Loefah regularly visited the shop as well.[4] The shop and its record label have since closed down[24] and reopened under the name Mixing Records.

[edit]2002–2005: EvolutionDubstep producer Skream, one of the most widely known names on the scene since the beginning of the Dubstep movementThroughout 2003, DJ Hatcha pioneered a new direction for dubstep on Rinse FM and through his sets at Forward>>.[4][25] Playing sets cut to 10" one-off reggae-style dubplates, he drew exclusively from a pool of new South London producers—first Benga and Skream,[25] then also Digital Mystikz and Loefah—to begin a dark, clipped and minimal new direction in dubstep.[35]

At the end of 2003, running independently from the pioneering FWD night, an event called Filthy Dub, co promoted by Plastician, and partner David Carlisle started happening regularly. It was there that Skream, Benga, N Type, Walsh, Chef and Loefah made their debuts as DJ's. South London collective Digital Mystikz (Mala and Coki), along with labelmates and collaborators Loefah and MC Sgt Pokes soon came into their own, bringing sound system thinking, dub values, and appreciation of jungle bass weight to the dubstep scene.[24] Digital Mystikz brought an expanded palette of sounds and influences to the genre, most prominently reggae and dub, as well as orchestral melodies.[36]

After releasing 12"s on Big Apple, they founded DMZ Records, which has released fourteen 12"s to date. They also began their night DMZ, held every two months in Brixton,[37] a part of London already strongly associated with reggae.[38] DMZ has showcased new dubstep artists such as Skream, Kode 9, Benga, Pinch, DJ Youngsta, Hijak, Joe Nice and Vex'd. DMZ's first anniversary event (at the Mass venue, a converted church) saw fans attending from places as far away as Sweden, the U.S., and Australia, leading to a queue of 600 people[39] at the event. This forced the club to move from its regular 400-capacity space[5] to Mass' main room, an event cited as a pivotal moment in dubstep's history.[10][40]

In 2004, Richard James' label, Rephlex, released two compilations that included dubstep tracks - the (perhaps misnamed) Grime and Grime 2. The first featured Plasticman , Mark One and Slaughter Mob,[41] with Kode 9, Loefah and Digital Mystikz appearing on the second.[42] These compilations helped to raise awareness of dubstep at a time when the grime sound was drawing more attention,[24] and Digital Mystikz and Loefah's presence on the second release contributed to the success of their DMZ club night.[43] Soon afterwards, the Independent on Sunday commented on "a whole new sound", at a time when both genres were becoming popular, stating that "grime" and "dubstep" were two names for the same style, which was also known as "sublow", "8-bar" and "eskibeat".[44]

[edit]2005–2008: GrowthDubstep Section at Black Market Records, Soho, LondonIn the summer of 2005, Forward>> brought grime DJs to the fore of the line up.[45] Building on the success of Skream's grimey anthem "Midnight Request Line," the hype around the DMZ night and support from online forums (notably dubstepforum.com[8]) and media,[5] the scene gained prominence after Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs gathered top figures from the scene for one show, entitled "Dubstep Warz", (later releasing thecompilation album "Warrior Dubz").[39] The show created a new global audience for the scene, after years of exclusively UK underground buzz.[8]Burial's self-titled album appearing in many critics' "Best of..." lists for the year, notably The Wire's Best Album of 2006.[46][47] The sound was also featured prominently in the soundtrack for the 2006 sci-fi film Children of Men,[48] which included Digital Mystikz, Random Trio, Kode 9, Pressure and DJ Pinch.[49] Ammunition also released the first retrospective compilation of the 2000-2004 era of dubstep called "The Roots of Dubstep," co-compiled by Ammunition and Blackdown on the Tempa Label.[50]

Skream - Midnight Request Line (2005)
Excerpt from "Midnight Request Line" by Skream, one of the most widely known dubstep tracks.Problems listening to this file? See media help.The sound's first North American ambassador, Baltimore DJ Joe Nice helped kickstart its spread into the continent.[8] Regular Dubstep club nights started appearing in cities like New York,[51] San Francisco,[26] Seattle, Houston, and Denver,[52] while Mary Anne Hobbs curated a Dubstep showcase at 2007's Sónar festival in Barcelona.[10] Non-British artists have also won praise within the larger Dubstep community.[10] Joe Nice has played at DMZ,[53] while the fifth installment of Tempa's "Dubstep Allstars" mix series (released in 2007) included tracks by Finnish producer Tes La Rok and Americans JuJu and Matty G.[54] Following on from Rinse FM's pioneering start; two internet based radio station's called SubFM and DubstepFM started to play the sound exclusively with 24 hour broadcasting featuring show archives and live DJ shows.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne HobbsTechno artists and DJs are now assimilating dubstep into their sets and productions.[10] Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" was remixed by minimal techno producer Ricardo Villalobos (an act reciprocated when Villalobos included a Shackleton mix on his "Vasco" EP) [55] and included on a mix CD by Panoramabar resident Cassy.[10] Ellen Allien and Apparat's 2006 song "Metric" (from the Orchestra of Bubbles album),[56][57] Modeselektor's Godspeed (from the 2007's Happy Birthday! album, among other tracks on that same album) and Roman Flugel's remix of Riton's "Hammer of Thor" are other examples of dubstep-influenced techno.[10] Berlin's Hard Wax record store (operated by influential[58] dub techno artists Basic Channel)[59][60] has also championed Shackleton's Skull Disco label, later broadening its focus to include other dubstep releases.[9]

The summer of 2007 saw dubstep's musical palette expand further, with Benga and Coki scoring a crossover hit (in a similar manner to Skream's "Midnight Request Line") with the track "Night", which gained widespread play from DJs in a diverse range of genres. BBC Radio 1 DJ Gilles Petersonnamed it his record of 2007, and it was also a massive hit in the equally bassline-orientated, but decidedly more four-to-the-floor genre of bassline house,[61] whilst Burial's late 2007 release Untrue (which was nominated for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Music Prize in the UK) incorporated extensive use of heavily manipulated, mostly female, 'girl next door' vocal samples.[62] Burial has spoken at length regarding his intent to reincorporate elements of musical precursors such as 2-step garage and house into his sound.[63]

Some critics have also seen a dubstep influence in the Britney Spears song "Freakshow" (from her 2007 album Blackout), which Tom Ewing describes as "built around the 'wobbler' effect that's a genre standby."[64][65]

Much like drum and bass before it, dubstep has started to become incorporated into other media, particularly in the United Kingdom. In 2007, Benga, Skream, and other dubstep producers provided the soundtrack to much of the second series of Dubplate Drama, which aired on Channel 4 with a soundtrack CD later released on Rinse Recordings. The sound also featured prominently in the second series of the teen drama Skins, which also aired on Channel 4 in early 2008.

In the summer of 2008, Mary Anne Hobbs invited Cyrus, Starkey, Oneman, DJ Chef, Silkie, Quest, Joker, Nomad, Kulture and MC Sgt Pokes to the BBC's Maida Vale studios for a show called Generation Bass.[66][67][68] The show was the evolution from her seminal BBC Radio 1 Dubstepwarz Show in 2006, and further documented another set of dubstep's producers.

In the fall of 2008, a limited pressing 12" called "Iron Devil"[69] was released featuring Lee Scratch Perry and Prince Far-I in a dubstep style, including a tune based on the Perry riddim used on reggae hits like "Disco Devil", "Chase The Devil", and "Croaking Lizard". This was the first recorded example of a founder of Jamaican dub style acknowledging dubstep and creating new music in the genre, reinforcing the connection of dubstep to its roots in Jamaican dub reggae at a time when it seemed dubstep was moving away from its reggae underpinnings.

As the genre has spread to become an international rather than UK-centric scene, it has also seen a number of women making headway into the scene in a variety of ways. Alongside Soulja of Ammunition Promotions and Mary Anne Hobbs, an influx of female producers, writers, photographers and DJs all have broken through, in the up-til-then male orientated scene, without making gender an issue. With key 12" releases on HyperdubImmigrant and Hotflush Recordings, producers VaccineSubeena and Ikonika have introduced a palette of new sounds and influences to the genre, such as double-time bass drums, 8-bit video game samples, hand percussion and lushly arranged strings.[70] Mary Anne Hobbs commented that the mood at dubstep nights is less aggressive, or more meditative, leading to a larger female attendance at events than with the genre's precursors, noting "Grime and drum 'n' bass raves tend to be quite aggy. People in dubstep clubs tend to have a more meditative approach, which is inviting to females. You see the female-to-male ratio constantly going up – it’s got the potential to be 40:60".[70]

Journalists Melissa Bradshaw,[71][72] Emma Warren,[73][74] and dubstep documentarian and photographer Georgina Cook have all had massive impact on the cultural importance of the music. Cook's Drumz of the South flickr page documents the evolution of the scene in a photographic timeline of sorts, and was for a time the only photographic archive of the key events such as the early FWD and DMZ nights in London.[70][75][76][77]

[edit]2009: Mainstream influenceSnoop Dogg2009 saw the dubstep sound gain further worldwide recognition, often through the assimilation of elements of the sound into other genres, in a manner similar to drum and bass before it.

At the start of the year, UK electronic duo 
La Roux put their single "In for The Kill" in the remix hands of Skream.[78][79], and then again, with their single 'Bulletproof' being remixed by Zinc. Benga and Coki's single "Night" still continued to be a popular track on the UK dance chart more than a year after its release in late 2007, still ranking in the top five at the start of April on Pete Tong's BBC Radio One dance chart list.[80]

London producer Silkie released an influential album "City Limits : Vol. 1" on the Deep Medi label, using 70's funk and soul reference points. A departure from the familiar strains of Dub and UK Garage.[81][82]

In a move foreshadowed by endorsements of the sound from R&B and hip-hop figures such as RihannaPublic Enemy's Hank Shocklee,[83] Snoop Dogg collaborated with drum and bass producers Chase and Status, providing a vocal for their UK underground anthem "Eastern Jam"(Also known as "Snoop Dogg Millionaire"). This propelled the tune into the biggest radio markets overnight, with considerable airplay.[84],[85]. Other hip-hop artists like Xzibit added their vocals to dubstep instrumental tracks for the mixtape project "Mr Grustle & Tha Russian Dubstep LA Embrace The Renaissance Vol.1 Mixed by Plastician".[84][86] By the late summer, female rapper and actress Eve used Benga's 'E Trips'; adding her own verses over the beat to create a new tune called 'Me N My'; the first single on her album 'Flirt'. The track was co-produced by Benga and noted hip hop producerSalaam Remi.[87][88]

The sound has also continued to interest the mainstream press with key articles in magazines like Interview MagazineNew York Magazine, and The Wire Magazine, which featured producer Kode9 on its May 2009 cover. XLR8R put Joker on the cover of its December 2009 issue. [16][89][90][91] By the end of 2009, the New York TimesXLR8R MagazineNME and The Sunday Times UK all reviewed the genre.[92][93][94][95]

History of BreakBeat

Breakbeat (sometimes breakbeats or breaks) is a term used to describe a collection of sub-genres of electronic music, usually characterized by the use of a non-straightened 4/4 drum pattern (as opposed to the steady beat of house or trance). These rhythms may be characterised by their intensive use of syncopation and polyrhythms.

Contents[edit]HistoryIn the late 1970s and early 1980s, hip-hop DJs (starting with Kool DJ Herc) began using several breaks (the part of a funk or jazz song in which the music "breaks" to let the rhythm section play unaccompanied) in a row to use as the rhythmic basis for hip-hop songs. Kool DJ Herc's breakbeat style was to play the same record on two turntables and play the break repeatedly by alternating between the two records (letting one play while spinning the second record back to the beginning of the break). This style was copied and improved upon by early hip hop DJsAfrika Bambaataa and Grand Wizard Theodore.[1] This style was extremely popular in clubs and dance halls because the extended breakbeat was the perfect backdrop for breakdancers to show their skills.

The Amen Break, a drum break from The Winstons' song "Amen, Brother" is widely regarded as the most used break ever. This break was first used on "King of the Beats" by Mantronix, and has since been used in thousands of songs. Other popular breaks are from James Brown's "Funky Drummer" and "Give it Up or Turnit a Loose", The Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache", and Lyn Collins' "Think (About It)".[1]

In the early 1990s, acid house artists and producers started using breakbeat samples in their music to create breakbeat hardcore, also known as rave music. The hardcore scene then diverged into sub-genres like jungle and drum and bass, which generally had a darker sound and focused more on complex sampled drum patterns. A good example of this is Goldie's album 'Timeless'.

"Amidst the Raindrops"
A clip of downtempo progressive breaks music.Problems listening to this file? See media help.In 1992 a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave"[2] because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out, trance-like state that the standard, steady 4/4 beats of rave enabled.

In recent times, the term breakbeat has become synonymous with the many genres of breaks music which have become popular within the global dance music scene, including big beatnu skool breaks and progressive breaksDJs from a variety of genres, including house and techno, work breaks tracks into their sets. This may occur because the tempo of breaks tracks (ranging from 110 to 150 beats per minute) means they can be readily mixed with these genres, whereas the comparatively fast speed of jungle and drum and bass (160-180 bpm) may have restricted the utility of these subgenres to DJs playing slower-tempo music. Some artists well known for breakbeat include The FreestylersNAPT, Dj Loopy, Pendulum, Soul Of Man, Dj deekline and wizard, Ben & Lex, The Breakfastaz, Ctrl Z, Stanton Warriors, Freq Nasty and Plump DJ's.

Breakbeats are used in many hip hop, rap, jungle, and hardcore songs, and can also be heard in other music, from popular music to background music in car and jean commercials on the radio or TV.[3]

[edit]Sampled breakbeatsWith the advent of digital sampling and music editing on the computer, breakbeats have become much easier to create and use. Now, instead of cutting and splicing tape sections or constantly backspinning 2 records at the same time, a computer program can be used to cut, paste, and loop breakbeats endlessly. Digital effects like filtersreverb, reversing, time stretching, and pitch shifting can be added to the beat, and even to individual sounds by themselves. Individual instruments from within a breakbeat can be sampled one by one and combined with others, to build new breakbeat patterns from the ground up. The Prodigy, a popular group, uses digitally sampled and chopped breakbeats in many of their songs. The advantage of sampled breakbeats over a drum machine is that the sampled breakbeats sound like a real live drummer is playing them, which, of course[Neutrality is disputed], was initially true. [4]

[edit]Legal issuesWith the rise in popularity of breakbeat music and the advent of digital samplers, enterprising companies started selling "breakbeat packages" for the express purpose of helping artists create breakbeats. A breakbeat kit CD would contain many breakbeat samples from different songs and artists, often without the artist's permission or even knowledge. One example of this is the Amen break. The original song is by The Winstons, who hold the copyright. However, a company named Zero G released a "jungle construction kit" containing an exact copy of the Amen break, slightly sped up, to which Zero G claims copyright. The Winstons have not received any royalties for use of the Amen break.

[edit]Broken beatBreakbeat (or funky breakbeat) may also refer to the music of bands who play funk and soul music with an emphasis on the elements that became popular in hip-hop and later breaks-based music. This sound is characterized by slower tempos (80-110 bpm) and organic, "human" rhythms. It is sometimes differentiated by the term "broken beat".

History of The Prodigy


Keith Flint and Maxim Reality of The Prodigy performing at the Openair Frauenfeld, SwitzerlandBackground informationOriginBraintreeEssexEnglandGenresBig beatElectropunkRaveHardcore technoDance punkBreakbeatYears active1990–presentLabelsTake Me to the HospitalRagged FlagCooking VinylXLBeggars BanquetMuteMaverickWarner Bros.ElektraSHOCK RecordsWebsitewww.theprodigy.comMembersLiam HowlettKeith FlintMaxim RealityFormer membersLeeroy Thornhill
Sharky
The Prodigy are an English electronic music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, EssexEngland. Along with Fatboy Slim,The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method, as well as other acts they are pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, and are known for high-quality live performances. They have sold nearly 20 million records worldwide which is unequalled in dance music history.[1]

Various styles ranging from ravehardcoreindustrial and breakbeat in the early 1990s to electronic rock with punk vocal elements in later times. The current band members include Liam Howlett (composer/keyboards), Keith Flint (dancer/vocalist) and Maxim Reality(MC/vocalist). Leeroy Thornhill (dancer/very occasional live keyboards) was a member of the band from 1990 to 2000, as was a female dancer/vocalist called Sharky who left the band during their early period. The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and have since then achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some of their most popular songs include "Charly", "Out of Space", "No Good (Start the Dance)", "Voodoo People", "Poison", "Firestarter", "Breathe", "Smack My Bitch Up", "Omen" & "Warrior's Dance."

The name displayed on album covers changed from "The Prodigy" to "Prodigy" between Music for the Jilted Generation and The Fat of the Land in 1997 and back again with the release of Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned in 2004. However, Howlett has stated that the title has always been "The Prodigy". The change was made only to fit within the displayed logo, according to Howlett.[2][3]

Contents [edit]History[edit]Beginnings into fun and fame, and ExperienceThe Prodigy began with an initial 10-track demo by Liam Howlett, put together on a Roland W-30 music workstation in EssexEnglandXL Recordings picked up the demo after Howlett played several tracks to XL boss Nick Halkes in a meeting and an initial 12" pressing of "What Evil Lurks" was released in February 1991. There are some few thousand bootlegs of this release; the original should have "the exchange" carved in the vinyl around the centre of the single (the matrix). The Prodigy's name was a moniker Liam had chosen as a tribute to his firstanalogue synthesiser, the Moog Prodigy.

The Prodigy's first public performance (with Howlett augmented by dancers Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill) was at the Four Aces in DalstonLondon (then home to "Club Labyrinth"). "Charly", released six months later, became a huge hit in the rave scene at the time, largely due to the popularity of AA-side track "Your Love" which was arguably more popular within the scene at the time. The release reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart, catapulting the band into the wider public attention. The Kaos Theory compilation series featured "G Force (Energy Flow)" from their third single "Everybody in the Place".

Prodigy "G Force (Energy Flow)" from "Kaos Theory Volume 1" compilation excerpt
An excerpt Prodigy "G Force (Energy Flow)" from "Kaos Theory Volume 1" compilationProblems listening to this file? See media help.In the wake of "Charly"'s success the music charts were filled with unsophisticated "hardcore" rave tracks to which speed and ecstasy-fuelled clubbers had danced all night, but which did not appeal to critics in the music press. Examples were tracks such as Urban Hype's "Trip to Trumpton", and Smart E's (as in Ecstasy) "Sesame's Treet", instigating death-by-publicity to the underground "hardcore rave" scene according to many critics, ravers and followers of the scene. As a result "Charly" (a contemporary reference to cocaine), with its memorable sample of the "Charley Says" children's Public information films and The Prodigy were briefly identified by critics as "kiddie rave" or "Toytown Techno".

"Charly" was soon followed by the band's first full length album, Experience, a landmark release in the history of British rave music. AfterExperience (album track "Death of the Prodigy Dancers" featured Ragga MC band member Maxim Reality) and the run of singles that accompanied it, the Prodigy moved to distance themselves from the "kiddie rave" reputation that now dogged them. The rave scene was beginning to move on from its hardcore phase, with the Criminal Justice Act's "anti-rave" legislation on the horizon. In 1993, Howlett released an anonymous white label, bearing only the title "Earthbound I". Its hypnotic, hard-edged sound won wide underground approval. Many former critics of the band were astounded when Howlett finally acknowledged responsibility for the record[4]. It was officially released as "One Love" later that year, and went on to chart at #8 in the UK.

[edit]Music for the Jilted GenerationMain article: Music for the Jilted GenerationIn 1994, the Prodigy's second album, Music for the Jilted Generation, was released entering the UK album charts at #1. The album displayed a wider spectrum of musical style with heavy techno and breakbeat-based tracks complemented by the concept sequence The Narcotic Suite, and rock-oriented inclinations ("Their Law", featuring Pop Will Eat Itself). The album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize although Howlett had reaffirmed his dedication to making The Prodigy a 'hard dance band', commercially successful but without compromise. The band managed to continue to prevent over-exposure in the media by refusing to appear on Top of the Pops or other TV shows in the UK. To this day their only studio appearance on British television came when they appeared on the BBC2 series Dance Energy in 1991 performing "Everybody in the Place". In the ensuing years their videos received a strong level of support by MTV Europe which boosted their popularity across the continent. Keith Flint himself hosted an episode of the MTV show 120 Minutes in 1995.

Following the international success of Music for the Jilted Generation the band augmented their line-up with guitarist Jim Davies (who, later, joined the group Pitchshifter) in 1995 for tracks such as "Their Law", "Break and Enter 95", and various live-only interludes and versions. He was soon to be replaced by Gizz Butt of the band Janus Stark who remained with the band for the next three years. The 1996 release of "Firestarter", featuring vocals for the first time courtesy of a new-look Keith Flint, helped the band break into the U.S. and other overseas markets, and reached number one in the UK. In this year the Prodigy also headlined the prestigious Lollapalooza festival.

[edit]The Fat of the LandMain article: The Fat of the LandThe long-awaited third Prodigy album, The Fat of the Land, was released in 1997 just as the band headlined the Glastonbury festival on its opening night. Like its predecessors, the album represented a milestone in the development of both the band and the wider mainstream dance scene. Featuring simplified melodies, sparser sampling, and more sneering, punk-like vocals (supplied by a shockingly madeover Flint), the album nevertheless retained the bone-jarring breaks and buzzsaw synths so idiomatic of the band. The album cemented the band's position as one of the most internationally successful acts in the dance genre, entering the British and American charts at number one.

The Prodigy were getting considerable airplay on rock stations with their controversial track "Smack My Bitch Up" — and also a negative backlash for the song. Time-Warner, Prodigy's parent company, was feeling the heat from the National Organization for Women (NOW) over the track. Although the song's lyrics are few but repetitive (in their entirety, the lyrics are "Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up"), NOW stated that the lyrics are a "...dangerous and offensive message advocating violence against women." Howlett responded to the attacks by claiming that the song's lyrics are being misinterpreted: (the song means) "...doing anything intensely, like being on stage – going for extreme manic energy." The band did not write the lyric, but rather sampled it from the classic Ultramagnetic MCs' track "Give The Drummer Some" which also appears on the Dirtchamber Sessions (they had also sampled another Ultramagnetic MCs song "Critical Beatdown" on their earlier "Out of Space" single).[5] There are also those who believe that the lyrics are in reference to administering heroin (smack) to another person. Several radio stations defended the song, yet only played the track at night. The music video (directed by Jonas Åkerlund) featured a first-person point of view of someone going clubbing, indulging in large amounts of drugs and alcohol, getting into fist fights with men, abusing women and picking up a lap dancer and having sex with her as well, all of which is depicted explicitly. At the end of the video the camera pans over to a mirror, revealing the subject to be a woman. MTV only aired the video between 1 and 5 a.m. The director got the inspiration for the contents of the video after a night of drinking and partying in Copenhagen.

During a performance at the Reading Festival (August 29, 1998) The Prodigy and the Beastie Boys had an onstage disagreement over the track - with the Beastie Boys requesting the song should be pulled from their set as it could be considered offensive to those who had suffered domestic abuse.[6] Choosing to ignore the Beastie Boys plea, Maxim introduced "Smack My Bitch Up" with the declaration "They didn’t want us to play this fucking tune. But the way things go, I do what the fuck I want". The incident has since become part of festival folklore, and was voted one of the greatest ever live moments by the now defunct Select Magazine.

Wal-Mart and Kmart later announced they would pull The Fat of the Land off their shelves. Despite the fact that the LP had resided on their store shelves for over 20 weeks, and the fact that they had sold 150,000 copies of the album in total, the two stores found the marketing campaign for the new single release offensive.

In mid-2002, the complete, unedited video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Smack My Bitch Up" and several other videos on the countdown. This video in particular was deemed the "Most Controversial Video" by MTV and showed at the #1 spot on the countdown.

1999 saw the release of The Prodigy's The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One, a DJ mix album by Howlett, produced as an official record of a successful guest appearance on the BritishRadio 1. In June of this year when the band had questionably reached their commercial peak they parted company with guitarist Gizz Butt .

In 2002, after a break from touring and recording, the single "Baby's Got a Temper" was released to critical disappointment. The song was written by Keith Flint's sideband, Flint, and also featured Jim Davies. Howlett produced it. Once again, the band courted controversy by including references to the so-called "date rape" drug Rohypnol in the song lyrics, although it is unclear whether or not the band "glorifies" or presents the drug in a negative light. In the same year, however, Q magazine named The Prodigy as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die".

[edit]Always Outnumbered, Never OutgunnedMain article: Always Outnumbered, Never OutgunnedThe Prodigy's fourth studio album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned was released on 23 August 2004 (14 September 2004 in the USA.) A precursory and experimental single, "Memphis Bells", was released in very limited numbers, followed by the traditional release of the single "Girls". The U.S. version of the studio album contained a bonus track; a remix of "Girls" entitled, "More Girls".

5,000 digital copies of "Memphis Bells" were sold over the Internet. Each copy was a combination of customer-chosen instrumental, rhythmic, and melodic options, of which 39,600 (of 660,000 total) choices were available. Five mixes were sold in three file formats, WAV, two audio mixes in MP3, and a 5.1 DTS surround sound mix and all were free of Digital rights management. The experiment was a success, with the 5,000 copies being sold in just over 36 hours in spite of server problems from the demand.

In 2005, they released a compilation, Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005, which spawned a single containing new remixes of the songs "Out of Space" (the "Audio Bullys Remix") and "Voodoo People" (the "Pendulum Remix"). The latter was also followed by a music video filmed in Romford Market, Essex, which featured on the DVD release of the compilation. Sharky, the group's only female member, is shown running and winning the race depicted in the video.

The Prodigy's first two albums (1992's "Experience" and 1994's "Music for the Jilted Generation") were re-released in expanded, deluxe editions on August 4, 2008[7]. As well as being remastered, the new packages feature a bonus disc including mixes, rarities and live tracks. The two albums also feature expanded artwork in addition to the new musical content. The band also showcased 4 new songs at the Oxegen Festival in the early hours of July 13; among the tracks previewed were "Worlds On Fire", "Warriors Dance", "Mescaline" and "First Warning", which recently featured in the gangster movie "Smokin' Aces" and as soundtrack in game "Need For Speed: Undercover".

[edit]Invaders Must DieMain article: Invaders Must DieOn November 5, 2008, it was announced that the band's fifth studio album would be called Invaders Must Die and would be released on the band's new label, Take Me to the Hospital. It is the first studio album released by the band since 2004's Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and is the first Prodigy album since 1997's The Fat of the Land to feature all three members of the band.[8] in the USA on March 3, 2009[9]

The album features drummer Dave Grohl (NirvanaFoo FightersQueens of the Stone AgeThem Crooked Vultures) on drums for "Run with the Wolves". The top five hit "Omen" and the "Invaders Must Die" tracks were co-produced with Does It Offend You, Yeah? frontman James Rushent. Sleeve notes show an A&R credit for Nick Halkes who signed the act to XL thus possibly linking with the clear references on the album to rave culture and the presence of the 'classic' Prodigy sound that seemed less present on the 'Always Outnumbered' album. The band said that the album would go back to their "old-school but cutting edge" roots. The album became released as a CD, CD/DVD set, Double vinyl, digital download and a luxury 7-inch vinyl box set which can include five 7-inches, CD/DVD, bonus CD, poster, stickers and stencils.

Invaders Must Die was released on February 21, 2009 in Australia and in Europe on February 23, 2009 charting at number one in the UK with week one sales of over 97,000 - a higher figure than for either 'Always Outnumbered..' or their singles collection. The album also charted top 5 in Germany and Australia and top 10 in Norway and several other European countries. To coincide with the release of the album, the band embarked on a nine date, UK arena tour, with support from Dizzee Rascal, Noisia, Herve and DJ Kissy Sell Out. The single "Omen" debuted at #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart the week of February 25, 2009.

Initial critical response to Invaders Must Die was somewhat mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 60, based on 20 reviews. However, the album has been well received by the fans.

The single "Warrior's Dance" was released on May 11, 2009. The track's chorus is a sample of "Take Me Away" by Final Cut with True Faith. It also contains beat samples from "Let The Warriors Dance" by Addis Posse.

The digital single was released on April 17 in Australia, exclusively on iTunes, although the "Edit" version with none of the remixes is also available. When released on iTunes Australia the song was titled incorrectly and the download was actually a song from Placebo, this issue was fixed later on.

3 remix versions of Warrior's Dance will be sold on the Prodigy's own store, as digital downloads in MP3 format. An extra remix will be exclusive to iTunes. The song peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart.

The single "Take Me To The Hospital" was released on 31 August 2009. The CD Single includes the Sub Focus Remix and the 12" Single also includes a Rusko Remix. Liam also collaborated with Josh Homme to create the "Wreckage" mix of the song. The song shares its name with the band's record label.The track features samples from 'Salami Fever' by Pepe Deluxe and 'Ragamuffin Duo Take Charge' by Asher D & Daddy Freddy.

The Promotional Film, for Take Me to the Hospital, was completed. The music video became available to view exclusively on the VidZone application for PlayStation 3 on August 4. The video was also posted on the official website and Youtube channel on August 5. It was filmed onto VHS rather than digital recording equipment to obtain an old school 90's look

European release includes 11 tracks audio CD and a DVD disc with the videos "Invaders Must Die", "Omen" and live video versions of "World's On Fire" and "Warrior's Dance" plus computer readable (HD data for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X) HD version of the video "Invaders Must Die".

Rumors of a fifth single from the Invaders Must Die album, are being explained at The Prodigy.com's Forum. However, the next one would be "Thunder", "Stand Up", "Colours", "Piranha", "Run With The Wolves", or "World's On Fire". If they choose "World's On Fire", it would be the album's next single.[10] Instead, there is a fourth single from the album, came from it's Special Edition, "Invaders Must Die (Liam H Reamped Version)", which includes a new track titled "Mescaline", and some remixes.[11]

[edit]Band membersCurrent membersFormer members
  • Leeroy Thornhill – dancing, ocassional live keyboards (1990–2000)
  • Sharky – vocals, dancing (1990)
Live membersFormer live members
  • Kieron Pepper – drums, ocassional guitar (1997–2007)
  • "The Rev" – guitar (2007)
  • "Snell" – drums (July 2007)
  • Brian Fairbairn – drums (2007)
  • Jim Davies – guitar (1995–1996, 2002–2004)
  • Alli MacInnes – guitar (2001, 2002)
  • Gizz Butt – guitar (1996–1999)
[edit]DiscographyMain article: The Prodigy discographyStudio albumsEPsCompilationsSelected remixes[edit]See also[edit]Notes and references
  1. ^ Amazon.de: The Prodigy - Music in Review: The Prodigy: DVD
  2. ^ Howlett LNekozine online zine (November 2005), name's changes mentioned in an interview with Liam Howlett by Andrea Schnepf, last accessed 25 May 2005 (link).
  3. ^ James MProdigy book (2002), p. 44, Sanctuary Publishing, mentions that Liam chose the name to attribute his Moog synth.
  4. ^ TheProdigy.info » Prodigy discography » promos » One Love
  5. ^ Liner notes from Out Of Space single and Experience album.
  6. ^ Claustrophobic PRODIGY Page - Facts - The Reading Incident
  7. ^ The Prodigy reissue first 2 albums and play new songs live
  8. ^ Howlett, Liam (March 11, 2012), Take Me to the Hospital, retrieved 2008-07-06
  9. ^ "Invaders Must Die new release date". Idiomag.com. 2009-01-30. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  10. ^ http://www.theprodigy.com/the-prodigy-community/the-prodigy-forum?f=4&t=3928&jfile=viewtopic.php What Is The Next IMD Single?
  11. ^ http://www.theprodigy.com/latest-news/37-homepage-section/227-liamh-re-amped
[edit]External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to: The Prodigy

History of Drum 'n' Bass

Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated to D&B, DnB, dnb, d'n'b, drum n bass, drum & bass, dNb, deebee, D+B, d+b, DNB, d and b, D and B), is a type of electronic dance music which emerged in the mid 1990s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats (typically between 160–190bpm, occasional variation is noted in older compositions), with heavy sub-bass lines. Drum and bass began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom rave scene of the very early 1990s. Over the first decade of its existence, the incorporation of elements from various musical genres lent to many permutations in its overall style.

Contents [edit]HistoryMain article: History of drum and bassSee also: Oldschool jungleIn the late 1980s and early 1990s, a growing nightclub culture gave birth to a new electronic music style called Rave music, which combined regular beats alongside broken, syncopatedbeats, strong basslines and a faster tempo than that of house music. By 1991, musical tracks made up of only "broken" beats began to be known as "jungle", branching off into a separate musical genre (circa 1991-1992) popular at raves and on pirate radio in urban Britain.[citation needed]

These tracks often combined ragga vocal tracks with broken beats and bass lines. By 1994 jungle began to gain mainstream popularity and fans of the music (known as junglists) became a recognizable part of British youth subculture.[citation needed] After being further developed, the sound took on a very urban, raggamuffin sound, incorporating dancehall ragga-style MCchants, dub basslines, but also increasingly complex, high tempo rapid fire breakbeat percussion.[citation needed] At this time jungle began to be associated with criminals and criminal activity and perhaps as a reaction or perhaps independently of this, producers began to draw away from the ragga style and create what they labeled drum and bass.[citation needed] There is no clear point at which jungle became drum and bass, though most jungle producers continue to produce what they call drum and bass.[citation needed]

As the music style became more polished and sophisticated, it began to shift from pirate to commercial radio and gain widespread acceptance (circa 1995-1997). It also began to split into recognizable subgenres such as jump-up.[citation needed] 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. This resulted in a series of releases offering a dark, technical sound which drew more influence from techno music and the soundscapes of science fiction and animefilms, this subgenre became known as techstep (circa 1997-1998).[citation needed]

Towards the turn of the millennium, the UK garage sound emerged and quickly eclipsed drum and bass in popularity. Drawing a key part of its inspiration from drum and bass, it was commonly believed that UK garage was a replacement of the genre and statements were made to the effect that "drum and bass is dead".[citation needed] However, consistent development of the genre proved otherwise. The appearance of the liquid funk and other subgenres brought a wave of new artists with new ideas and techniques, supporting continual evolution of the genre. Drum and bass is perhaps not well-known as a genre, but makes frequent, unrecognized appearances in the mainstream such as in television commercials, as well as being a major influence for other musical styles and some of its artists (notably Goldie).[1][citation needed]

[edit]Musicology of drum and bassGoldie, one of the most recognizable drum and bass artists.[2]There are many views of what constitutes "real" drum and bass as it has many scenes and styles within it, from the highly electronic, industrial sounds of techstep through to the use of conventional, acoustic instrumentation that characterise the more jazz-influenced end of the spectrum. It has been compared with jazz where the listener can get very different sounding music all coming under the same music genre, because like jazz, it is more of an approach, or a tradition, than a style.[3] The sounds of drum and bass are extremely varied - and to a person unfamiliar to them, there may seem to be little connection between the subgenres. One common, though by no means universal, element is a prominent snare drum falling on the 2nd & 4th beats, with a less regular kick pattern around it.[citation needed]

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 has appeared and is a growing aspect of the genre.[4][5][6]

For the already mentioned reasons, the musicology of drum and bass is difficult to precisely define; however, the following key characteristics may be observed:

[edit]Importance of drum and bassline elementsThe name "drum and bass" should not lead to the assumption that tracks are constructed solely from these elements. Nevertheless, they are by far 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.[citation needed]

The genre places great importance on the "bass line", a deep sub-bass musical pattern which is felt physically as much as it is heard. There has also been considerable exploration of different timbres in the bass line region, particularly within techstep. Bass lines exist in many forms, but most notably they originate from sampled sources or synthesizers. Bass lines performed with a bass instrument, whether it is electric, acoustic or a double bass, are rare. An example of drum and bass played live with an electric bass can be found in the work of bands such as SquarepusherSonic Recreation, Sub Machena andSTS9. Sampled basslines are often taken from double bass recordings or from publicly available loops. Synthesized bass lines are however just as common.[citation needed]

In drum and bass productions, the bass lines are subjected to many and varied sound effects, including standard techniques such as dynamic compression, flanger, chorus, over-drive, equalization, etc. and drum and bass specific techniques such as the "Reese Bass", a distinctive synthesized bass sound comprising layered 'clashing' sawtooth waves. Kevin Saunderson's 1988 classic "Just Another Chance" is widely recognised as the earliest example of the use of this technique.[citation needed]

Of equal importance is the "808" kick drum, an artificially pitch-downed 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.[7]

These bass techniques are fully appreciated in a club or rave environments where high quality woofers and powerful amplifiers are required to fully reproduce the eponymous basslines at high volume levels.[citation needed] This has led to the creation of very large and intensely loud touring soundsystems by producers wishing to show off their tracks, such as dubs fromSoundman and dubs from Dillinja's Valve Sound System.[citation needed] This does not mean, however, that the music cannot be appreciated at home or accurately reproduced on personal equipment.[citation needed]

The complex syncopation of the drum tracks' breakbeat, is another facet of production on which producers spend a very large amount of time. A drum phrase 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.[8]

It would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that drum and bass (at least in its early days) was a style built around a single broken beat element which was a single sample, the Amen, but other samples have had a significant impact, including the Apache break, the Funky Drummer, and others.[9] The Funky Drummer has perhaps superseded the Amen in modern productions.

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 Brownfunk breakbeat ("Tighten Up" or "Samurai" break) and an Alex Reece drum and bass breakbeat.[10]

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 gabbertechnobreaks or house music track.[11]

[edit]TempoDrum 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 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 173 to 180 range. Recently some producers have started to once again produce tracks with slower tempos (ie. in the 150s and 160s), but the mid-170 tempo is still the hallmark of the drum and bass sound.[12][13]

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), would not be drum and bass but a drum and bass-influenced breakbeat track.[14]

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, for instance, a laid back hip-hop track.[citation needed] A listener or dancer can concentrate on this element rather than the faster drums.[citation needed]

An 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 Shy FX's "Shake Ur Body" often have higher BPMs than ominous techstep productions which might eject the uninitiated very quickly from a dancefloor.[citation needed]

The faster a track is in BPM terms, the less complex its drum patterns can be because at higher step the elements cease to be heard separately, turning them into a wall of sound. A faster drum and bass track will therefore generally have a less complex drum pattern than a slower one. These rules do not apply to a production from single drums (i.e., drum machines, sequencers, sliced beats.)[citation needed]

Live performances of drum and bass music on electric and acoustic instruments will often entail a drop in relative BPM (though not necessarily), unsurprising in light of the complexity of drum patterns and the high exertion required of a drummer.[citation needed]

[edit]ContextPendulum playing the Valve Sound System with MC IC3 at the Tuesday Club, Sheffield 05/03/06For the most part, drum and bass is a form of dance music, mostly designed to be heard in clubs.[citation needed] It exhibits a full frequency response which can only be appreciated on sound systems which can handle very low frequencies.[citation needed] 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.[15][16]

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.[17]

[edit]Importance of the DJ and MCDrum 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 tracksdrop at the same time) and "rewinds."[18]

Goldie with Mc LowQuiMany 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 recognizable build section and "breakdown". Sometimes the drop is used to switch between tracks, layering components of different tracks, though as the two records may be simply ambient breakdowns at this point, though some DJs prefer to combine breakbeats, a more difficult exercise. Some drops are so popular that the DJ will "rewind" or "reload" by spinning the record back and restarting it at the build. "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. The name of a genre of drum and bass, "jump up" initially referred to the urge for those seated to dance at this point.[citation needed]

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.[19] To this end, DJs will receive dubplates a long time before a general release of a track, sometimes many months before, in order to spark interest in it as well as benefit the DJ (exclusive and early access to tracks is a hallmark of DJ success, i.e. the case of Andy C). Sometimes a DJ will receive versions of tracks that are not planned for general release, these are so-called VIP mixes.[citation needed]

DJs are often accompanied by one or more MCs, drawing on the genre's roots in hip hop and reggae/ragga.[20]

The role of MCs in the music cannot be overestimated but they do not generally receive the same level of recognition as producer/DJs. There are relatively few well-known drum and bass MCs, Dynamite MC, MC Fats, MC ConradMC XYZ, Shabba D, Eksman, Bassman, MC Jonny Waines, MC Fun, MC DUB 2, MC MECHA and Stevie Hyper D (deceased) as examples.[21]

[edit]SubgenresRecently, 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:

  • Dancefloor (often referred to tracks that combine Jump-Up and Liquid funk.)
  • Darkstep (or "Darkside" or "Dark", the return of the old skool sound of Drum and bass made with new technology - Equinox, Breakage ext)
  • Drum & Bass step (or Halfstep is half beat drum and bass often confused with Dubstep.)
  • Drumfunk (or "Choppage", "Edits")
  • Hardstep
  • Intelligent (or "Atmospheric" or "Ambient")
  • Jazzstep (or "Jazz and Bass")
  • Jump-Up
  • Liquid funk (or simply "Liquid")
  • Sambass (or "Brazilian Drum and Bass")
  • Techstep (or "Tech")
  • Techno-DNB (or "Techno Drum and Bass")
  • Neurofunk (or "Neuro" is the progression from Techstep)
The following are to a lesser and great degree, arguable subgenres, they would generally be described as separate genres by their proponents:

  • 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 jungle music - difficult to differentiate - perhaps through frequent mention of H.I.M. Haile Selassie and other Rastafarian themes)[12]
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.

The modern distinctive ragga jungle style (arguably subgenre or even separate genre) is a direct throwback to the 1994-1995 style of drum and bass production. However, many modern drum and bass mainstream productions contain ragga, dancehall and regga elements, they are just not as dominant as previously.[citation needed]

Clownstep is not as it commonly misconceived to be, a derisory term for varieties of drum and bass not appreciated by certain listeners. "Clownstep" - is a term which was popularised by Dylan to jokingly describe how "Swing-beat" tunes like Bodyrock by Andy C made him think of clowns..[22]

[edit]Jungle vs. Drum and BassMain article: History of drum and bassSee also: Oldschool jungle4 track illustration of the evolution and continuity of the Drum and Bass sound
2 minute sample. This clip contains 4 tracks ranging from proto-jungle "Tribal Bass" (1991) to a jungle "Here I Come" (1995) to an ominous early drum and bass remix (1995) to an Aphrodite modern Drum and Bass remix in the jump up style (2005), "Tribal Natty". All contain the sameBarrington Levy vocals (originally contained in the title song of the album Here I Come). Listen and compare the sound. Barrington Levy's vocals illustrate the wide degree of cross over with dancehall/ragga.Problems listening to this file? See media help.Presently 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. 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.[citation needed]

Proponents of a distinction between jungle and drum and bass argue that:

  • Drum and Bass has an integrated percussion and bass structure while jungle has a distinct bass line separated from the percussion.
  • The relatively simple drum break beats of modern Drum and Bass (generally a two-step beat) are less complex than the 'chopped' 'Amen' breakbeats of jungle[23]
  • The usage of ragga and raggae vocals differentiates Drum and Bass from Jungle, but then again not all jungle has ragga/raggae vocals, some have other samples and some has no vocals
Jungle is the music of the early nineties and drum and bass appeared at a later time. However drum and bass is simply a name change of the jungle genre. The scene was running into problems because of violence influenced by the ragga part of scene, the media was full of stories comdemning jungle and the violence it brought, so it was this bad media hype that resulted in the name change, which coincided (and was made possible) with the progression of the genre's sound towards that Bristol Roni Size jump up sound [24] With this in mind you could say drum and bass incorporates the whole genre (jungle, jump up, hard step, clown step, intelligent/liquid) and so simply jungle was the first sub genre of DnB and therefore gave birth to drum and bass...

Opponents of a distinction would argue that there are many modern drum & bass productions with separated basslines, complex breakbeats and ragga vocals.[citation needed]

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]

[edit]Influences[edit]Influences on drum and bassDrum and bass music, born in samplers, has been and is heavily influenced by other music genres, though this influence has perhaps been lessened in the shift from jungle to drum and bass and the intelligent drum and bass and techstep revolution.[26][27][28][29][30] It still remains a fusion music style.[3]

Miles Davis has been named as one the most important influences,[31] and blues artists like LeadbellyRobert JohnsonCharlie PattonMuddy Waters & B.B King have also been cited by producers as inspirations.

As a musical style built around a funk or syncopated rock & roll beat, Al GreenMarvin GayeElla FitzgeraldGladys Knight & the PipsTemptationsJackson 5Billie HolidayAretha FranklinOtis ReddingSmokey RobinsonDiana Rossthe Supremesthe CommodoresGeorge ClintonRay CharlesJerry Lee LewisHerbie Hancock,James Brown and even Michael Jackson, are funky influences on the music.[12][32][33][34][35][36]

A very obvious and strong influence on jungle and drum and bass is the original dub and reggae sound out of Jamaica, with pioneers like King TubbyPeter ToshSly & RobbieBill Laswell,Lee PerryMad ProfessorRoots RadicsBob Marley and Buju Banton heavily influencing the music.[37][38] This influence has lessened with time but is still evident with many tracks containing ragga vocals.

Early hip-hop is an extremely important influence on drum and bass,[39][40] with the genres sharing the same broken beat. Drum and bass shares many musical characteristics with hip-hop, though it is nowadays mostly stripped of lyrics. Grandmaster FlashAfrika BambaataDe La Soul2 Live CrewJungle BrothersKool KeithRun DMCPublic EnemySchooly D,N.W.AKid FrostWu-Tang ClanDr DreMos DefBeastie Boys and the Pharcyde are very often directly sampled, regardless of their general influence.[13]

Even modern avant-garde composers such as Henryk Gorecki have influenced drum and bass.[41]

Many tracks belonging to other genres are 'remixed' into drum and bass versions. The quality of these remixes varies from the simple and primitive adding of broken beats to a vocal track or to complete reworkings that may exceed the original in quality and effort put into them. Original artists will often ask for drum and bass remixes of their tracks to be made in order to spark further interest in their tracks (e.g. Aphrodite's remix of Jungle Brothers' "Jungle Brother").

On the other hand, some tracks are illegally remixed and released on white label (technically bootleg), often to acclaim. For example, DJ Zinc's remix of The Fugees' "Ready or Not", also known as "Fugee Or Not", was eventually released with the Fugees' permission after talk of legal action, though coincidentally the Fugees' version infringed Enya's copyright to an earlier song.[13][42] White labels along with dubplates play an important part in drum and bass musical culture.

One of the most influential tracks in drum and bass history was Amen Brother by The Winstons, containing a drum solo which went on to be 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.

[edit]Direct influenceIn mentioning drum and bass influences, special mention needs to be given to a few scenes and individuals.

The first is the US rank scene which emerged in the 1980s, the most famous artist being NYC's Frankie Bones whose infamous 'Bones Breaks' series from the late '80s 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.[citation needed]

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 the Rage club used to play it pitched up (increased speed) as far as their Technics record decks would go.[12]

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 '80s. There are clear sonic parallels with drum and bass here in the use of uptempo synths and drum machines in producing bass-heavy party music.[citation needed]

Both the New York breakbeat and the Miami Bass scenes were strongly influenced by the 'freestyle' sound of New York, Chicago and Miami in the 1980s which incorporated electro, disco and Latin flavours, and which was in turn a key influence on the UK's acid house/hardcore/rave scene.[43][44][45]

[edit]Samples2 track illustration of sampling and mixing of drum and bass tracks
30 second sample. This clip contains 2 tracks, "Bad Ass" by Aphrodite & Mickey Finn (1996) sampling the film "South Central" and Sound of the Future's "Lighter" (1995) which samples the piano theme from the film "Love Story". The clip also illustrates mixing techniques from Dj Hype on the cd compilation "Jungle Massive". Both tracks are treated as classic drum and bass tracks.Problems listening to this file? See media help.Drum and bass tracks often contain many direct samples from other tracks, some examples are listed below:[46]

  • Afrika Bambaataa's eponymous "Planet Rock" - the beat is sampled in Hypnotist's "Pioneers Of The Warped Groove" (Rising High)
  • 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 Apache'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)
  • Rankin Joe's "Step it Pon da Rastaman Scene" (taken from the Easy Star All-StarsDub Side of the Moon) - the vocal line is sampled in the DJ Fresh and Pendulum collaboration "Babylon Rising" (Breakbeat Kaos)
  • Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" is heavily sampled in High Contrast's "Days Go By" (The Contrast)
  • Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It" is sampled in Shy FX's "Plastic Soul" (BINGO)
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)
  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - The song sung by Willy Wonka during the boat scene is sampled in Pendulum's "Through The Loop"
  • Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds - "And I wandered through the weird and lurid landscape of another planet" Is used by Pendulum in "Another Planet" and "What's that flare? See it? A green flare, coming from Mars, kind of a green mist behind it. It's getting closer. You see it, Bermuda?" is sampled by Logistics in "Thunderchild" (NHS96)
  • Spiderman 2 - The phrase spoken by Alfred Molina's character as he turned into Doctor Octopus "Ladies and Gentlemen... fasten your seat-belts!" is used in Pendulum & The Freestylers' song "Fasten Your Seatbelt"
  • Goodfellas - The introduction narration "One day the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect. ." 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"
  • The Krays (film) - The phrase by the twins in the violent snooker hall scene "and you go back and tell um no one fucks with us" is sampled by R33CE.COM featuring Buju Banton the murderer smash hit released by Jet Star.
  • 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)
  • Anchorman - Noisia - Cannonball - Intro to the song is directly copied from the film, with the 'cannonball' shout being the first drop.
[edit]Influenced by drum and bassJungle/drum and bass has and continues to influence many other musical genres, thanks to its variety, experimentation and producer (borderline obsessive) professionalism.[citation needed]

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 and at one time drove drum and bass into relative obscurity.[12][13][47][48] Grime anddubstep, 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 the reggae vibe of early jungle.

Born at the end of the millennium, breakcore shares many of the elements of drum and bass and 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. 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).[49] 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.

Despite never gaining the mainstream popularity of speed garage and 2step, drum and bass' impact in musical terms has been very significant and the genre has influenced many other genres like jazzmetalhiphopbig beathouse musictrip hopambient musictechnohardcore and pop, with artists such as Bill LaswellSlipknotIncubusPitchshifterRefusedLinkin ParkThe RootsTabla Beat ScienceTalvin SinghNitin SawhneyMIDIval PunditzJedi Mind TricksTimbalandMissy ElliottPharellFat Boy SlimLambUnderworldThe StreetsThe FreestylersNine Inch Nails and David Bowie (the last two both using elements of Goldie's "Timeless") 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. The USA has adopted the sound with a genre called Ghettotech which have synth and basslines similar to drum & bass.[12][50][51][52][53]

Drum and bass globallyDespite its roots in the UK, which can still be 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.[54] It is popular throughout continental Europe, and in South America. São Paulo is sometimes called the drum and bass Ibiza. Brazilian drum and bass is sometimes referred to as "sambass", with its specific style and sound. In Venezuela and Mexico, artists have created their own forms of drum and bass combining it with experimental musical forms. Asia also has a drum and bass scene in countries and cities like Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Shanghai and Singapore.[citation needed] Established international drum and bass producers and DJ's include names such as Pendulum (Australia), DJ Nihilist(United States),Andy C (England), DJ Marky (Brazil), D.Kay (Austria), Noisia (Netherlands), Hive (United States), Dieselboy (United States), Shapeshifter (New Zealand), Black Sun Empire (Netherlands),Counterstrike (South Africa), XRS (Brazil), Patife (Brazil), Teebee (Norway), Evol Intent (United States), Makoto (Japan), MIR Crew (Sweden), Proket (Russia), Physics (Finland), Concord Dawn (New Zealand) and Muffler (Finland).[citation needed] DJ Kid - Scotland

[edit]Appearances in the mainstreamPendulum's "Tarantula" (2005)
30 second sample. One of the few drum and bass tracks regularly played on commercial popular radio. Notice the vocal element and the track's similarity to the first sample on this page, Rebel Mc's "Wickedest Sound". The tracks share a vocalist, Tenor Fly.Problems listening to this file? See media help."I'll keep you in safety, forever 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

"Shotter, hitter, serial killer! Go a your funeral and all drink out your liquor, when you are bury, we a stand next to vicar. Fling on some dirt and make you bury little quicker, shouldn't test the youth dem in the Tommy Hilfiger." - Pendulum & MC Spyda & 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 Mercury Music Prize-winning New Forms in 1997, 4hero's Mercury nominated Two Pages in 1998, and Pendulum's Hold Your Colour in 2005 (the biggest selling Drum And Bass album of all time.) Tracks such as Shy FX and T-Power's "Shake UR Body" gained a UK Top 40 Chart placing in 2005.[55]

Video game tracks, particularly Rockstar GamesGrand Theft Auto series have contained drum and bass tracks. The MSX/MSX 98 radio station by DJ Timecode in Grand Theft Auto III andGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, played drum and bass exclusively.

The genre has some popularity in soundtracks, for instance Hive's "Ultrasonic Sound" was used in the Matrix's soundtrack and the EZ Rollers' song "Walk This Land" appeared in the film "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". Ganja Kru's "Super Sharp Shooter" is heard in the 2006 film Johnny Was.

Drum and bass often makes an appearance as background music, especially in Top Gear and television commercials thanks to its aggressive and energetic beats. Cartoon Network'sToonami programming block also employs it for television spots and show intros,like the relaunch of SCI FI Channel (1997) segway music by Jungle Sky label. However, due to the relative obscurity of the genre, most listeners would not recognise the music as drum and bass.[citation needed]

[edit]Record labelsSee also: Category:Drum and bass record labels

Drum and Bass as a whole is dominated by a small group of "hardcore" record labels. These are run mainly by some of the scene's most prominent DJ–producers, such as London Elektricity's Hospital Records, Andy C's Ram or Adam F and Dj Fresh's Breakbeat Kaos.

The major international music labels such as Sony Music, Universal have shown very little interest in the drum and bass scene though there has been a few signings, most recently Pendulum's In Silico LP to Warner. In recent times Andy C's label ram records is pushing the boundaries of drum and bass further into the mainstream.[citation needed] Artists like Chase & Status as well as Pendulum are already hovering in the mainstream and singles like "DJ Marky and XRS - LK" have in the past topped the UK charts.

Drum and Bass is a strange thing when it comes to the mainstream. Singles will reach the top and producers, hardcore fans etc. end up rejecting the new found fame of their beloved scene. This is characterized by an increase in D&B being produced on the darker end of the sound spectrum.[citation needed]

[edit]Accessing drum and bass[edit]PurchasingDrum and bass is mostly sold in 12-inch vinyl single format. With the emergence of drum and bass into mainstream music markets, more and more albums, compilations and DJ mixes are being sold on CDs. Still, purchasing drum and bass music can involve searching for new releases in specialized record shops or using one of the many online vinyl, CD and MP3 retailers.[citation needed]

Drum and bass can also be purchased in the form of "tape packs", which 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 MCs.[citation needed]

Most tape packs contain 8 tapes with sets from different DJs. 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 of these packs contain 6 CDs.[citation needed]

[edit]Distributors (Wholesale)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, ST Holdings, & Nu Urban.[56]

[edit]"Live" Drum and BassAphrodite at 2009 Moscow action of the Pirate Station: Immortal. World's largest drum and bass festival.Many music groups and musicians, such as ( Jojo Mayer's Nerve , Pendulum , KJ Sawka , Shapeshifter, F.U.K.T , EZ Rollers ,STS9 , London Elektricity , Chase & StatusDirtyphonics , Johnny Rabb's BioDiesel , The Disco Biscuits, Toy Sun , Lake Trout... have taken drum and bass to "live" performances, which features an acoustic drum kitsynthesizersbass (upright or electric), and other instruments. Samplers have also been taken live by playing samples on drum pads or synthesizers, assigning samples to a specific drum pad or key. MCs are frequently featured in live performances. Some acts such as Fragment use a lineup of a guitarist, bassist, at least one keyboardist, and an acoustic drummer, even if none of these instruments are present in the actual song, simply to give it a "thicker live sound". DJ FU and the Jungle Drummer also feature predominatly in modern day live d'n'b. Their show features them battling live on stage in a DJ v drummer scnario. With Jungle Drummer drumming at speeds up to 180 bpm

[edit]Media presence[edit]RadioThe two highest profile radio stations playing drum and bass shows are The Drum and Bass Show with Fabio and Grooverider in the UK on BBC Radio 1, which can also be heard in the USA and Canada on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 11, and DJ Hype on Kiss 100 in London. The BBC's "urban" station BBC 1Xtra also features the genre heavily, with DJs Bailey and Crissy Criss 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), Don FM (the only Drum and Bass pirate to have gained a temporary legal license), Rude FM and Origin FM amongst the most influential.

Since 1999, drum and bass continues to be featured 24/7 on www.bassdrive.com and www.bassdrive.co.uk with live DJ's from around the world. With a roster that includes A-sides, Ash-a-Tack, Stunna, Jamie Smith, Flaco, Fusion, DFunk, Will Miles, Overfiend, Reflect, Spinn, Operon, big bud, Komatic, Carl Matthes, Mixmaster Doc, Random Movement, Calculon, Dan Marshall, Andy Sim, Paul SG, and many more added each year along with new upcoming internet radio stations like www.noisemonster.fm and www.KrisisDNB.com.

In North America, XM Satellite, 89.5 CIUT (Toronto), 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 DJ's 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 10pm. At the same time WUFM 88.7 plays its "Electronic Playground." Also, Tulsa, Oklahoma's rock station, 104.5 The Edge, has a two hour show starting at 10:00PM Saturday nights called Edge Essential Mix mixed by DJ Demko showcasing electronic and drum and bass style. While the aforemention 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 10pm (MST). Resident DJ Trinidad showcases various styles of electronica, with the main focus being drum and bass, jungle, & dubstep. Founded in 2002, Digital Empire features weekly guest DJs and producers, as well as an extensive online playlist and live webstream at KXCI's website.[citation needed]

In New Zealand, Aeon hosts a 4 hour Drum & Bass show called System Bypass on 105.4 BOPFM (Tauranga) every Sunday night from 7:00pm to 11:00pm, featuring some of New Zealand's, and the world's, latest Dnb tunes. Aeon also hosts a Dubstep show every Thursday on BOPFM.

In Australia, Spikey Tee plays an hour of the finest Dnb, every Saturday night at 2am on 97.7 fm Sbs Radio Alchemy(Sydney)[citation needed]

In the Philippines, 103.5 Max FM has "The Bass Hour" every Saturday at midnight that caters to nothing but bass music.[citation needed]

In France, the American University of Paris has a two-hour Drum and Bass program called "Jungle B Eyrie" hosted every Wednesday at 6pm +1GMT.[citation needed]

In Belgium, the national radio station "Studio Brussel" has a weekly show called "Jungle Fever" the radio show is hosted by Murdock, one of the famous Drum n Bass dj's in Belgium.[citation needed]

In Estonia, Radio 2 has two shows, which play DnB - "Tramm ja Buss" (hosted by dj/producer S.I.N & the legend in Estonian D'n'B sceen Raul Saaremets) and "Tjuun In".[57]

[edit]MagazinesThe best known drum and bass publication was Kmag magazine(formerly called Knowledge Magazine) before it went completely online in August 2009. Other publications include the longest running drum and bass magazine worldwide ATM Magazine, and Austrian-based Resident. Toronto-based Rinse Magazine, dedicated to the North American drum and bass scene, was established in 2002 by publisher John Tan, ran for 28 issues, ending in 2007. The editor was Richard Yuzon.

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