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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1996: Ed Rush - Skylab
Ragga jungle’s dominance gave way to the bleak, gritty sounds of tech-step, focusing on fills and edits more than polyrhythmic madness, as this minimal masterpiece perfectly illustrates.
1997: E-Z Rollers - Retro (Guardians of Dalliance remix)
Retro’s catchy chords and brilliant vocal sample make it a timeless and accessible DnB classic, and one of the Moving Shadow label’s finest moments.
2000: John B - Up All Night
The iconoclastic John B brought the rave back to drum & bass with this tribute to the chipmunk vocal-fuelled sound of breakbeat hardcore’s early 90s heyday.
2001: J Majik vs Hatiras - Spaced Invader
Fusing house and DnB, J Majik’s filter-tastic take on Spaced Invader pumps up the energy levels to previously unimaginable levels.
2004: High Contrast - Twilight's Last Gleaming
In this old-school-R&B-influenced epic, the Welsh wonder cleverly fuses a soulful vocal and filtered David Shire samples. A classic Hospital release.
2006: Noisia & Mayhem - Moonway Renegade
The ultimate combination of kung-fu samples, slamming beats and gnarled bass, Moonway Renegade is glitchy DnB at its most intense.
2009: Spor - Aztec
Before spawning his electro-house pseudonym Feed Me, Jon Gooch churned out some expert 170bpm dancefloor weapons under his Spor alias. Here whirring leads, crunching beats and deep bass combine to form arguably his best work to date.
2010: S.P.Y. - By Your Side
Brazilian bass aficionado S.P.Y. sampled the title theme of the movie ‘Terminator Salvation’ to create this Amen-driven tearjerker of a DnB classic - a winning signing for BCee’s Spearhead Records.
2013: Rockwell - Detroit
Rockwell is one of a new breed of technical junglists that aren’t afraid to merge influences from other genres. This huge track cleverly tips its hat to a certain classic techno sound, but keeps up the frenetic pace and energy loved by DnB heads.
