Drum & Bass, Introspective
Are We Starting To See Commercial Drum and Bass?
Apr
I think for most drum and bass fans, commercial drum and bass is just not something that is part of their vocabulary. For all the variety and style that is out there it is difficult to see how this ever evolving genre of music could ever really be spoken in the same breath.
However, drum and bass is incredibly popular. It’s been going strong in the UK for over 25 years now, with some of the most influential record labels celebrating major milestones. Shogun recently completed 15 years’, Hospital records is the ripe old age of 24 and Ram has been around for longer than the newest generation of ravers in 28 years. Yes, you read that right, Ram was started in 1992.
For a music genre that has been going this long, it’s hard to not see how it could become commercialised. To some degree, there already is an element of commercial drum and bass. Most producers know that if they can get a hit on the radio, then it will be ingrained in the minds of the British public for years to come. There isn’t a person alive in the UK over 25 who hasn’t heard DJ Fresh’s, Golddust.
Love it or hate it, it was everywhere, making it possibly one of the first commercial drum and bass tracks of the era. It’s still a good tune, but would any dj really be brave enough to play it at a rave these days?
What’s The Definition Of Commercial Music?
Commercial music is clearly well defined. It covers music that you would hear on the radio, largely by artists or bands that have big backing by one of the major record labels. They have cheesy hooks, gushy choruses and often borrow elements of other genres that make them sound more edgy than they really are.
Now, we aren’t taking anything away from the producers who make this music. It’s clearly well liked as the artists, labels and producers make millions from record sales. However, it is usually very middle of the road and lowest common denominator music. Designed to be easy listening and quickly consumed. It doesn’t require a great deal of thought to listen to and would never be considered musical genius.
With that respect, I don’t think commercial drum and bass really falls into that sort of category. Drum and bass is a very complex genre and the artists are starting to push themselves further than ever before, with new sounds, remixes, VIP’s and new sound creation. In the context of drum and bass though, there certainly can be made the argument that there is commercial drum and bass.
What Can Be Considered Commercial Drum And Bass?
As ever, this is where things get tricky. I already used the example of Golddust as a commercial drum and bass track, but you have to look at it context.
This is the legendary DJ Fresh, one quarter of the even more legendary Bad Company that tore the scene up for years since 1998. Yes, the same dj/producer that created, “The Nine”/”The Bridge.” That is one of the holy grail, thou-shalt-not-remix tracks. The drum and bass scene were devastated when the news broke that Bad Company would be parting ways.
Drum and bass heads revere these old school acts like ancient pagans worshiping their gods. Just to make sure you get the symbolism here, The Nine/The Bridge revolutionised the way people thought about, played and produced drum and bass. In fact, it paved the way for the modern drum and bass sound out of jungle.
Now go back and listen to Golddust.
Now, again, I’m not here to hate on DJ Fresh, or that track. Like I say, it’s a pretty good track, but in comparison to what is out there I think it can fully be classed as commercial drum and bass.
Now, Fresh isn’t the only one who can be highlighted as having produced commercial drum and bass. Sigma has been at it for years, as well as Chase & Status. We;ve highlighted how happy the dnb world was to see their return to form with RETURN II JUNGLE. Hell, even Netsky tried his best to produce commercial drum and bass! (We’re super glad that he’s back on Hospital though!
Is There A Commercial Drum And Bass Sound?
Honestly, trying to nail down a commercial drum and bass sound is tough. What makes a track commercial? The fact it was played on the radio? How about on an advert, a film or even in a game?
Could it be that they have partnered up with someone not usually seen in the genre or coming from a completely different style of music, like country for example? In that case, you could argue that a lot of what comes out on Hospital is commercial drum and bass, as they literally produced an album for the latest Need For Speed series.
DJ Zinc recently found success with his remix of Lil Nas X Billy Ray Cyrus, but you wouldn’t consider that commercial drum and bass. It’s a good track, very well executed by a dnb legend, doing exactly what drum and bass does; reinventing itself through other music.
You have to be really careful, even looking at things in context. As slightly older ravers, we have a tendency to view the past with rose tinted glasses. The raves, tracks and pills were better back then…
We are also a pretty tough crowd to please. Which is ironic, because the music we love is based around the fact that it is so inclusive, yet there is an enormous amount of snobbery from the fans. What might be seen as a huge success for one artist may be seen as selling out for another.
How Popular Is Drum And Bass?
Drum and bass is, frankly, massive. Never before has there been so many people who are into the scene, and not just from the UK.
Europe is becoming its own source of high quality drum and bass, with the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria powerhouses in their own right. They could easily have huge raves, parties and festivals without inviting any UK artists, and they’d all sell out.
There are entire festivals dedicated to solely drum and bass. Massive events all across Europe where people travel from all over the world to attend. Drum and bass is popular. Its never been so popular.
So, does this mean that it’s commercial? There’s some pretty big money being spent by the labels and artists are enjoying unheard of fame. So much so, that the old skool dj’s who have supposedly hung up their decks are now back with a vengeance to try and cash in on past fame and status with new mixes and tours.
In fact, even if you don’t listen to it, you’ll have heard about it. It’s very likely that you’ll know one or two acts. Certainly from the past. It’s sort of like country music. You know of it, you know the legends and you know a couple of songs.
So, how does this affect the commercialisation of drum and bass?
Commercial Production But Not Commercialism
The short answer, really is that, yes, there most certainly is commercial drum and bass. Whilst the genre isn’t what we would define as commercial; i.e. regularly heard on the radio.
As stated in previous articles, drum and bass has famously high production value. The people who make it are crippling perfectionists (S.P.Y. is famously judgmental of his own music). There is a lot of respect for and from peers within drum and bass, but they only get this because they are constantly trying to produce a 4 minute masterpiece and not make it sound like it was done by a 6 year old and bunch of build it yourself sample packs.
The production that goes into making drum and bass is certainly commercial. Artists are constantly trying to refine their sound and make it sound as professional and slick as possible. Which in turn makes it quite difficult to produce something that seems like a lot of effort hasn’t gone into it.
So, going full circle into the context of a track like Sigma’s remix of Somebody To Love, or Fresh’s Golddust, the fact that they are quite simple tracks, makes them sound like they haven’t had much effort put into them, resulting in a commercial drum and bass sound.
Do not get me wrong. Making drum and bass is incredibly difficult. Making a track like one of those, getting it on the radio and having the populace love it, is no mean feat. Especially when you consider that drum and bass, despite its popularity, is still very much an underground genre.
Drum and bass is also not particularly formulaic. You could argue the exact opposite, and that is what’s beautiful about it. It doesn’t conform to a standard stereotype of sound. Take dubstep for example. Once Skrillex got his hands on it, that was the sound that everyone wanted to make, and with it came a formula for production.
A few knobs were twiddled here and there and it was pretty much all the same after that. That’s when dubstep became commercial, and hence, really why no one really listens to it bar Americans (Yes, I know that there is a big dubstep scene for Rampage, but it’s nowhere near the size of the dnb section).
Hopefully, we will never see the dnb scene infiltrated by corporations that want to rinse it for all it’s worth and make a quick buck. I think because it is owned, run and enjoyed by people who enjoy drum and bass we are safe for the foreseeable future.
Peace, love and drum & bass,
Aaron.
