Drum n Bass
70 tracks · 60+ sets decoded · 3+ key artists
Drum and bass compressed breakbeat music's evolution into a single explosive moment: around 1993-1994, UK producers took the 170 BPM amen break and Reese bass combinations that had defined hardcore and jungle, and purified them into a genre defined by rhythmic complexity and sub-bass weight. Goldie's Metalheadz label, LTJ Bukem's Good Looking Records, and Grooverider's sets at Rage defined the genre's poles — from dark menacing "darkside" to airy "intelligent" d'n'b. The genre's mid-section spanned drum programming of extraordinary technical complexity, running against the grain of house and techno's four-on-the-floor simplicity. Contemporary drum and bass from labels like Hospital, Critical, and Metalheadz continues this tradition — reaching new audiences while maintaining technical rigour. Mixprism's d'n'b archive captures key releases from across its thirty-year history, tracking the genre's presence in DJ sets from specialist clubs to festival second stages.