Drum 'n' Bass: Ann Arbor, Along with the Rest of the Nation, Should Take This Emerging Genre Seriously

Hey guys. Have you checked out the Ann Arbor drum & bass scene lately? Oh whoops, it doesn't exist. I meant, hey guys, have you checked out the American drum & bass scene lately? Oh whoops, that doesn't exist either. Geez. Whew. Guess I can't write this article, then.

Wait a moment, I just had an idea. How about I tell you why the US drum & bass scene should extend to more than just some random drug addict in his garage with a turntable and a flickering light bulb that sort of looks like a strobe light, maybe. First off, what is drum & bass?

Arguably it's based off the Jamaican sound-system culture, which the UK club scene eventually popularized by integrating breakbeats, but I'm not here to talk about the roots. My point is this: drum & bass is badass. The "d" from "drum" is the "d" from "badass", and the word "bass" is in "badass", so right there, there's your proof, Schmendrick.

You, those wannabe thugs who drive your cars with the windows down, blasting rap music. Modern psychology will tell you that people do this for the male testosterone-induced feeling of empowerment. "Look at me, I'm dominating the general vicinity with my loud-ass sound waves." Okay, whatever. Your car is shaking.

Look, if you want to do that, you might as well blast the most adrenaline-charged, self-indulgently intricate beats possible, at 170 BPM to boot. Premium beats. Your distorted kick drum (read: mainstream rap bass) doesn't impress anyone with the most remote musical aesthetic sense. Granted, blasting drum & bass won't impress anyone either (you're playing music in your car for god's sake), but at least you won't look like a complete troglodyte.

Alas, drum & bass remains a niche genre in the US, as the pop music industry only tightens its stranglehold on the controlled musical tastes of its American puppets. Here's all the rope you need to hang yourself. Wait, instead, check out Chris Su & Rawfull's "Panorama". Mav vs. Spinor's "Me Against the Machine."

Fallout's "Hesitate". Ben Sage's "Sleepless". Granted, these songs probably won't be super-easy to find, but they're out there - and we need more of this kind of music in our industry. And those of you who still think you're so damn cool because your car goes "boom boom boom", I'm sure the aquatic life would love to hear your music. Go drive your car into the ocean.