What is
Drum n Bass
...drum and bass, or DNB?
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Life
in The Fast Lane: An Overview of Drum and Bass
By George Broyer
(Click
on any hyperlinks to listen.)
You may have already heard Drum and Bass and never even
realized it. Aside from being utilized in numerous commercials
and T.V. shows, elements of Drum and Bass have appeared in songs
by such artists as David Bowie, Outkast, and Linkin Park. Drum
and Bass, also known as DNB, drum n bass, and jungle, is a form
of electronic dance music (often called electronica or mislabeled
as simply "techno" music) that employs a break-beat
instead of the 4/4 beat found in house and trance. The beats per
minute, or BPM, are significantly faster ranging between 160-180
BPM. BPM is a unit of measure for the tempo of a song with 60
BPM equating to one beat every second. DNB often borrows samples
from movies and television or even other styles of music and blends
them together creating an entirely new perspective. The spectrum
of the sound of DNB is immense varying from atmospheric to soulful
to heavy and pounding. It is often compared to jazz in the sense
that the listener can experience an assortment of diverse sounds
all falling under the umbrella of one musical genre. DNB is usually
found pressed onto a 12" piece of vinyl with the record containing
one to four tracks. These records are mixed by DJs in clubs and
can sometimes be accompanied by an M.C. who rhymes over the tracks
much like a hip-hop artist. The DNB faithful often refer to themselves
as junglists, much the same way as Grateful Dead fans deem themselves
Dead Heads, and are very passionate about the music. DNB is a
rapidly progressing style of music with sounds becoming old and
outdated in a relatively short amount of time. Most DNB / Drum
and Bass songs have a shelf life of a year or less before being
considered stale.
Click
to hear a Drum n Bass beat (requires Real Player)
The beginnings of DNB can be traced back to the 1980's
Acid House music scene in the United Kingdom. The earliest form
of DNB was an offshoot of Acid House called Breakbeat Hardcore.
As Breakbeat Hardcore developed, a new sound featuring more bass
heavy and up-tempo qualities emerged and started to develop a
separate identity. It was the early 90's when this new sound began
to permeate the London club scene pioneered by DJs Fabio and Grooverider.
As DNB continued to grow and mutate, it continued to separate
into new sub-genres. In 1995, LTJ Bukem established a sound that
while preserving the up-tempo break-beat percussion focused on
atmospheric qualities and warm, deep bass lines. This new form
was dubbed Intelligent Drum and Bass / DNB. Other styles also
sprang up. One approach taking on an urban quality with a stripped
down, harder percussive style was designated Hardstep. Another
with more hip-hop influenced traits was called Jump-Up. By 1996,
Hardstep and Jump-Up dominated the club scene; while, Intelligent
DNB remained more for the at-home listener. Another progression
occurred in 1997 when two more sub-genres surfaced. A funky, double
bass line sound was being championed by Roni Size at the same
time as a new darker, more technical oriented style called Techstep
blossomed. Its ominous or sci-fi related themes and cold, intricate
percussion with dark, powerful bass lines distinguished Techstep
from the other forms of DNB. By the conclusion of the 1990's,
the marketable charm of artists such as Roni Size diminished and
Techstep reigned in the club scene. However at the turn of the
century, a revival transpired to bring back the original DNB sounds
and many classic tracks were remixed and re-introduced to the
DNB community. Over the years, the genre of DNB has continued
to undergo numerous transformations thus making it one of the
most diverse styles of music. Drum and Bass / DNB is played all
over the world today but is still considered to be at its most
progressive and cutting edge in the U.K. where it got its start.
Drum
and Bass / DNB / Drum N Bass / Breakbeat
/ Jungle
The break-beat is one of the most defining aspects of Drum
and Bass / DNB. This rhythm broken down to its basic drumming
components consists of using a kick drum sound and a snare with
the beats being played on the 1, 3, 6, and 7 half beats, alternating
between the kick and the snare. The majority of the break-beats
used in DNB emanate from samples of old funk/soul songs. Easily
the most sampled break-beat in both DNB and hip-hop is the "Funky
Drummer" break. This drum and bass break originates from
the breakdown played by drummer Clyde Stubblefield in James Brown's
song Funky Drummer. Perhaps the second most used break-beat comes
from 60's funk group the Winston's drummer G.C. Coleman and the
song Amen Brother. This break is called the "Amen" break
and utilizes a strong snare sound combined with loud cymbal crashes.
The "Apache" break comes from The Incredible Bongo Band's
70's hit Apache. This break is heavy with bongo percussion and
is used as a change up during a DNB song. All these samples taken
from classic songs are sped up around 170 BPM to fit in DNB tracks.
Combining these classic break samples has created some DNB break-beats.
Dom & Roland fashioned the "Tramen" or "Firefight"
break by molding together the "Amen" break with a break
from James Brown's Tighten Up. While Drum and Bass / DNB relies
heavily on these classic samples, many producers create their
own drum loops by using a mixture of live drummers and over-laid
single shot drum samples.
Click to hear the "Funky Drummer" breakbeat
.wav file
While the majority of Drum and Bass / DNB is produced in home
studios and then mixed live at clubs by DJs, there are several
artists who choose to make their DNB by scratch. The most prestigious
live artist in DNB right now is Chris Polglase, also known as
The Jungle Drummer. He is widely acknowledged as one of the best
drummers in the U.K. and simply the best in Drum and Bass / DNB.
Polglase started out by teaching himself to drum the hip-hop and
DNB tunes that he grew up on. When playing DNB, Polglase is normally
found drumming
up around 180 BPM with his arms almost being a blur. In May of
2007, Polglase collaborated with producer Tony Coleman, also known
as DJ London Elektricity, on his Billion Dollar Gravy LP record.
Late one night during a recording session, they received a phone
call to play live at BBC's Maida Vale Studios for Fabio and Grooverider
and the London Elektricity live show was born. It was the first
100% live DNB show. When not playing with London Elektricity,
Polglase has fashioned his own live show w/ DJ L Double called
The DJ vs. The Drummer. Polglase drums along while L Double spins
DNB creating a unique live experience. Along with those two shows,
Polglase was invited to tour Europe with hip-hop star Timbaland
in the summer of 2007. The success of London Elektricity prompted
other live DNB acts to emerge. Scassa Monakee is a British band
that plays live Drum n Bass / DNB. They employ a traditional line-up
with vocals, guitar, synthesizers, and drums. For more info, you
can check out their web page at http://www.smsq.co.uk.
Cosm, from Salt Lake City, is another live DNB group featuring
drummer Daniel Day performing live jungle break-beats which he
terms "Organic Breaks" This term refers to the group's
sound of the DNB dance style combined with Day's acoustic live
drums.
It is hard to compress an entire musical genre into a few short
paragraphs, but hopefully this article has provided a good
overview of Drum and Bass. If you are interested in learning more
about DNB, the best places to start are your local CD and record
shops. Most big record shops have a section for Electronic Dance
Music and Drum and Bass or DNB. If you are unsure of where to
start, you should check out works by any of these popular DNB
artists: Dara; Deiselboy; Aphrodite; Roni Size; Bad Company; LTJ
Bukem; Marcus Intalex; Fabio and Grooverider; Goldie; Andy C;
AK1200; DJ Rap; Dom & Roland, John B, DJ Craze, or Danny Tha
Wildchild. There are many, many more DNB artists out there but
this list should provide a good jumping off point. Keep in mind
that Drum and Bass / DNB is a form of dance music and meant to
be played at clubs for the most part. That being said, it is not
a style of music that everyone will enjoy. Just approach it with
an open mind and make your own decisions about it. The drum work
found in the songs should be interesting to most drummers out
there. So check out some of the links provided, pick up a Drum
and Bass CD, and dive headfirst in. It will definitely be one
of the most interesting explorations into music and drumming
you may ever take.
Copyright
2007, Drum Bum
George
Broyer is a freelance DJ from Atlanta, GA. Currently
living in Virginia,
he specializes in electronic music which incoporates breakbeats,
and drum 'n bass.
Visit his website at www.djrican.com
or contact him at djrican@undergroundspin.com.
Drum
and Bass / DNB / Drum N Bass / Breakbeat
/ Jungle
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