Turn It Up: A Short History of Drum & Bass

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1. The Birth

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Music Uncovered: Turn It Up: A Short History of Drum & Bass: 1. The Birth

BBC - Music Uncovered, Turn It Up: A Short History of Drum & Bass, 1. The Birth

Where did D&B come from? Flight traces the music to its roots: the halcyon days of rave.

Where did D&B come from? Flight traces the music to its roots, when techno and house was blended with hip-hop, soul, and reggae. The result was jungle: a vivid, homegrown force.

D&B is the fast-beating pulse of everything from workouts to nights out, but where did it come from? DJ Flight steps back into the halcyon days of rave, when techno and house music washed up on the shores of the UK, stirring up a cultural revolution. Soon, that music was dropped into a blender with hip-hop, soul, and reggae. The result was jungle: a vivid, homegrown force in the middle of the country’s party scene. Flight introduces you to some of its first innovators, disciples, and champions.

Music Uncovered: Turn It Up: A Short History of Drum & Bass

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Music: Dance & Electronica: Drum & Bass

DJ Flight, Storm and other genre-defining contributors tell the story of D&B.

In the mid-1990s, beyond the antics of the Spice Girls and Britpop, an exciting subculture was blowing up. A futuristic kind of music that melded hip hop, rave and dub seemed to appear from nowhere and was suddenly everywhere: drum & bass. Multicultural crowds flocked, often from small towns and sleepy suburbs, to basements in Bristol, London and Coventry to dance to this thrilling new sound. DJ Storm and her partner Kemistry emerged from the Midlands to set up, with Goldie, Metalheadz, a club and record label that stood for D&B's after-hours vibe and the huge cultural influence it went on to have. With the help of fans who were there, she tells the story of a scene that represented the UK more than any 'Cool Britannia' magazine cover, that showed the way for many female DJs, that brought her unbearable tragedy as well as incredible success, and that keeps blowing up, again and again.

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