Drum 'n' Bass - MEGATHREAD

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It's decent.

I like what drum and bass is capable of doing, as an art form, and very much respect people who can produce it. I'm not so big a fan of what it tends toward, popularly.

The fact that liquid is my favorite subgenre, and that unlike myself, most dnb fans seem to like it harder, darker, and grittier, makes me think I'm not a true fan of the genre, at least in most people's eyes. I like it for the intricacy of its beats. But hold the badass.

I frequently tune into the Grooverider show on Fridays nights on the BBC's Radio 1. But if I want to dance and socialize, I'd take trance over dnb, because it's just more likely to be uplifting and euphoric, I find.
 
I like it but it takes a good DJ to keep DNB going all night for me. I find that it can get boring and repetitive in a way which I don't like. If a DJ keeps it going from the dark to the ragga to the stuff with more of jazz or house influence then I can take it in larger doses.
 
I loooove me some drum and bass, everything from the hard hard dark stuff to ragga jungle to atmospheric/"trancey" drum and bass. I especially like good, flowing basslines in the stuff i listen to.

It takes a good dj to keep my groove going though, i've heard many that just don't do it for me. If you don't mix two jungle tracks properly... you can REALLY tell.

That said, the best jungle i've heard is from local djs, not the standard "big name" dnb acts.

Check out a dj from seattle: aaron simpson, who used to spin trance, of all things. Download his dnb sets, good stuff ... http://www.myspace.com/aaronsimpson

...oh, and some of the cooolest dnb you'll ever see is live sets from people like kj sawka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpen-Aq49lQ&feature=related
 
It's not all noise. It's not all "heavy". And no, you don't have to play it loud, hard or fast all the time....

Drum & bass can be about quality of production, narrative, engagement, experience, richness of sounds, momentum, track selection, unobtrusiveness, insistence on melody (heck you can even sing along to a lot of d&b!) .... the list goes on and on.

DJ Marky and MC Stamina
London Elektricity
Makoto
LTJ Bukem (with or without MC Conrad)
S.U.V. (esp. the track "Do You Remember")
High Contrast
Seba

A lot of excellent, excellent compilations out there which showcase d&b as much more than the Pendulum-esque meth-bogan teen-sound.

Try LTJ Bukem's "Progession Sessions vol. 4 (without MC Conrad)".
 
Damien8787 said:
I like it but it takes a good DJ to keep DNB going all night for me. I find that it can get boring and repetitive in a way which I don't like. If a DJ keeps it going from the dark to the ragga to the stuff with more of jazz or house influence then I can take it in larger doses.
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Very true. I also find changing up MCs is crucial too. I don't want to hear the same exact deep singsongy voice shouting 'Somebody make some noooooooise!' 200 times in an evening, or losing the rhythm and basically just talking over the beats because he's tired. I've unfortunately paid money for both at different times.

Not being a huge fan of either rap or toasting, I could do without the MC altogether.

Miss Flea said:
It's not all noise. It's not all "heavy". And no, you don't have to play it loud, hard or fast all the time....

Drum & bass can be about quality of production, narrative, engagement, experience, richness of sounds, momentum, track selection, unobtrusiveness, insistence on melody (heck you can even sing along to a lot of d&b!) .... the list goes on and on.

DJ Marky and MC Stamina
London Elektricity
Makoto
LTJ Bukem (with or without MC Conrad)
S.U.V. (esp. the track "Do You Remember")
High Contrast
Seba

A lot of excellent, excellent compilations out there which showcase d&b as much more than the Pendulum-esque meth-bogan teen-sound.

Try LTJ Bukem's "Progession Sessions vol. 4 (without MC Conrad)".
Click to expand...

My dnb tastes EXACTLY! Would you mind telling me where you find most of the mixes you listen to?
 
Just to get a second opinion, how "good" is the drum and bass on MSX FM which can be heard in Grand Theft Auto 3 and Liberty City Stories?
 
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I saw Dylan and Limewax last week. Limewax's music has to be the heaviest drum and bass in existence. It was brilliant. Dylan's music tends to be a continuous build-up that never quite peaks. It's ok, but not for a whole set.

Also been digging Black Sun Empire and Counterstrike, but I've also developed a fondness for lighter DnB like Shapeshifter.

Portillo said:
True, i love drum and bass thats so heavy its almost heavy metal.
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Check out Paul Blackout and his label Hardline Recordingz. Heavy metal drum and bass from Newcastle, Australia.
 
Drum and Bass took a big fall for me around 2003-2005 and went in a direction that took it away from the reasons I got in to it.

I got into dnb in the early 90's and was really into stuff like Bukem, Metalheadz, Subase, etc. Dnb was about exactly that, drums and bass. Creative beats. Soulful bass. Funk!

Over the years, dnb shifted more towards the aggressive side and I kept listening (and buying) less and less. At the point that I was only buying a record or two a week, I gave up.

This is, of course, a big step down since there was a point where I was working at the biggest (and longest running) dnb night in the Southeast and owned a record store that afforded me the opportunity to really stay on top of what was coming out. There is still stuff that comes out that I like, but I'm now much more of a casual listener.
 
MyDoorsAreOpen said:
The fact that liquid is my favorite subgenre, and that unlike myself, most dnb fans seem to like it harder, darker, and grittier, makes me think I'm not a true fan of the genre, at least in most people's eyes.
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i feel the same way. certain styles of drum and bass really do it for me, but they don't seem to be the sounds that appeal to the most rabid dnb heads. i find the hard hitting stuff far too abrasive. a little bit of liquid smoothness, jazz, soul, funk, etc. in the track goes a long way for me. the ass-pounding, dark, techy, repetitive death beats literally give me a headache. i also can't dance to that stuff very well.

i guess i just don't think of 'raves' or parties or events as a time for rage. perhaps that's why exceptionally angry electronic music doesn't appeal to me.

back in the day, the fans also kept me away from the genre. there was a super elitist, jaded, aggressive vibe that characterized dnb crowds and i opted out of many shows for that reason. again, i go to parties to dance and have a good time, not to get hassled or sneered at, or to bob my head snobbily in a corner, or to see fights. now that dnb has settled in the overall landscape as just another cool genre (as opposed to divine composition handed down from heaven to the chosen stoners) i find the crowds and music a lot more fun.

i also think dnb is one of the most enjoyable genres to spin. there's always a lot going on in the track, and the stuff i like is pretty bouncy and uplifting. dnb pretty much begs for cuts and chops and trickery too, so i feel more active when i'm playing it.

in short, i think the good dnb is really good and the bad dnb is really bad ;)
 
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