What it sounds like
Drum and bass — DnB — emerged from early-90s UK jungle as the genre evolved from raw breakbeat-and-reggae-bass into more polished, faster, structurally complex territory. By 1995, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, and Photek had established the template: 174 BPM rolling drums, a deep sub bassline, and tight engineering. The genre splintered into many subgenres (liquid, neurofunk, jump-up, minimal, drumstep, halftime), but the chassis stays the same.
A bar in and you’ve got it: a 174 BPM rolling drum pattern (usually based on the Amen or Think break, chopped to ribbons), a deep sub bassline and/or a Reese-style mid bass, and chord pads or vocal samples in the higher register. The drums feel fast and slow at the same time — the cut-time backbeat means it perceptually grooves at 87 BPM while the hats run at 174.
The chord moves
DnB’s harmonic palette varies wildly by subgenre. Liquid DnB uses lush minor 9ths and major 9ths; neurofunk uses dissonant intervals or no chords at all; minimal DnB uses sparse single notes. The classic move across most DnB is i–v–VI–III in natural minor with slow chord changes (every 2 bars at 174 BPM = ~2.7 seconds per chord).
--chord minor9 --pattern pad for a liquid feel; switch to --pattern stab and --chord minor7 for a harder neurofunk feel.
The groove
174 BPM rolling drums. The kick lands on 1, the snare on 3 (in cut-time feel — perceived backbeat at 87 BPM). Hi-hat 16ths run continuously, often with sampled live drum textures (room ambience, dust). The drum pattern is rolling — you should be able to mix two DnB tracks together for 8 bars and they sound like one continuous groove.
The bass carries the low-end. Either a deep sub (sine wave following root motion) or a Reese bass (two detuned saws with filter movement and modulation). Sidechained to the kick.
The sounds
- Drums: chopped Amen/Think break or layered modern DnB sample. Compressed for punch. Light tape saturation.
- Sub bass: deep sine wave following chord roots. Mono. Filter slightly closed.
- Reese bass: two detuned saws with LFO modulation. Stereo. Used in heavier subgenres.
- Pad: rich poly synth playing slow chord changes. Long reverb tail.
- Vocal: chopped vocal sample (jazz, soul, spoken word) for color. Often pitched.
- Atmospheres: vinyl crackle, room ambience, jazz piano stabs. Color, not foreground.
Production tells
Want it modern (neurofunk / minimal)? Tight engineering, loud master, clean low end, modern Reese bass design. Producers like Noisia, Mefjus, and Phace are the references.
Want it 1995-Bukem-vintage (liquid)? Lush jazzy chords, sampled live drums, warmer mix. Master quietly at -12 LUFS so the dynamics breathe. Run the bus through tape saturation.
Am9 → Em9 → Fmaj9 → Cmaj9
Click to hear it.
Listen to
Three records that show the style at full strength. Read them as listening pointers, not templates to copy.
Horizons
LTJ Bukem
listen ↗
Inner City Life
Goldie
listen ↗
Machine Gun
Noisia
listen ↗
Six recipes
Six ways to cook Drum and bass.
One starter recipe, three variations that each take the style in a different direction, one sectioned recipe, and one curated Live handoff recipe. Each one cooks from a Markdown recipe — edit it before the MIDI lands in your DAW.
Starter
Rolling Arp Pressure
A drum-and-bass first cook with fast arps, Reese bass, high shimmer, and atmospheric lead detail.
Study: Goldie, “Inner City Life” (1994). Use the reference for rolling energy, bass motion, and arrangement around breakbeat momentum, not for melody, hook, groove, or sound design copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/drum_and_bass/drum_and_bass_rolling_arp_pressure.mdVariation
Break Edit Chops
A chopped break lane with garage-chop chords, Reese bass, fifth drones, and call-response fragments.
Study: Andy C, “Body Rock” (2001). Use the reference for rolling energy, bass motion, and arrangement around breakbeat momentum, not for melody, hook, groove, or sound design copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/drum_and_bass/drum_and_bass_break_edit_chops.mdVariation
Cinematic Break Rise
A cinematic DnB rise with pulsed eighth chords, root-fifth bass, slow-wide pads, and chord-tone lead.
Study: LTJ Bukem, “Horizons” (1995). Use the reference for rolling energy, bass motion, and arrangement around breakbeat momentum, not for melody, hook, groove, or sound design copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/drum_and_bass/drum_and_bass_cinematic_break_rise.mdVariation
Reese Dark Roll
A darker DnB lane with sidechain gaps, Reese pressure, root drones, and sparse motif hits.
Study: Roni Size, “Brown Paper Bag” (1997). Use the reference for rolling energy, bass motion, and arrangement around breakbeat momentum, not for melody, hook, groove, or sound design copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/drum_and_bass/drum_and_bass_reese_dark_roll.mdSectioned
Roller Section Sketch
A section-aware DnB sketch that stages intro atmosphere, rolling bass, and full break return.
Study: Noisia, “Stigma” (2008). Use the reference for rolling energy, bass motion, and arrangement around breakbeat momentum, not for melody, hook, groove, or sound design copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/drum_and_bass/drum_and_bass_roller_section_sketch.mdLive handoff
Live DnB Roller
A Live DnB session with section clips, sound cards, and licensed break/texture prompts.
Study: Pendulum, “Tarantula” (2005). Use the reference for rolling energy, bass motion, and arrangement around breakbeat momentum, not for melody, hook, groove, or sound design copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/drum_and_bass/drum_and_bass_bridge_ready_dnb_roller.mdOpen in Live or Download uses the local bridge on this Mac. Download MIDI works in any DAW.
Ready when you are
Cook a Drum and bass pack.
Drop this in your terminal and you'll have a Standard MIDI pack in a folder, ready to drag into Live. Edit anything, swap any sound, throw out what doesn't work.
python jamburgr.py --key "A minor" --style drum_and_bass --progression i,v,VI,III --pattern pad --output-mode pack --out ./jams/drum-and-bass