All About Drum and Bass Music: Brief History of Drum and Bass

Drum and bass, also known as drum ’n’ bass and D&B, is a subgenre of electronic dance music, or EDM, known for its fast breakbeats and heavy basslines. An outgrowth of the rave music scene in the United Kingdom during the 1990s, drum and bass anchored its sound around its rhythm section while folding in samples from other musical styles and synthesizer lines.

As with many forms of EDM, drum and bass produced numerous subgenres before appearing to run its course, at least from a commercial standpoint, by the start of the twenty-first century. However, the original tracks, and new material in the drum and bass vein, continue to support a devoted following in the UK and abroad.

The history of drum and bass begins during the early ’90s, as part of the United Kingdom’s rave scene:

• Beginnings. The dominant EDM sound during the early ’90s was breakbeat hardcore, which mixed hip-hop beats with musical samples and pop-culture soundbites. Breakbeat hardcore splintered into various factions in the early 1990s, including hardcore jungle (later known simply as jungle), which drew on Jamaican musical sources, and darkcore, which, as its name suggests, mixed sinister-sounding elements like synth lines, into the formula. Jungle eventually rose to prominence, but some artists began moving away from the Jamaican influence and reliance on samples to focus their tracks on smoothly integrated basslines and breakbeats.
• Entering the mainstream. The resulting music, known as drum and bass, drew crowds to dance floors and made drum and bass artists like Goldie and Roni Size into stars. A host of drum and bass subgenres, each anchored around its influences, arrived in the late ’90s, including the more lighthearted jump-up, the soul-fueled liquid funk, and techstep and neurofunk, which mixed atmospheric soundscapes, funk, and jazz.
• Decline and resurgence. While drum and bass began receding from the charts in the early 2000s, new releases by artists such as Netsky, Metrik, and Matrix & Futurebound helped bolster the subgenre in the 2010s. A small group of record labels overseen by veteran drum and bass artists, including London Elektricity’s Hospital Records, issued these releases. The scene has retained a loyal following throughout Europe and other countries and a strong presence on terrestrial, satellite, and Internet radio and music streaming sites. Listeners can also hear its influence in later electronic music styles like dubstep and grime.

Several characteristics help create the signature sound of drum and bass music, including:

1. 1. Basslines. The bassline is crucial to drum and bass, as a foundational element and for its physical impact on the dance floor, where powerful sound systems allow listeners to feel heavy basslines like those on Cyantific’s “Little Green Men” or “Cold Turkey” by Drumsound & Bassline Smith. Basslines are typically sampled or produced with a synth, though musicians may use an electric or acoustic instrument in some cases.
2. 2. Breakbeats and percussion. The relatively fast tempo of drum and bass, which typically clocks in between 160 and 180 beats per minute (BPM), requires a tight and funky breakbeat. The “Amen break,” taken from “Amen, Brother” by The Winstons, is a staple of countless drum and bass tracks, including UK Apache and Shy FX’s “Original Nuttah,” or more recently, “Lost,” by Hybrid Minds. A bass drum line sample from the Roland TR-808 drum machine is also frequently heard on drum and bass.
3. 3. Variations. Drum and bass has spawned a staggering number of subgenres, each expanding its scope and audience. All retain the core of breakbeats and basslines but add their own take on the sound. DJ Marky’s sambass folds in a Latin vibe, while liquid funk, as heard by artists like High Contrast and Maduk, adds more melody to the beat. The variations are broken into “light” and “heavy” drum and bass, depending on their influences and overall sound.

There are many notable drum and bass musicians from the form’s past and present, including:

1. 1. DJ Fresh. A member of the ’90s-era drum and bass supergroup Bad Company— featuring fellow producers D-Bridge, Maldini and Vegas—DJ Fresh (real name: Dan Stein) scored the first No. 1 single in the history of drum and bass music on the UK Top 40’s chart with 2012’s “Hot Right Now,” which also introduced pop singer Rita Ora. After earning eight Top 10 singles on the UK charts, DJ Fresh stepped away from music following a health scare to focus on software development.
2. 2. Goldie. Artist and producer Goldie—born Clifford Joseph Price—is a pioneering figure in the development of drum and bass. His 1995 album Timeless outlined the building blocks of the style—deep basslines and hard breakbeats—while also expanding its dance floor sound with such unique elements as strings and vocals. Appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2016, Goldie co-founded the Metalheadz record label, which has released albums by many major drum and bass artists.
3. 3. Pendulum. The Australian group Pendulum’s blend of alternative rock, metal, and drum and bass has earned them global recognition and chart success, including a No. 1 UK album with 2010’s Immersion. They’ve also earned a following for a string of remixes, including the theme to Australia’s ABC News, which became a Top 40 single on the ARIA charts in Australia.
4. 4. Roni Size. DJ and producer Ryan Owen Granville Williams, commonly known by his stage name Roni Size, earned drum and bass music one of the top critical awards in the United Kingdom when New Forms, his debut album with the drum and bass collective Reprazent, captured the prestigious Mercury Prize in 1997. He has alternated between work as a solo artist and as a member of both Reprazent and Breakbeat Era.

Drum and bass is often confused with jungle music, an EDM form that preceded it in popularity during the early ’90s, but the two musical subgenres share some key distinctions. Jungle features a rougher mix of breakbeats and basslines folded into elements of Jamaican music styles like dub and ragga. On the other hand, drum and bass eschews the outside influences in favor of a more polished focus on its rhythm and beats.

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