1989: The Black Dog - Virtual
DnB Weekend: Drum & bass is a genre steeped in tradition, from the early breakbeat hardcoreexperiments of the late 80s right up to the cutting-edge sounds of modern DnB.
Here's our pick of classic tracks from the past 25 years that any junglist should haveon their essential listening checklist. Click through the gallery to check them out.
Virtual was one of the first records to combine breakbeats, techno synths and bigbasslines in a recognisably DnB-like fashion. What’s more, it still sounds fresh today.
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1990: The Scientist -The Exorcist
An early darkside jungle tune, The Exorcist combines a collision of funky hip-hop beats with sinister horror samples and a sprinkling of rave-style synths.
1991: Son'z Of A Loop Da Loop Era - Far Out
Far Out is a pure slice of piano-fuelled fun that fuses the then-emerging jungle sound with more euphoric elements.
1992: Liquid - Liquid is Liquid
Foreshadowing the sounds of atmospheric drum & bass, this cinematic, dub-influenced roller was well ahead of its time.
1993: Omni Trio - Renegade Snares
A rave anthem to this day, Omni Trio’s masterpiece showed the musical possibilities of drum & bass, as well as the potential for audacious drum edits.
1994: LTJ Bukem - Horizons
This breakbeat classic took the mellower side of DnB to new heights, combining chilled chords and hypnotic riffs with crispy beats and epic 808 hits.
1995: Alex Reece - Pulp Fiction
A true game-changing moment for DnB, Pulp Fiction boldly moved the focus away from the chopped breaks of jungle to the funky sound of two-step.
1998: Ram Trilogy - No Reality
The Ram Trilogy series of 12"s took tech-step by the horns and injected it with faster beats and bouncier, more twisted basslines.
1999: Bad Company - The Pulse
Bad Company utterly dominated the DnB scene at the turn of the century, and this classic release on Grooverider’s Prototype label sums up their sound to a tee.
2002: Adam F and J Majik - Metrosound
Metrosound combines Adam F’s Metropolis and J Majik’s Your Sound into a cacophony of tearing synth lines and rolling breaks.
2003: Pendulum - Spiral
Before they got their rock on, Pendulum were dab hands at the trance-tinged DnB sound. This euphoric vocal anthem was their first release and a real corker.
2005: Clipz - Slippery Slopes
This notorious chav-stepper from the Bristolian legend is dancefloor dynamite, and love it or hate it, you can’t help but admire its brazen basslines and rolling beats.
2007: Sub Focus - Druggy
Sub Focus is a true master of big beats and basslines, and here he combines them with a catchy percussive hook and electronica-esque breakdown to create a dancefloor monster.
2008: Icicle - Spartan
A moody, minimal roller, Spartan’s back to basics approach to DnB brings the beats and basslines to the fore, supplementing them with dubbed-out vocals and Amen edits.
2011: Krome & Time - The License (Break Remix)
The mighty and mysterious Break has been king of the DnB underground for some years now, and he proved his worth with this killer remix. Breakneck breakbeats, face-twisting bass, ragga vibes - say no more.
2012: DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora. - Hot Right Now
Ex-Bad Company member DJ Fresh scored drum ‘n’ bass’s first official UK Number 1 with this pop hit, erasing his underground credibility in the process… Not one for DnB purists, but a landmark release nonetheless.
