Breaksblog looks like an awesome resource for free Drum’n'Bass, but most particularly it’s an opportunity for me to relive my youth.
The first club I ever went to was Blue Note for the Sunday night MetalHeadz sessions. I used to rock a suit and glasses to make myself look older than the 16 years that I was – anything to get in at the end of the day, but I fully looked ridiculous.
I do however remember the visuals above, and was delighted to access the Doc Scott mix from 1997 that Breaksblog have for us (and maybe more to come from MetalHeadz themselves!)
Download the set via the link below.
Doc Scott feat. MC Justyce @ Blue Note – 20/01/1997
What went wrong with Drum’n'Bass though? “Too much focus on getting the loudest pressing, most tearing midrange and a mis-educated crowd that will only respond to obvious rave signals are the main issues in my opinion” say Breaksblog.
More classic mixes linked below:
Fabio feat. Mc Bassman & Mc Conrad @ Amazon vs. Kool FM 1995
LTJ Bukem feat. MC Conrad @ Crime Club 1995 – Side A
LTJ Bukem feat. MC Conrad @ Crime Club 1995 – Side B
Kemistry & Storm feat. MC Flux @ One In The Jungle 1996
Grooverider alongside Cleveland Watkiss @ HR3 Clubnight 22/08/1997
3 Comments
Where did it all go wrong?
Partially, I believe, it went ‘wrong’ due to the over commercialisation of DNB by brands such as Drum & Bass Arena.
While being able to make money though the music you love is an admirable achievement, I don’t feel that it has helped the industry in a positive way overall.
Yes, it has increased DNB’s popularity to have bands like Pendulum reaching number 1 in the charts, and yes it’s fantastic that they’ve been signed to a major label, but what it seems to serve as a purpose for, is bringing the music to the masses and making it overly accessible, thus losing the “cool”. DNB previously tended to attract the trend setters, rather than followers.
Because the music isn’t underground anymore, and it’s less niche, it’s become almost uncool to the trend setters. Throughout the last 10 years, there’s been a few periods where DNB became uncool while it became too commercial. I believe we’ve come full circle again and this is the case now.
Artists like Noisia and Subfocus although diverse and niche to a degree, have become more accessible and nowl appeal more to the masses than to their initial target, the underground trainspotter DNB aficionado.
I could rant about this for ages, but I’ll stop now.
Ahhh good post…
Drum n bass use to have soul basically… each track had its own identity.. now its a repetitive load of shite that rolls from one track to another listened to by students, rat boys and rat girls.. oh and not forgetting the donuts who go wild for it at the end of Norman Jays Big Chill set ( its a depressing sight seeing 30,000 people flapping about to it I can tell ya)
Apart from a select few artists, music in general is in a right ol mess at the mo!!!!!
Ahhhh Silver, I think that’s a little unfair to say that each track ‘rolls from one into the next’. You should check out labels like London Elektricity’s Hospital Records, or releases from artists like Subfocus on Ram Records, not to mention the mountains of independants out there releasing straight to Digital.
Much of the newer DNB (2006 and newer) does have that elusive ‘soul’ you speak of, you must be listening to crap by Clipz and the much of the Bristol crew (who seem to have one foot in 1999, and the other firmly in a circus!). IMO!