Drum and low

Discussion

Instructions

Not to modify below

Jungle

The Jungle is former to the drum' low.

For some, there is a real sound difference: one can characterize the “jungle” (in the past called “Jungle techno”) by a rhythmic work complexes and a synthé rather poor (often a simple sine with effects of filter) whereas the drum' low does not have a rhythmic structure much more simple (called 2-Step) but a work on the synthetizers much more thorough.

Lastly, the term “jungle” is sometimes used like short cut to indicate the Ragga jungle.

In spite of an exotic denomination, the Jungle was not born in heat from a tropical forest but well in the dark cellars from the English clubs. The word jungle means consequently Urban Jungle (urban jungle) to describe the difficult daily newspaper of the young people in a culturally locked English company. The jungle draws its origin from English turnips. It appears at the beginning of the Années 1990. Some had the idea to superimpose Breakbeat S accelerated on rhythmic traditional the techno. Then the kick was gradually withdrawn and the breakbeats were more and more worked, redecoupés, reassembled, etc the jungle nourish also influence of the English Jamaican community and are thus put quickly to integrate elements of Hip-hop, Ragga, Dub. These elements are found as well in the sounds as in practice deejaying with for example the rewind. The jungle often integrates voices, planing and female or ragga, coming to contrast with the roughness and the speed of the rhythmic ones. The general spirit is often inspired by the dub with frequent interventions of toasters and characteristic effects on the basic sounds. Two albums are thus regarded as exceptional on the matter: Timeless , of Goldie in 1995 and New Forms of Roni Size in 1996. These two artists are the pioneers of the jungle, as well as has Guy Called Gerald, 4 Hero or the members of the label Metalheadz of Goldie (Optical, ED Rush, Dilinja, Photek…).

Musicology of the drum and low

There are several ways of seeing what constitutes the " vrai" drum and low since this kind is very eclectic, since the powerful lines of battery of the Techstep without vocal until the slackened atmospheres of the Liquid funk. The kind was compared with the Jazz, where the listener could hear very different sounds there but coming however from the same musical genre, because like the drum and low, it acts more than one approach or of a tradition that of a style. Sonorities drum and low are extremely varied, and a person not being familiar is likely there to find only few resemblances between the sub-genera.

The drum and low could in a way being defined as a strictly electronic musical genre, with for only alive elements the choice and the mixture of the pieces by the DJ during a concert. However, the live expansion of acts using acoustic instruments and electrically amplified, in particular those using a beater in real-time (as Low the Natty group), push the kind apart from the sometimes narrow definition of the electronic music.

For the caused reasons, the musicology of the drum and low is difficult to define with exactitude. However we will see that certain important characteristics can be observed.

Principal characteristics

Importance of the base lines and battery

The name " drum and bass" do not mean that the pieces are only composed of these two elements. Nevertheless, they are the prevalent components and most important of a piece. In spite of the apparent simplicity of sonorities for an ear neophyte, a considerable time is spent with the preparation of the pieces by the most talented producers.

The kind gives a great importance to the bassline (base Line): deep, offensive and omnipresent, which is felt as much physically than auditivement. There is as a considerable experimentation relating to different the stamps as a bassline can adopt, particularly in the techstep. The bassline finds its origin in many ways, but most of the time it comes from samplées sources or of Synthétiseur S. the base lines produced with low real, whether it is electric, acoustic or against low, are rare. The samplées base lines are often taken since recordings of double bass or since Loop S (buckles musical) available publicly. The synthesized base lines are most current.

The lines the low ones prone to many and are varied modules of effects, like the dynamic compression, the Flanger, the Chorus, the overdrive, the equalization, etc… There are also specific techniques like the Reese Bass, does it of them is not intrinsically a technique, but rather the degree of treatment of distortion and filtering used on a basic sample usually employed coming from Just Another Chance of Kevin Saunderson. Low Reese, nasillarde and thick, are used by type-setters like Pendulum.

The kick: a large blow to the bottom (the sound is lengthened), which was prone to a very great number of experiments with the passing of years. In fact, this sample of battery was used to produce powerful base lines. This technique is strongly appreciated in a nightclub or in turnip, where the basic boxes coupled to powerful amplifying can fully reproduce the specific sound of the 808, whose frequencies are sometimes so low that it becomes inaudible about it (but feels physically). That led to the creation of large and powerful soundsystems on which the producers could make understand their pieces in an environment of high-fidelity, like the Dillinja' S Valve Sound System. That does not mean however that the music cannot be appreciated on personal equipment.

The complex syncope of the lines of battery, Breakbeat S, is another facet of the production on which the type-setters pass a very great quantity of their time. A sentence of battery during a few seconds can sometimes take a day or to prepare more, depend on the investment of the type-setter. The Amen Station-wagon is generally recognized to have been the station-wagon more used (and sometimes regarded as the best) in the history of the drum and low.

It would not be excessively exaggerated to say that the drum and low (in its first days) was a style built around one only sample of station-wagon of battery, Amen the Station-wagon, however others samples had a meaning impact, like the Apache Break, the Funky Drummer and others. Funky Drummer perhaps replaced Amen in the modern productions but Amen is always recognized like a very energetic station-wagon.

Another station-wagon commonly used is the Tramen, a happy compound which is perhaps the ultimate fusion of the musical interbreeding in the drum and low because it gathers Amen, a breakbeat funky of James Brown and a breakbeat drum and low of Alex Reece.

The very fast line of battery of this musical genre forms a fabric on which the type-setter creates pieces likely to like all the tastes. It is useful also basic musical for the whole of the tracks composing a piece. Moreover, without a fast and broken beat, a piece of drum and low would become a qualifiable production of Gabber, Techno or house.

Tempo

The Tempo of the drum and low is generally between 160 and 180 BPM, contrasts about it with other forms breakbeat as the naked skool station-wagons which maintain a tempo slower in the neighborhoods of 130 and 140 BPM. An general increase of the tempo was observed during the evolution of the drum and low. The first turnips old school were around 125 and 135 BPM in 1989/1991, the forms incipient from the jungle and the breakbeat hardcore (1992/1993) were faster: 155 to 165 BPM. Since approximately 1996, the tempos drum and low, in a prevalent way, stagnated between 173 and 180. Recently, some producers started again to compose of the pieces with slower tempos (i.e in the 150 and 160), but tempo ~170 remains the trademark of the drum and low. A piece combining the same elements as a piece of drum and low, but with a slower tempo (for example 140 BPM), would be regarded as a piece of breakbeat influenced by the drum and low.

The speed of the drum and low in any case is not solely characterized by its happy not broken. The drum and low has a base line which will be typically played half the speed of the battery part, reducing its speed to for example that by a piece of hip hop. A listener or a dancer will be able to then concentrate on this element rather than on the faster battery.

It should be noted that the speed of the music is subjective. An aggressive piece, composed of happy and a complicated synthetizer can appear faster than that done of samples of double bass, fronts of the guitar and happy simpler, while knowing that the second piece could be faster in term of BPM. The pieces passing to the radio as Shake Ur Body of Shy FX are sometimes faster than the unrestrained pieces of techstep which can easily eject not initiated dancefloor.

It is interesting to see that the faster the piece is in term of BPM, the less the battery part will be complicated. That is explained from the fact why the elements of battery cease being heard separately and form a wall of sound when the tempo is too fast. A fast piece of drum and low will thus have generally a line of battery less complex than slower.

The performances drum and low into live on instruments electric or acoustic will often require a relative fall of the BPM, which is not surprising considering the complexity of measurements of battery and the high level of necessary control of the beater.

Context

Generally, the drum and low is a form of Dance Music, most of the time conceived to be heard in club. All the frequencies are represented there and the gotten physical feelings cannot simply be entirely appreciated on audio equipment of private individual. As to indicate it its name seems, the low one is particularly marked, deeper and more door that in the other forms of dance, due to the fact that the pieces drum and low leave him a great place. Consequently, the evenings drum and low are sometimes indicated like container of the sound systems unusually heavy and rich in frequencies low.

There are however many albums especially designed for a personal listening. The CD of Mix makes by a famous DJ into live or on computer is particularly popular, comprising adequate pieces with a listening of living room. Moreover, there exist also albums containing of the not mixed pieces, perfect for listening at the house or in the car, in particular those pertaining to the kind of the Liquid Funk.

Importance of the DJ and the MC

The drum and low is often heard by the means of a dj. In fact, the majority of the pieces are made for the mix, for their structure which comprises intros and outros long which facilitate the beatmatching for the dj rather than to be conceived for a whole listening. The dj, generally, " mixe" pieces in order not to lose the happy continual one. Moreover, the dj can employ techniques inherited the hip hop such as the " scratch" , the " double-drop" and the " rewind".

Many mixing points begin gold end with the " drop". The drop is the not in has track where has switch off rhythm gold bassline occurs and usually follows has recognisable build section and " breakdown". Sometimes the drop is used to switch between tracks, layering components off different tracks, though ace the two records may Be simply ambient breakdowns At this not, though nap DJs prefer to combine breakbeats, have more difficult exercise. Summon drops are so popular that the DJ will " rewind" however " reload" by spinning the record back and restarting it At the build. " The drop" is often has key not from the not off view off the dancefloor, since the drumbreaks often insipid out to leave year ambient intro playing. When the happy starts again they are often more complex and accompanied by has heavier bassline, encouraging the crowd to dance. The name off has kind off drum and low, " jump up" initially referred to the is urgent for those seated to dance At this not.

Loans

Sub-genera

Roots of the drum and low

Jungle
Oldskool Turnip Hardcore (or simply Turnip)

The side sinks

Darkcore (or Darkside)
Hardstep
Techstep
Darkstep

The industrial and experimental side

Industrial
Seed-planting drill “Low
Intelligent Dance Music
Glitch_ (music)

The more melody side

Jazzstep
Atmospheric Jungle
Liquid Funk

The side directed dancefloor

Jump Up
Neurofunk
Trancestep

Filiations

Dubstep
Grime
2step
the U.K. garage

Artists

Among the artists of Drum' low, one can quote:

4Hero (Reinforced Records)
Adam F (Breakbeat Kaos)
A.k.i (Deviating Tracks records)
Amon Tobin (Tune Ninja)
Andy C (Dogs One Acid, RAM Records)
Aphrodite (Urban Takeover)
Aquasky (Hospital Records)
Artificial Intelligence (V Recordings, Widescreen)
Audio (Freak Recordings)
has Guy Called Gerald
Baron
Bad Company (BC Recordings, Virus Recordings)
Black Sun Worsens (B.S.E recordings, Renegade Hardware, Obsession)
Caliber (Signature Records)
Calyx (Recordings Intercom)
Clipz (Full Cycle)
Congo Natty (Congo Natty Records, X Project, Knowledge & Wisdom Records, Souljah Records)
Concord Dawn (Uprising Records)
Counterstrike (Algorythm, Revolution)
Craggs & Parallel Forces (Recordings Valve)
Current Value (Soothsayer, Algorythm, Obscene, Position Chromium plate)
Cyantific (Hospital Records)
D-Bridge (Exit Records)
Omni Trio (Moving Shadow)
Cause 4 Concern (Renegade Hardware, Recordings Virus, Cause 4 Concern Recordings)
Chase & Status (Bingo Beats, Renegade Hardware)
Danny C
DeeJay Delta (Chicago Combat, Technorganic Miami)
Dee Pulse (B.S.E Recordings, Obsession)
Dieselboy (Human Imprint Recordings, Tech Itch Recordings, Palm Pictures, Moving Shadow)
Dillinja (Test Recordings, Lionheart, Valve)
Dino Sofos (B.S.E. Recordings)
DJ Dara (Breakbeat Recordings Science, Moonshine Music, Sm:)E)
DJ Hazard (Ganja Records)
DJ Hype (Suburban Bases, Ganja Records, True Playaz)

DJ Craze (Recordings Trust)
DJ Fresh (Breakbeat Kaos)
DJ Friction (Recordings Valve, Audio Shogun)
DJ Marky
DJ Rap (Proper Talent)
DJ Subject Zero
DJ Therion
DJ Zinc (Bingo Happy, True Playaz)
Elisa C Brasil
Exiles (planet µ, Beta Recordings, Moving Shadow)
ED Rush & Optical (Recordings Virus, RAM Records, Full Cycle Records)
Evol Future Intent
Cut
Future Prophecies
FX909
Grooverider (Higher Ground, Columbia Records, etc)
Goldie (FFRR, Metalheadz)
High Contrast (Hospital Records)
J-Majik (Metalheadz, Infrared, Ganja Records, Kaos Recordings)
Kryptic Minds & Leon Switch (Defcom)
People of the Grass
Limewax (Tech Freaks)
Logistics (Hospital Records)
London Elektricity (Hospital Records)
Mampi Swift
Miss Drop
Neowdj (Independent label)
Noisia (Moving Shadow, Shadow Law Recordings, Black Sun Worsens, Renegade Hardware)
Nookie (Absolute 2, Good Looking Records, Moving Shadow)
Naked-Ton (Hospital Records)
Ody.C (Deviating Tracks records)
Pendulum (Breakbeat Kaos, Uprising Records, Timeless Recordings)
Potential Bad Boy (Ganja Records)
Photek (Science, Astralwerks, Photek Productions)
Lemon D (Recordings valve)
LTJ Bukem (Good Looking Records)
TJ Rizing (Moving Shadow)
Ryme Tyme (Saigon, 1210, Cause 4 Concern, Virus Recordings)
Rascal & Klone (Noizworks Recordings, Moving Shadow, Ministry Of Sound)

Rebel MC (Congo Natty)
Roni Size (Full Cycles Records)
Sayag Jazz Machine (Mixerie)
Shimon (RAM Records)
Seba (Good Looking Records, FFRR (US))
SKC (B.S.E. Recordings, Obsession)
SPL (Tech Freaks)
Spor (Renegade Hardware, Barcode Recordings)
X-ray Sub (RAM Records)
Sylcut (tce Step in effect)
System-D (Recordings Intercom)
T.Seb DJ (Night Dwarves)
Taz
Teebee (Certificate 18, Photek Productions, Metalheadz, Moving Shadow)
Technical Itch (Tech Itch Recordings, Technical Freaks, Penetration Records)
Terry T (Knowledge & Wisdom)
The Bays (independent group)
The Upbeats (BC Presents, Virus, Human)
Total Science (C.I.A., Metalheadz, Timeless Recordings, Renegade Hardware, Hospital Records)
Visionary (DIGITAL Soundboy]
X' plorer (B.S.E. Recordings, Obsession)
Dj Caleb (Phantasee crew)
DJ Martone (Phantasee crew)

External bonds

elektrozone.org (Webzine French-speaking of the electronic musics)
BassTourist (D&B Links)

Be-X-old: Драм-н-бас

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