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[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!

[Chaotic Electronic Music] A Collection of Classic Drill’n’Bass Tracks (11–20)

Black Lawn FinaleThe Flashbulb

Ben Lukas Boysen? Wait—The user is referring to American artist Benn Lee Jordan, best known as the electronic musician The Flashbulb.

A multi-instrumentalist and also a filmmaker, Jordan’s work as The Flashbulb centers on sounds rooted in drill ’n’ bass and its evolved form, breakcore.

“Black Lawn Finale,” included on his 2004 album Red Extensions of Me as The Flashbulb, gives the impression of updating an Aphex Twin–lineage sonic world for the 2000s.

Amid the flurries of intricately chopped electro beats, a simple melody rings out with a nostalgic, wistful tone, showcasing Jordan’s assured songwriting sensibility as a skilled trackmaker.

Even listeners who feel wary of genres like drill ’n’ bass or breakcore may find this track quite accessible.

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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.

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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!

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Viper FlatsWitchman

Witchman is the stage name of musician John Roome from Birmingham, UK.

His track Viper Flats is included on the 1998 studio album Explorimenting Beats, and its appeal lies in its multilayered drum sound that’s more than just fast.

Witchman is also known for contributing music to various TV dramas and films; you can hear his tracks in popular series in Japan such as Cold Case, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY.

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Extreme Possibilities (Wagon Christ Mix)2 Player

2 Player – Extreme Possibilities (Wagon Christ Mix)
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.

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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!

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In conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning, drill ’n’ bass itself was a localized movement, and the people involved didn’t cling to that style but broadened their musical range, so there are only a limited number of definitive albums or tracks in drill ’n’ bass as a pure genre. I recommend first checking the titles by genre originators like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher that fall under drill ’n’ bass, and then digging deeper afterward.