In musical terms, drum & bass has been at the forefront of technical innovation for the best part of a quarter of a century. While the early breakbeat hardcore releases that laid the foundations were often less than polished, today's DnB represents some of the most complex and intricately-produced music around.
Some dance styles - most obviously big room house - have become simpler in terms of musicality and drum programming in order to sound as loud and clear as possible on the radio and over club systems. DnB has not only become faster but, if anything, also more complex, while producers continue to strive for yet louder mixdowns. As such, it's one of the hardest styles to get right.
But have no fear, for this weekend, MusicRadar and Computer Music magazine have joined forces to bring you three days' worth of drum 'n' bass content. To help you make DnB that's up to scratch, we've enlisted some of the scene's top names to create exclusive video tutorials that demonstrate exactly how they get their cutting-edge sounds, and we've also got some classic clips from the archives. There'll be pro-quality samples for you to download for free, and we'll be looking back at 25 years of great drum 'n' bass tracks, too.
So, make this the weekend that you take your DnB production skills to the next level, and keep checking this page for all the latest content.
- 25 years of drum & bass classics
- Alex Banks's favourite classic breakbeats
- State Of Mind on crafting the beats for Response Signal
- FREE sample pack download: DnB All-Stars feat. SIX top producers
- Chase & Status on DnB beat-building - Classic Producer Masterclass video 2007
- Sabre on collecting vinyl, crate-digging and sampling
- Chromatic build the track 'Buzzsaw' using only free Computer Music plugins/samples
- Cyantific on creating disco-inspired DnB - Classic Producer Masterclass video 2011
- Mixing live drums to make vintage-sounding breakbeats with Alex Banks
- Build a tearing DnB reese using filtering/distortion techniques
- Alix Perez in the studio creating a moody DnB track - Classic Producer Masterclass video 2009
- Tyke deconstructs a DnB bassline
- Building a DnB beat using audio slices
- Matrix & Futurebound - crafting a dancefloor DnB remix
- InsideInfo shows you how to create an atmospheric DnB pad
For more drum & bass tutorials, samples and pro producer videos, check out Drum & Bass Focus 2014 from Computer Music, with almost three hours of full exclusive video masterclasses from E-Z Rollers, State Of Mind, InsideInfo, Tyke and more. Plus, there's a free exclusive sample pack from E-Z Rollers, and a free Rob Papen distortion plugin!
