[Chaotic Electronic Music] A Collection of Classic Drill ’n’ Bass Tracks
If you’re familiar with the electronic music scene of the 1990s, you’ve probably heard of the genre known as “drill ’n’ bass.” In English it’s written as “Drill ’n’ bass.” While it’s hard to pin down musically, it’s characterized by rhythm patterns and programming even more complex than drum and bass, yet with a chaotic atmosphere rather than a heated groove.
Although it influenced genres like breakcore and glitch, there aren’t actually many works that are pure drill ’n’ bass.
In this article, we’ve selected and introduced essential drill ’n’ bass classics you should know first.
If you’re interested, please have a look!
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[Chaotic Electronic Music] A Collection of Classic Drill’n’Bass Tracks (11–20)
Ghetto Body BuddyVenetian Snares
Starting his musical activities in his teens in the early 1990s, Venetian Snares is renowned as a Canadian icon of breakcore to IDM.
The track introduced here, “Ghetto Body Buddy,” isn’t a pure drill ’n’ bass piece, but it’s interesting to hear it as a kind of postscript to what came after the drill ’n’ bass boom faded at the end of the ’90s—so definitely give it a listen.
The ferocious breakbeats—imbued with even a hint of black humor—are overwhelming, but the 2002 album that includes this track, The Chocolate Wheelchair Album, is itself a work assembled with a mashup-like approach, sampling from all kinds of music regardless of genre or era.
If you enjoy the album’s chaotic style, look up the sources it quotes and dive into the whole record!
FlutterAutechre
Autechre is a British techno unit consisting of Sean Booth and Rob Brown.
They are known for an experimental and cutting-edge style influenced by electro-funk, hip-hop, and acid house.
“Flutter,” included on their second studio album Amber, released in 1994 on the renowned electronica label Warp Records, is a track that offers a complex, almost philosophical sound.
Autechre has also had a significant influence on musicians from other genres, such as the rock band Radiohead.
Dreadlock KoolP.J.P.
It’s not purely drill ’n’ bass, but if you want to understand what kind of music evolved into drill ’n’ bass, you should check out “Dreadlock Kool.” It’s a track by P.J.P.
included on the compilation “Rough And Fast,” released in Germany in 1994.
In fact, P.J.P.
is an alias of Alec Empire, the frontman of Atari Teenage Riot.
It’s valuable in the sense that you can experience another side of Alec, who made his name with hardcore digital beats, but despite being a work conceived around jungle and drum ’n’ bass, when you actually listen, you can hear rhythmic patterns and stylistic elements that overlap with drill ’n’ bass.
If you approach it as a sort of prototype of drill ’n’ bass, you’re likely to make all kinds of discoveries!
Meinheldμ-Ziq
While it’s best to start with Music-san’s 1990s work to appreciate one of the quintessential artists of drill ’n’ bass, I would also love to highlight his output from the 2000s onward.
The 2003 album Bilious Paths unfolds a sound that resonates with the breakcore that blossomed in the ’00s, conveying Music-san’s determination—as an originator—to further evolve the very sound he created.
Among its tracks, Meinheld is a standout that I’d want you to hear as a definitive example of 2000s drill ’n’ bass.
Its onslaught of innovative, subtly deranged breakbeats should also appeal to those who love Music-san’s 1990s style.
Extreme Possibilities (Wagon Christ Mix)2 Player
From the intro through the first half, it unfolds with a calm atmosphere centered on a mid-tempo, simple drum pattern.
But midway through, it erupts into a flurry of freewheeling electronic tones, chopped vocal samples, and a barrage of electro beats—only to slip back into silence again—making the rapid transformations of the track genuinely fascinating.
Not much is known about the unit 2 Player, and many details remain unclear, but it appears to have been a project that Daniel Pemberton—now known as a film composer—was involved in during his younger days.
Their 12-inch single Extreme Possibilities, released in 1995 on the esteemed Ninja Tune label, is notable for having a remix by Luke Vibert under his Wagon Christ alias—something of particular interest from a drill ’n’ bass perspective.
As mentioned at the beginning, the sound is packed with elements of drill ’n’ bass, and it can be regarded as a work you should revisit as a kind of starting point for the genre.