The Drum & Bass Thread (formally Drum 'n' Bass is dead?)

[Rumblejazz]

sorry man im not trying to have a go at all, just this thread is full of seminal tunes, brand new bangers, wicked remixes etc. loads of chat about dnb on this thread.

/incredibly hungover/

[Kaon]

lol. i guess your perception of the 'old ravers' is kinda true, except where go there are generally no older people, mostly young ravers trying to relive last weekend. we throw the best parties ever, when punters are high they go a lot crazier than at gigs of other genres ive been to. the chicks are hotter the beer tastes better. also dnb provides a great medium to dance to as you have the choice of daning hafltime, fulltime, offbeat, onbeat. making it a very accessable genre to the average punter


dnb also offers a massive variety of sounds, anythin from jazz to rock to pychedelic to grimey to downright evil (my fav ) i feel its changed dramatically within the last couple fo years despite its obvious limitations (the bpm+breakbeat) and the appearance of dubstep has opened up some new potentials.

[midian]

It's responses like that that keeps people who are genuinely interested from wanting to learn more.
//

I am kind of inclined to agree with rumblejazz. You need to put effort and listening time to understand the intricacies of something u dont understand to 'get' the appeal in it.

DnB has MANY different flavours so to say it all sounds the same is pretty untrue. Other then the broken beat and 175ish bpm liquid DnB (ie high contrast / nu:tone) and Gash like Current Value / Nanotek sound as alike as Jazz and Deathmetal.

Heres some subgenres to look at with some artist examples for each to show some different between them (just look them up in youtube).

Liquid
- High Contrast
- Nu:Tone
- Logistics
- Anything on hospital recordings

Neurofunk
- Spor
- The Upbeats
- Noisia

Tech (Can be quite similar to Neuro, but neuro is more drum focused tech is more bass focused)
- Black Sun Empire
- Corrupt Souls
- Evol Intent

Gash
- Current Value
- The Sect
- Limewax
- Counterstrike
- Nanotek

Jumpup (The hardhouse of DnB - ie a little bit shit)
- TC
- Clipz
- Hazard
- Distorted Mindz

The appeal is the complexity and slamming slamming basslines. DnB can be very very intricate, but in general it can sound quite formulaic and repeditive if your not into it (especially the tech stuff, I mean I love tech DnB but I'm kinda bored of it cos of the formulaicness). I suggest looking into Noisia & Spor as they push the genre quite far. Neurotech (neuro) is probably the most progressive of the sub-genres imo as it often uses a lot of electro influences (in both patterns n sound). Check out the tracks Noisia - Diplodocus & Spor - Clarets March for quite different sounding DnB.

[Kaon]

I am kind of inclined to agree with rumblejazz. You need to put effort and listening time to understand the intricacies of something u dont understand to 'get' the appeal in it.

i think hes asking why we find it appealing. why would he choose this genre over any other to spend his time putting effort into learning about it?

edit: giving him homeworks of 5 subgenres and 100 pages of reading isnt realisticly going to happen if theres no motivation to do so.

first of all young nephew, wat do you like?

[midifidler]

@Nephew

I think you will find that is a common criteque of virtually ever genre out there, its what happens when you havent listened to enough to train your brain to pick out the differences.


I used to say that about genres I didnt like cough punk rock, nu-metal cough, untill I realised that thats exactly what people into those genres say about edm.

Dont just listen to the over all sound of the track, focus on the details.

[Nephew]

I was only saying that based on my experiences with it and the DJ's I've heard, and I know you have to learn how to 'listen' to certain kinds of music to really appreciate the subtle nuances that goes into making an ok track an outstanding track.

The only I ever would bring this up is because this community seems very open and receptive, and leaves the elitism at the door.

What do I like though? I like subtle music that builds up and up and doesn't let up, and you don't even realize that it has turned from a simple groove into a monster track that has you locked in and wanting more. Almost hypnotic in a way, sneaking up on you.

Never got into the rave scene as it was just too much in your face music that was trying to knock you out.

I love Latin rhythms and syncopation in my music, as it creates a bit of a groove and tension with out being loud and in your face but still subtle and hypnotic enough to lock you in.

I'm a fan of trip hop, but haven't able to dig into it as much as I would like to though as I have no idea where to start, and that's kind of the problem with DnB as well. I'm sure there are quality songs and producers out there but I have no idea where to even start.

[midian]

Never got into the rave scene as it was just too much in your face music that was trying to knock you out.

There is the core of the issue here. That is pretty much what most of the DnB is all about (especially the dark/tech/neuro stuff). Slamming you with epic amounts of bass and huuuuge drops. The exact opposite of subtle. The subtlety (if you can call it that) comes in the insane production value and layering/construction of the beats and basslines which requires mastercrafting to pull off. Especially in the Neuro/Tech stuff.

Liquid DnB is probably far more up your ally as its more for chilln/listening/grooving, rather then getting RINSED AS BRO! Lynx is probably a really good one to look up as well. Along with all the Hospital Records stuff, also old renegade recordings. Lots of latin infused stuff in there as well. Liquid is far more about subtilty & progression then the other stuff which is more drop focused.

Heres a choice Lynx track that is quite (very) different. His stuff is quite minimal / subtle and has a LOT of progression compared to a lot of DnB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQMLXweX85I&fmt=18

In general I think dubstep (the non tech/grinding stuff) is probably going to be far more your style as its more minimal and about buildups, groove & rythems, as well as epic bass.

[Kaon]

What do I like though? I like subtle music that builds up and up and doesn't let up, and you don't even realize that it has turned from a simple groove into a monster track that has you locked in and wanting more. Almost hypnotic in a way, sneaking up on you.

i respond with this track...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6odfxXXIqFg

Never got into the rave scene as it was just too much in your face music that was trying to knock you out.

lol i think this is why i got into the rave scene

I love Latin rhythms and syncopation in my music, as it creates a bit of a groove and tension with out being loud and in your face but still subtle and hypnotic enough to lock you in.

i respond with this track...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdLqccsx_wQ

id suggest if you like trip-hop you should try some dubstep out
maybe along the lines of this...(just hoping its the right one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR8Q2nE0JRM

[Kaon]

@ midian
ya beat me to it

[midian]

The Upbeats - Psyesta is a wicked wicked tune. And a mean example of awesome layering/syncopation/latin grooves within a DnB setting.