Jungle/drum and bass difference?

Squarepusher

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2014
So uh newb here, not sure if this goes in the right section so excuse me if I did something wrong or posted in the wrong forum, just thought I'd post my first topic.

Anyway, I've been wondering what the difference between jungle and drum and bass are? I've been a listener of both genres for a while and have never understood if they are the same genre or two different genres so I'm hoping someone can clear this up for me.

From what I've noticed though, jungle seems more reggae/R&B influenced, since its where it originated from. And drum and bass seems more electronically influenced. Beat wise I'd say they differ in the sense that jungle is slower. Again sorry if I'm being a newb but I was just wondering if there was a difference.

Goldie: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=72YaaQnj9MI

Sounds like jungle to me but I'm not sure since Goldie is labeled both jungle drum and bass

Netsky: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BCC_AvmHpR4

Liquid drum and bass, an example of the more electronic example I stated. Both of which I listen to and was wondering if anyone else could tell me if there are other differences between jungle and drum and bass?

All is fair in love and Brostep
 
Well apart from the ragga influence which you already mentioned, Jungle is generally slower, usually around 160 bpm. Dnb is generally 170-180 bpm.

And jungle tends to focus on working with sub bass and old school breakbeats, dnb generally focuses on midrange bass with more cleaner modern sounding breaks.
 
Thanks, now the big question, are they different genres? Or the same genre under a different name?

I've always wondered this and couldn't tell but I do see the slight differences

All is fair in love and Brostep
 
people have been debating this for years and never come up with a definitive answer, except that jungle came first. There's dnb, there's jungle, but there's also jungly dnb and vice versa. Who knows

I wouldn't even class that netsky stuff as liquid tbh, to me liquid was always more about the old good looking style sound, not the electro poppy stuff

For eg

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Genres in electronic music make no sense.

Just go with the flow, never mention any tiny shit genres no-one's ever heard of, and if people argue with you, say something along the lines of 'Genres in electronic music make no sense'.
 
For me it was always and always will be Jungle but they say the term D&B came around the mid 90's when artists were trying to distance themselves from the whole ragga jungle scene. Artists like LTJ Bukem & Fabio where the guys pushing the D&B term we now use.
 
Genres in electronic music make no sense.

Just go with the flow, never mention any tiny shit genres no-one's ever heard of, and if people argue with you, say something along the lines of 'Genres in electronic music make no sense'.
I think every genre needs a concrete definition and whatnot like the whole dubstep, brostep thing so I can see why there are the terms jungle and drum and bass. I'd just like to know if they are the same or different.

All is fair in love and Brostep
 
Genres in electronic music make no sense.

Just go with the flow, never mention any tiny shit genres no-one's ever heard of, and if people argue with you, say something along the lines of 'Genres in electronic music make no sense'.

Nah that wouldn't work. You'd go to an electronic musi. Night and it would be trance for 17 hours straight.
 
I think every genre needs a concrete definition and whatnot like the whole dubstep, brostep thing so I can see why there are the terms jungle and drum and bass. I'd just like to know if they are the same or different.

All is fair in love and Brostep

You'll spend your entire life creating pigeon holes my friend! For me I listen to D&B. You interpret what you want from that. I know based on line up's what type of D&B I'd expect to hear if I went out (ie. I wouldn't go to a line up of taxman, sub focus & dj fresh. I would however be all over Marcus Intalex, dBridge & Alix Perez).

Spending too much time defining means you spending less time listening & enjoying!
 
You'll spend your entire life creating pigeon holes my friend! For me I listen to D&B. You interpret what you want from that. I know based on line up's what type of D&B I'd expect to hear if I went out (ie. I wouldn't go to a line up of taxman, sub focus & dj fresh. I would however be all over Marcus Intalex, dBridge & Alix Perez).

Spending too much time defining means you spending less time listening & enjoying!

This
 
I don't understand why people can't understand it's as basic as it is. Another thread here won't accept it ( http://dnbforum.com/showthread.php/113150-Drum-amp-Bass-Jungle-difference ).

In 92 although I was only 12 I was properly into tape packs and flyers and all that. I had a Fantazia 'One Step Beyond' tape with Ratty & Lenni and on that tape (July 92) Lenni is telling people Ratty is playing this new sound called Jungle. It's not ragga based or primarily 'all about amens'. He's playing Basement Records tracks. Here's your tracklist (DJ Mayhem 'Damage' is playing at the time from memory).

DJ Seduction - Cukoo In The Jungle [Impact]
Rhythm For Reasons - Grand National (Tango Remix) [Formation Records]
Nick-O-D - Jazzy Hardcore (Festa Remix) [Reinforced Records]
Hedgehog Affair - Don't Just Stand There [Basement Records]
DJ Mayhem - Damage [Basement Records]
Kev Bird & The Wax Doctor - Dark Matter [Basement Records]
Jungle House Crew - King Of The Jungle [Formation Records]
J. Higgs / J. Emery / I. Clifton - Sellout [Critical Rhythm Records]
DJ's Unite - In Effect (Dancin' The Whole Night) [Impact]
DJ's Unite - DJ's Unite (Remix) [Impact]
Structural Damage - Really Livin' [Symphony Sound Records]
DJ Edge - Compnded [Edge Records]
Liquid - Sweet Harmony [XL Recordings]

Over the following 12 months the sounds got darker and that's what progressed the sound known as jungle. 93 had a whole sub genre thing going on with darkcore and jungle tekno (a la Top Buzz) but it was all still very much known as jungle.

Again over the next 12 months there became a massive ragga influence and the darker more techno based sounds (mentasm stabs etc) became less and less apparent. The birth of things like original nuttah and incredible were the front lines for the term jungle. EVERYTHING over that period had a ragga influence. Apparently the scene took quite a hit though in that the crowds at jungle raves became very shady.

It was only in 94 when the likes of Fabio, Bukem, Doc Scott etc started to play these nicer more intelligent sounds that the rough crowds wouldn't be feeling that the term Drum & Bass was formed. Who formed it and specifically why I couldn't guarantee an answer to but this is the nearest you can get.

If you haven't read it I fully recommend reading all crews ( http://www.allcrew.co.uk/ ).

Sorry if this sounded like a rant but although I wasn't there in the raves, I had the tape packs, I read eternity etc. This is how it was.

You go back to the originators and Fabio & Rider will tell you a friend of theirs was at a club they we're playing at and he was in the crowd shouting jungle. This unknown guy is apparently the one who coined the phrase!

Anyway hopefully I've given you some good insight into my understanding of how things went.
 
Also if you have some time to burn you may want to read through this: http://subvertcentral.com/forum/showthread.php?57990-Jungle-vs-Drum-amp-Bass

Some great points including this one I like: My recollection is that 1992 heralded the sounds of Hardcore Jungle, 1993 evolved into Jungle Techno (which if I remember correctly also incorporated the darkcore Basement Records sound) and by 1994 it was Jungle/Drum and bass with both titles being used simultaneously, but the distinction then as I remember it was that Jungle was used more to label the ragga-based stuff
 
What's the difference between jungle and drum and bass?

If you have to ask, you will never know.

/

Haha. Part of me understands that the younger generations are new to the scene and want to understand the history of it all.The part I don't understand is how so many people just don't get it.

The wikipedia page from Drum & Bass explains quite well from memory.
 
Haha. Part of me understands that the younger generations are new to the scene and want to understand the history of it all.The part I don't understand is how so many people just don't get it.

The wikipedia page from Drum & Bass explains quite well from memory.

This.

If you just do a bit of tiny research on the internet you will surely not find out that Jungle originated from Reggae/RnB :teeth:

Also, I hate that people constantly neglect the influence of Techno.
 
This.

If you just do a bit of tiny research on the internet you will surely not find out that Jungle originated from Reggae/RnB :teeth:

Also, I hate that people constantly neglect the influence of Techno.

That's it. If you want to really strip it back it all started as house music! The techno influence in the early days was huge. It still is with artists like Intalex and his love of detroit.
 
Don't think there is a difference. Theres a lot of 'Jungle' tracks which if created today would be classed as 'Drum & Bass' and vice versa.

I would therefore, say 'Jungle' was more like a time period, now it's Drum & Bass.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom