dBridge Drum n Bass is here to stay

Posted recently by dBridge over at the tumblr page of Exit recordings. (I wanted to post a reply to it but either -I am too stupid or it's impossible to reply to tumbr post, oh well...)

I think dBridge wouldn't mind that I repost this messege over here. Might be an interesting read for some people on here:



Really Guys! Drum & Bass?

It seems to be a popular narrative with journalists and other non-Drum & Bass producing musicians at the moment, to wonder and show surprise that producers are still making DnB, that it’s “still here” and that it still has any kind of musical value or worth. This continued belief that DnB has been on some kind of hiatus, that it’s been in a state of hibernation or, what I read recently “nearly a decade in dance music purgatory” confounds me. I can point out many labels and artists who have been releasing Drum & Bass-influenced music consistently, my own Exit Records being one of many. I don’t remember any noteworthy label taking a gap year from releasing DnB. Just because you’re not looking, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Some of us are admittedly out on the fringes of electronic music, but we have a loyal and dedicated following, we’re releasing great records on vinyl. Granted, maybe not ‘hand pressed by virgins in a Berlin loft’-vinyl, but vinyl worth listening to nonetheless. So whilst I understand the reason behind some of these sheep like statements, the shortsightedness of those making them does annoy me.

Like many other genres of electronic music, the all-encompassing word ‘Drum & Bass’ has been around for quite some time. It’s a name that encapsulates many different styles of the genre, from the chart-topping music of Dj Fresh & Wilkinson to the Dubbed out Techno heaviness of Loxy, the B-Boy drum work of Paradox, the clinical rigour of Noisia, the Jungle Juke-iness (is that a word?) of Fracture, the Hip-Hop swagger of Stray, the soulfulness of Calibre, all the way through to the minimal precision of Bop. Much like House and Techno, DnB has many offshoots and variants, that all essentially stemmed from the same thing but over time have evolved and now no longer have much to do with each other. The only thing that really binds them all is a tempo, and more importantly (or not?), the name.

This is where my annoyance stems. It seems people have just one view of what “Drum & Bass” is. I have an idea what that is, but it seems to me that some form of daft musical stereotype has taken hold of journalists and musicians who, frankly, should know better. It has its subtleties just like other genres, subtleties that if people could be bothered, or, I suppose, cared, would easily hear. For example, even though we made music together as Bad Company, comparing what I do now to what my buddy DJ Fresh now makes, is like comparing Steve Aoki to Jimmy Edgar. Yet, we still operate within similar brackets of dance music. It is this one-sided view of DnB that many seem to share that makes it difficult for me to identify myself within this genre anymore. And this really is a true shame, considering the fact that I’ve always identified myself with DnB and have felt to be a part of it, from the very beginning of the genre itself. This narrow-mindedness surrounding the term DnB has made me want to distance myself further, as it feels the term ‘DnB’ no longer reflects me and what I’m about.

But, as you might know, I’ve already spoken about my feelings on this in a previous blog post, and this is about something else.

As a scene DnB has outlived and survived many other burgeoning scenes (many of those that were seen as Drum & Bass killers), and it’s still here! Still filling clubs and festival spaces year in, year out. It has a fun side that isn’t going to change the world but provides enjoyment to those who want to lose themselves for a few fun-filled hours, and has a serious, ‘how the fuck did they do that’-complexity, that will musically blow any other electronic scene out of the water.

As a genre I think it’s earned its place at the table. It’s enriched people who listen to it, clearly influenced producers, and has led the way in the production of modern electronic music for quite some time, much the same way House & Techno has.

So, in conclusion:

It’s not going anywhere,

It’s been around long enough for you to know there are differences within the genre,

Show it the respect it’s earned and deserves,

And stop being so bloody daft!

dB

[Statto]

it just seemed appropriate to post that

Well put and well said.

muttleymarked

Now that I think about it, it's kinda sad, strange, and slightly perturbing that people need to defend dnb.

Generally good point well made regarding it not all sounding the same.

One thing that does my head in a bit (and I know this is sort of tangential to the basic point of the comments), though, is when people defending dnb slate other genres for being flash-in-the-pan, here-today-gone-tomorrow things. A lot of the time it's basically saying "your scene sucks because it's coming up with new stuff so fast that it'll have evolved beyond all recognition within five years, whereas we'll still be cranking out the same old same old..."

Yeah, agree with that Slothrop, although reactionary rhetoric seems valid in this case to remove some possible blinkered-ness from journalists and hype men.

Lol. Good post.

its funny, a couple years ago, i was recommending some dnb to a then 19 year old kid who knew nothing about dnb, but liked what she was hearing. it was odd recommending tunes & names to her that were almost 20 years old, when she was born lol. its great to see a perspective of literally, a NEW music fan enjoying discovering new stuff, and generally interested in learning more about what they hear. its rare, but refreshing if it happens.

I get the picture that anybody getting into "edm" as they call it, will have no initial exposure to dnb, unless they dig for it. dnb is not music that is out in the forefront of anything, even tho they've all heard influences and overt references to dnb in tunes they listen to now - including dubstep, etc. its definitely more of a fringe interest NOW than it ever has been. yet once again, you hear elements of dnb in much electronic music all the time. whenever i talk to younger people just getting into specific styles of dance music, any reference to dnb they might have sort of sets them apart from a general music fan sometimes, cause once again, you have to dig for dnb for it to be a part of today's music consciousness. thus, i wonder if the question is did dnb become so digestible (??), or commercial at times that the reference became insignificant, or irrelevant to outside listeners? "ho hum...nothing new"

at the same time, i question if dubstep will be relevant in years time, at all.

on the flip, hiphop is one of the only cultures or dance music genres that can still retain some of its original image or perception, as reflected through larger commercial perspectives that were heard in the 70's, and of course into the 80's, 90's, etc. you don't hear many outside interests question the root of the sound there, as you can always reference and respect funk, disco, latin musics, earlier electronic influences and such that created hiphop.

as a product and evolution of those same influences and references, its a shame that dnb hasn't shared that same rooted respect to some. depending on where you come from, when or where you first heard jungle/dnb, its interesting what that initial experience or opinion of the sound will have on some people, years, decades later.

as dnb fans, we sit here and talk, drool, and discuss tunes originally released 20+ years ago, or more, almost as if they were released yesterday - sometimes, it really doesn't seem that long ago imo, but to the casual listener, it seems like a flash in the media pan right?

techno has its own image, as it has always had its own media identity as well. tied to the old, but always seen as futuristic by nature.

in contrast, in some cases, dnb seems to be lost in its resulting media representation 20 years on. in a way, i still think its an ongoing dissection. maybe the understanding will come in years to come. Goldie can't be the only standing reference outside listeners can have forever right?


does that make sense?

its like saying.. will dnb always be a 90's thing?

There's no point asking here because this isn't a drum and basses forum.

I keep forgetting that.

Drum and Bass Not Dead

Someone should produce an http://isdrumandbassdeadyet.com along the lines of http://isitbeeroclock.com/

its funny, a couple years ago, i was recommending some dnb to a then 19 year old kid who knew nothing about dnb, but liked what she was hearing. it was odd recommending tunes & names to her that were almost 20 years old, when she was born lol. its great to see a perspective of literally, a NEW music fan enjoying discovering new stuff, and generally interested in learning more about what they hear. its rare, but refreshing if it happens.

does that make sense?

Yeah. Apparently, teens experience great tracks of the genre now (often almost 20 year old music, often older than themselves) see here, this being an excerpt from this Jim Baker (source Direct) interview here:

http://thequietus.com/articles/15894-sou...-jim-baker

"HS: You're DJing more now than during the mid 90s; are you playing mainly older stuff?

JB: I'm mixing it up. As long as I have the crowd I'll play all sorts, tear-out Amen tracks, something that's just rolling, a whole mixture of old and new, combined and thrown together to make a good, happy party atmosphere. I've had some comments from people that come up to me and say 'What's this tune, when is this coming out?' 'It came out twenty years ago mate!' and the shock on their face, they can't believe it. [laughs]"

[Statto]

This remains the best drum 'n' bass tune I have heard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clgGwQWGKjQ