Drum ‘n’ bass as a musical form is one of the most confusing genres to the untrained ear. Delve a little deeper, however, and it becomes one of the most diverse and powerful aspects of dance music culture. The drum ‘n’ bass scene in Thailand is slowly catching on with happenings in the rest of the world, but a lot of people are still unsure about the origins of this music. Fear not, for here is a definitive history of this musical oddity.

The most striking aspect of drum ‘n’ bass is that it isn’t made with a typical, straightened four beats in four bars. Welcome to the era of the ‘break beat.’ The break beat originates from the ‘breaks’ of older disco, soul and funk records. These breaks are the parts of a record, often after the chorus, that act as the interlude in which the DJ can mix two records together with just the instrumental or percussive parts of the track. The break beat was originally created when breaks were looped to form the basis of hip hop tracks. In 1973, DJ Kool Herc was accredited as the first person to use two copies of the same record to loop the breaks of a track, creating one continuous break beat.

Towards the end of the disco era in the late 1970s, drum machines and synthesizers became the newest musical instruments, and from these new tools came a new sound that would emerge to be house music, with its spiritual home in Chicago. In the UK, towards the end of the 1980s, one of the most important musical movements took place: the acid house revolution, so named after the interesting sounds which could be made with a Roland 303 synthesiser. As the scene began to grow, so did its influences and its sub-genres. From the traditional 4/4 beat came newer sounds, influenced by the aforementioned break beat.

When producers began using reggae bass lines underneath sped up break beats, a new sound emerged that was known as ‘jungle.’ Jungle has its roots in the emergence of a new style of music which was the result of the backlash against ‘happy hardcore,’ which saw producers using samples from children’s TV shows such as Sesame Street. This backlash created ‘darkcore,’ which was a newer, darker sound. There came a point in hardcore’s lifespan when the beats-per-minute became so fast that it was almost impossible to actually dance to the music. Darkcore progressed through a brief phase of ‘jungle techno,’ and the term jungle came to be the most apt description of the genre as it reflected the low frequency level bass lines and sounds. UK pioneers Fabio and Grooverider were there from the beginning.

The most important break from the jungle movement was the break taken from The Winstons’ classic ‘Amen Brother.’ This break, which came to be known as ‘the amen,’ has formed an integral part of countless records by the likes of everyone from Atari Teenage Riot to Goldie. Be it in its original form or chopped up and rearranged by the producer, it is the most recognizable sound in drum ‘n’ bass today.

Ragga and dancehall MCs played an integral part in many jungle tracks and the break beats began to become more and more complex. With this came new bass lines, and so the genre was essentially based solely on the ‘drum’ and the ‘bass.’

Intelligent drum ‘n’ bass was born in 1995 as a result of producers seeking influences beyond ragga and dancehall. At its conception was one LTJ Bukem, who would go on to champion a sound which has made him one of the most respected DJs and producers in the world. The intelligent sound was altogether more inviting, with less connotations with the emerging gangster scenes. The sounds were crisper and more atmospheric, an almost ‘liquid’ sound, as the genre came to be monikered.

As drum ‘n’ bass began to separate itself from jungle, the godfathers of the scene began to step into the limelight, with the likes of Goldie, Micky Finn and Aphrodite leading the way. Hip hop, jazz and soul were increasingly used as influences behind drum ‘n’ bass tracks. Hype, Zinc and Pascal (Ganja Kru) were putting out soon-to-be classic tunes on their own label. Early drum ‘n’ bass anthems came in the form of ‘Valley Of The Shadows’ by Origin Unknown, ‘Pulp F(r)iction’ by Alex Reece and ‘Inner City Life’ by Goldie. Goldie is widely recognized as the first superstar of drum ‘n’ bass. His career has led to roles in a British soap opera, Hollywood blockbusters and a fiery relationship with Bjork. Goldie turned a fad into a phenomenon and made himself a star in the process.

As the nineties drew on, the likes of Andy C, Zinc and DJ Hype were making the anthems that can still be heard in clubs today. Hype’s fusion of hip hop and drum ‘n’ bass has kept him a household name. Meanwhile, Shy FX collaborator T-Power was pioneering the more ambient sounds of drum ‘n’ bass throughout the mid-nineties, whilst heavyweight producers such as DJ SS and DJ Rap were hitting the heavier notes of the genre.

In 1997 Adam F released the monumental album ‘Colours,’ whilst Roni Size and Reprazent, hailing from drum ‘n’ bass hotspot Bristol in the South-West of England, came out with an album that would forever change the face of drum ‘n’ bass. ‘New Forms’ was hailed by the musical press as the great work of dance music innovators. The smooth sounds were appealing enough to get media exposure and win the coveted Mercury Music Award in 1997.

From thereon in, drum ‘n’ bass gained popularity. Drum ‘n’ Bass Arena established itself as one of the busiest dance music websites in the world today, and Dogs on Acid followed in its footsteps. As the new millennium emerged, so Shy FX and T-Power came out with ‘Shake Your Body.’ It was an instant top 40 hit that got long term airplay on the radio and in clubs. The backlash against this was the criticism directed towards Shy FX, who people began calling a sell out. Shy delivered a big ‘f*ck you’ to his critics by releasing subsequent tracks such as Ra and Murderation.

One of the most important contributors of the emerging scene was DJ Fresh, who recently played a gig at Astra, courtesy of Vertigo. Fresh, along with his now defunct Bad Company stable, has been responsible for important tracks such as ‘The Nine,’ ‘Snowcats’ and ‘Signal.’ Along with the likes of Friction, Subfocus and Pendulum, Fresh is the new skool sound of drum ‘b’ bass. Pendulum recently received major UK radio airplay with tracks like Tarantula and the much criticized (in a similar vein to Shake Your Body) Slam.

Along with other dance music genres, drum ‘n’ bass has made its way to Thailand. Although the scene is still comparatively new here, it is growing in support. The recent influx of top, international house and trance DJs has been matched by the drum ‘n’ bass community with regular events with DJs such as Ray Keith, Marky and Makoto.

There are two prominent sets of promoters working hard to establish drum ‘n’ bass in Bangkok. The oldest, and most respected collective, is Homebass, led by DJ Dragon and DJ Wen. They are responsible for the ‘Azia Bass’ series of events which has seen many of Asia’s finest DJs playing out in Bangkok. They host regular events at Astra, as well as the most happening parties in town at Café Democ, near Democracy Monument.

Man about town Dave Milligan, also known as The Specialist, is the promoter of Bangkok’s biggest drum ‘n’ bass event, Vertigo. “When I first arrived in Bangkok, there was not really anything going on. I would DJ at clubs occasionally, but people didn’t get it and asked me to play ‘something with a beat’ or some Ricky Martin whilst I was DJing.” Having established himself in the UK playing sets at the likes of NY Sushi, Fabric Live and Trouble On Vinyl, Dave went about bringing his passion to his newfound home in Bangkok.

The drum ‘n’ bass scene in Bangkok is healthy at the moment and the people involved are working together for the good of the cause. Drum ‘n’ bass parties in Bangkok could not be more different to the UK. There is none of the moodiness that the scene brings out in the UK, and competing promoters are working to help each other out, rather than working to help themselves. “The vibe at the parties here is great,” mentions The Specialist. “The crowd knows how to party, and there is always a nice mix of guys and girls, which is essential.”

With promoters like The Specialist in Bangkok, the scene cannot help to grow. “I want the scene to keep growing steadily like it has been. Keep the vibes how they are. My parties are for people who want to hear good dance-floor music, not just for the diehard drum ‘n’ bass fans. This is the way I’m trying to keep things, and this is why I book the DJ’s that I do – because they understand this.”