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What is drum and bass music? History, artists, and subgenres

What is drum and bass music? History, artists, and subgenres

What is drum and bass music?

Drum and bass, often abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or drum ‘n’ bass, is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the UK in the early ’90s as an evolution of rave, hardcore, and jungle music. It’s named for its two key elements: fast breakbeat drums and deep and heavy basslines.

Drum and bass’ sound has evolved significantly over time. It initially centered on early funk breakbeats sampled from vinyl records, typically using an AKAI (950, 2000, 3000, etc.) or EMU (S900, S950, etc.) sampler, combined with a heavy 808 and / or Reese bassline. Additionally, electronic drums were layered to reinforce the breakbeat, creating punchier, more modern-sounding productions for the time.

In this guide, we’ll dive into the characteristics, subgenres, influential artists, and more that make up the rich world of drum and bass music. Feel free to use the table of contents below to quickly navigate to a specific section.

What you’ll learn:

Let’s get started!

Characteristics of drum and bass music

As we’ve begun to outline above, drum and bass music has a distinct sonic identity, characterized by music production techniques that emerged around the ’90s and its various subgenres—here are some key characteristics that tie its sound together:

  • Drums: Modern DnB combines processed breaks with engineered drum hits, emphasizing tight, snappy transients and textures from live drum sources available in modern sample libraries. The drum patterns vary widely across subgenres, but often feature an ’80s-style snare on the two and four beats for dancefloor or jump-up styles or a smaller rim-style hit for minimal DnB.
  • Bass: Heavy sine wave sub-basses or 808-style basses are commonly used to fill out the lower end of the frequency range, along with a series of harmonics above the fundamental frequency. The track’s key dictates the fundamental frequencies, and mid-range-processed basslines are also sometimes incorporated, which contribute to the overall character.
What are harmonics? Exploring the fabric of music

DnB is also generally known for its precise production, requiring careful drum editing and an understanding of hard and soft clipping techniques to achieve a professional sound.

That said, these are just a few ideas about the popular types of sounds used in DnB—in practice, there are no fixed rules regarding sound design choices and aesthetics.

What BPM is drum and bass?

Drum and bass music typically ranges from 160 BPM in its early ’90s jungle roots to about 170 – 175 BPM in modern tracks. This fast tempo gives the genre its signature energetic feel.

What’s the difference between drum and bass and jungle?

Jungle and drum and bass are closely related, but they differ in rhythm, atmosphere, and production style.

Jungle is heavily rooted in breakbeats, reggae sound-system culture, and complex and chopped drum edits. It often features Amen breaks, heavy use of sampling, dub-style 808 basslines, and influences from dancehall, reggae, and rave.

Meanwhile, drum and bass evolved slightly later and took these foundations towards a cleaner, more refined direction, tightening the drum patterns, emphasizing deeper sub-bass with less reliance on drum breaks, and focusing more on the strength of the individual kick and snare patterns.

While jungle feels raw and vibrant, DnB generally sounds more engineered and genre-diverse. Although both genres share a common origin, jungle embodies the wild, breakbeat-heavy energy of early rave culture, while drum and bass represents a more modern and technical evolution.

What’s the difference between drum and bass and dubstep?

Drum and bass and dubstep are both bass-heavy electronic genres rooted in UK club culture, but they differ sharply in tempo, rhythm, and overall feel.

DnB is much faster in tempo (170 – 175 BPM), while dubstep, by contrast, sits around 138 – 142 BPM and often uses a half-time drum pattern with kicks on the downbeat and snares on the three, giving it a similar feel to dub and reggae drum grooves. Both genres are well-suited for clubs and festivals, though their overall production styles are unique.

What’s the difference between drum and bass and house?

Drum and bass and house differ in tempo, rhythm, and overall feel. Drum and bass is much faster, while house music sits around 120 – 130 BPM and generally uses a steady four-on-the-floor kick, creating a more dance-oriented rhythm. While they’re both foundational dance genres, house and DnB music differ widely in production and feel.

What’s the difference between drum and bass and breakbeat?

Drum and bass and breakbeat music are closely linked, with DnB emerging from breakbeat culture in the early 1990s. Breakbeat hardcore, built on sped-up funk drum loops like the Amen break and samples from “Funky Drummer,” “Apache,” and “Soul Pride,” laid the foundation for early UK rave. As tempos increased and break patterns evolved, the genre transitioned into jungle and DnB.

Essentially, ’90s DnB is an intensified version of breakbeat, characterized by chopped and reprocessed drum loops, with breakbeat’s rhythmic DNA and production techniques continuing to shape it and its subgenres.

Drum and bass subgenres

Speaking of which, DnB has lead to the emergence of various other subgenres over the decades. Jungle retains breakbeat’s raw roots, while liquid focuses on soulful melodies and warm atmospheres. Neurofunk emphasizes technical sound design with less focus on live drums, and jump-up features playful, wob-style basslines. Meanwhile, minimal focuses on a less busy drum mix, with mid-heavy basslines and lots of width, while dancefloor DnB blends big melodic hooks with festival drops and techstep presents a cold, mechanical edge.

How to make a neurofunk track (free project file included)

The history and evolution of drum and bass music

Drum and bass originated in Britain in the early 1990s, merging sound system culture with breakbeat hardcore, rave, and techno. It started with UK producers manipulating the sound and tempo of breakbeats sampled from funk and soul records.

By 1994, jungle emerged as a genre characterized by breakbeat chops and reggae samples. Artists like SHY FX and DJ Hype played significant roles in shaping the evolution of this sound.

In the mid-’90s, the sound split further, with techstep emerging around 1996. Then, the late ’90s saw the rise of liquid DnB with artists like Calibre, Marcus Intalex, and ST Files. In the 2000s, the genre expanded globally, featuring diverse styles from the likes of Chase & Status, Noisia, and Pendulum.

Then, the 2010s brought a deeper understanding of drum transients that lead to a higher bar for precision in production, specifically pushed by neurofunk artists like Mefjus and Phace. At the same time, jump-up began to reinvent itself, with artists like Macky Gee, DJ Hazard, and Serum establishing themselves as household names. Liquid also resurfaced with artists like LSB and S.P.Y focusing on the more musical side of DnB.

Today, drum and bass is a global phenomenon in dance music culture, appealing to an even wider audience.

Key drum and bass artists

Goldie, Andy C, LTJ Bukem, and Roni Size are four of the most influential artists in the history of drum and bass, each contributing to the genre in unique and long-lasting ways:

  • Goldie infused the scene with artistic ambition and a futuristic vision, elevating DnB from underground rave music to a respected art form.
  • Andy C became the most iconic DJ in the genre, pushing DnB into the mainstream via his label RAM Records while nurturing numerous major artists.
  • LTJ Bukem helped define the atmospheric and soulful side of the genre by integrating lush pads, jazz influences, and deep musicality through his Good Looking Records imprint.
  • Roni Size introduced live instrumentation, funk, and Bristol sound system energy into the genre, culminating in the acclaimed album New Forms with his group Reprazent.

Along with other DnB artists, these pioneers contributed to laying the creative, technical, and cultural foundations that allowed drum and bass to evolve into the diverse global genre it is today.

Modern DnB artists

Today, many artists work within various subgenres of drum and bass, including dancefloor, minimal, jump-up, and more. Here’s a list of some who have collaborated with Splice to create packs:

Influential drum and bass (and jungle) records

Last but not least, while by no means an exhaustive list, here are a few drum and bass and jungle records that have stood the test of time.

“Renegade Snares” by Omni Trio (1993)

While many tracks from around its era were gritty and focused on intense rave sounds, Omni Trio created something unique in “Renegade Snares” that was both gentle and deeply emotional.

“Music” by LTJ Bukem (1993)

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that LTJ Bukem’s “Music” laid the foundation for the later development of atmospheric and intelligent DnB.

“Inner City Life” by Goldie (1994)

“Inner City Life” was a key moment in DnB history, elevating Goldie to cultural icon status and influencing the development of liquid funk and vocal DnB. Without it, we wouldn’t have artists like London Elektricity, High Contrast, or Netsky.

“Bacteria” by Ed Rush and Optical (1999)

Considered one of the most significant records in neurofunk, “Bacteria” played a crucial role in shaping the genre’s future, setting the standard for darker, more complex, and innovative styles.

“Return of Forever” by High Contrast (2002)

Without a doubt, “Return of Forever” is one of the defining tracks of the liquid DnB movement.

“Stigma” by Noisia (2010)

The track that cemented Noisia as the “Engineers’ Engineers,” “Stigma” truly set the group apart in the DnB community. The track’s precise bass resampling, transient design, stereo imaging, and punchy drums established a new standard for neurofunk sound design.

Conclusion

And there you have it—hopefully this article gave you a foundational understanding on the definition, subgenres, characteristics, and more of drum and bass music. Have you ever tried producing music in the genre? What other genres you’d like to see us dive into next? Start a conversation with us and an ever-growing community of music creators via the Splice Discord.

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Explore the sounds

December 10, 2025

Niall Hoban

Niall Hoban is a producer and sound designer from Manchester, UK, now based in New York. As a Senior Content Producer at Splice, he manages content production for Test Press, Splice’s in-house bass music label.