Drum & Bass: The Movement - The D&B Documentary

[Statto]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8fu_TOKlg4

I found this very interesting – especially because I couldn't give a shit about most of the music in it. Before, I'd have said drum 'n' bass was very important to me. But here's 20 years worth which just seems like a whole load of interchangeable filler tracks. Fascinating.

[Statto]

I did like that it started with Up All Night and ended with Messiah

I didn't mind the doc. Thanks for posting. I started my day watching it just now. It is like a travel companion handbook you buy before you check out a different city or country. That's what I got out of the presentation. Which is fine.

I agree, Loxy & Spirit (r.i.p) are phenomenal dj's, Zinc all day. I respect Dj Hype's perspective as a dj, he's been doing it forever, I reckon it would be quite the conversation to ask him about specifics, as a dj, he's basically seen & heard it all . No mention of Tech Itch, but its all good.

I knew nothing of the Sigma, Take That thing. I'm going to listen now. lol

I've mentioned over the years of listening in on conversations and interacting with younger edm fans at work, or younger cousins I have who are active dj's into edm, attending the corporate rave pilgrimages like going to EDC in Las Vegas, Miami, Coachella festivals and such - it is an entirely different world and seemingly disposable bank accounts to attend such events (hotels, airfare, expensive festival passes, drinks, food, drugs? let alone outfits to wear.. ). None of them talk about dnb. Outside of dubstep, they may have heard of dnb.. maybe,  *BIG maybe here*..  but it isn't at all on their radar. A globe trotting younger cousin of mine has discovered grime within the past year, as he posts about Stormzy on his instagram now. But yeah, they don't know who Shy Fx is.

Crazy huh?

[Statto]

As I just posted on DOA:

It's not really a history of dnb. It's a documentary on the rise and continuance of a particular strain of it, what might be called "stadium" dnb. There were the usual lines about "the underground" and "moving the scene forwards", but that's pretty much bollocks. The music featured was hardly much different from the start to the finish: the same banging drums, the same whomping basslines.

But I guess that's what most people regard as dnb nowadays, so it made sense for the filmmakers to start where they did and include what they did. All the rest – what everyone is complaining was missing – has nothing much to do with that stuff, except that some of the same people are still involved.

Anyway, I found it very interesting as a documentary of a scene I've never taken much notice of. And it was nice to see the old guys talking, still showing genuine enthusiasm for it all, and seemingly doing well out of it. Props to them

My interpretation is that the history timeline in the documentary is excluding a lot of producers, labels, mcs, and material. After 1999-2000, I stopped recognizing some of the noted names and releases in the list, however, I understand that they cannot cover every milestone in all the various genres and styles in one documentary. At the same time, I can pinpoint the time and year when I became exhausted when following the scene and its music. Even though I can appreciate production techniques and how music has evolved in the studio, the mainstream tunes are, in general, not appealing to me.

For me, UK Rave and dance music culture had its best years between 90'-99', but it's probably subjective compared to someone that has lived through the era between 2000-2020.

on my to watch list.....