Why is DnB so unpopular when compared to other genres?

vElectrixx

vElectrixx

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Location
New York, USA
Where I live, Drum and Bass is nearly nonexistant. If I talk to people about similar genres and eventually go onto DnB, their reaction is always "What's that?". Maybe in other regions of the world it's rather popular (*cough* Europe), but everyone here in America seems to be interested in the latest Skrillex song or other forms of Dubstep. What has caused this to happen? I'd like to hear a thought from anyone on this matter.
 
Drum and Bass has never been popular in the States though has it? Has there ever been a scene in New York?

Unless you live in a city with a University in the UK there is no DnB scene either. It seems that lots of students = Drum and Bass scene over here.
 
vElectrixx said:
Where I live, Drum and Bass is nearly nonexistant. If I talk to people about similar genres and eventually go onto DnB, their reaction is always "What's that?". Maybe in other regions of the world it's rather popular (*cough* Europe), but everyone here in America seems to be interested in the latest Skrillex song or other forms of Dubstep. What has caused this to happen? I'd like to hear a thought from anyone on this matter.
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there is a scene in the stated but it seems to be a lot smaller and most on the west coast. Some US artists include:

Random movement
Gremlinz
Gridlok
Rene Lavice
Atlantic connection
Bachelors of science
Submorphics
Homemade weapons
(probably missed a lot out)

Theres was also a big jungle scene in canada which is now mainly focussed in toronto.

I think that murricans prefer screetchy dubstep is cos it resonates nicely with their brash, crude and loud-mouthed characters

:teeth:

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Gloxxy said:
Unless you live in a city with a University in the UK there is no DnB scene either. It seems that lots of students = Drum and Bass scene over here.
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??? can you name a city that doesnt have a university?
 
rene is from canada though i believe? and a fair few artists did an america tour last year/this year

I guess it's just the tempo that many find offputting as its definitely harder to dance to than dubstep (which probably has the easiest tempo to get into)

also i belive that the whole hype/mainstream thing plays a very big role in the states, I think we have a fair few members from the states on the forum, maybe those can help you out abit
 
Most people I know only listen to 'brostep', trap or progressive house most of my mates tell me dnb is shit, the ones that do like some dnb its only jump-up lol... and I live in the UK.

I don't know if its like this everywhere else in the UK... this is coming from someone under the age of 20.
 
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Gloxxy said:
Unless you live in a city with a University in the UK there is no DnB scene either. It seems that lots of students = Drum and Bass scene over here.
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That's a very broad statement, most cities have a university. Most students are into house music.

To be honest I wouldn't even go as far as saying its that popular in the UK at the moment. The craze is with 'deep house', before that it was dubstep. The drum & bass scene where ever I go, seems to be made up of a select bunch of people, and you see these same people (plus and minus a few) at all the dnb nights. Tickets never sell out either.
 
Gloxxy said:
Drum and Bass has never been popular in the States though has it? Has there ever been a scene in New York?

Unless you live in a city with a University in the UK there is no DnB scene either. It seems that lots of students = Drum and Bass scene over here.
Click to expand...

I doubt there's been any sort of DnB scene in New York. Maybe in NYC, but I don't go down there.
 
jungle_fever said:
there is a scene in the stated but it seems to be a lot smaller and most on the west coast. Some US artists include:

Random movement
Gremlinz
Gridlok
Rene Lavice
Atlantic connection
Bachelors of science
Submorphics
Homemade weapons
(probably missed a lot out)

Theres was also a big jungle scene in canada which is now mainly focussed in toronto.

I think that murricans prefer screetchy dubstep is cos it resonates nicely with their brash, crude and loud-mouthed characters

:teeth:

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??? can you name a city that doesnt have a university?
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Hereford. *Pedantic reply voice*
 
Drum & bass will always be unpopular because its still, and probably always will be, asociated with the 'rude boi anti-social chav' culture. Whenever people ask what i'm into I always feel a little embarrased to say drum & bass if im honest. People still think of it as screetchy, jump-up chavy shite and that's a real shame (in the UK anyway). It's the same with dubstep, say you like dubstep and 90% of people will automatically assume you're into datsik, doctor P, and other tunes that were made by hitting aload of tin cans together and recording lawn mowers.
It really is sad when you think about it as we all know both genres can be so, so much more if you know who and where to look. It's just a shame people aren't more open minded but that's just the way it is.
Also I like house and the 'deep house' genre but lets face it, it's 99% fucktard students who are into it because most of it's boardline cheese and they know nothing about decent music.

Sorry OP this had nothing to do with the American scene but I thought I'd rant away anyway
 
Scott Allen????? Soul Deep Recs...... One of the best Liquid Labels and djs/producers..... Im sure he is form the states


Anyway, itll never be popular because its underground, popular music becomes shit watered down cheese....... As for the university comments thats rubbish. Dnb/Jungle was aloways big in london, and i wouldnt say the raves were full of students.
 
Rudimental have somehow managed to forge a career by producing sub-standard dnb. Lost count of how many number 1 singles they have as they all sound the same as one another
 
Drum and bass will never be popular because most people find it abrasive and hard to dance to. 170 bpm breakbeats just aren't for everyone.

There used to be a drum and bass night every day if the week in Chicago. It was a small scene, with small venues though.
 
Vanden said:
Most students are into house music.
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This is definately not true in Manchester, most students listen to Inde Rock, Drum & Bass and Dubstep or Minimal Techno (at least they did when I was student). The house scene amongst students was vertually none existant.

An as far as I am aware the same goes in areas like Notginham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Bournemouth. So I think Gloxxy is right, if not it has changed in the last few years.
 
ScottyEightSix said:
This is definately not true in Manchester, most students listen to Inde Rock, Drum & Bass and Dubstep or Minimal Techno (at least they did when I was student). The house scene amongst students was vertually none existant.

An as far as I am aware the same goes in areas like Notginham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Bournemouth. So I think Gloxxy is right, if not it has changed in the last few years.
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I'm guessing you were a student 4 or 5 years ago, judging by your age? I know from friends who are currently in uni up north that Liverpool and Leeds are very 'deep' house oriented these days. Can't speak for manchester though...but if the festivals i went to last summer (which were both manc run) are anything to go by, then theyre all about house now too
 
Well for one, dance music/electronic music only just started getting really popular in the U.S. in the past five years or so. That being said, music in the U.S. usually gains a large following when there is some explosion of hype usually created by one or a two posterboys. This definitely hasn't been the case with drum & bass and not to sound like a hipster or anything but to be honest, its much better this way. Can you honestly imagine if there was some American dnb version of Skrillex?? would take a huge toll the whole scene like it has with dubstep.

You live in New York though? You should start taking trips down to the city and start exploring the rave scene there, like shatner mentioned, most people converge on facebook for events. You may be pleasantly surprised, as I was when I discovered that there is actually a pretty decent scene in both Baltimore and D.C. Camo & Krooked are actually coming to D.C. tonight, i'm seeing Rene Lavice at a rave on Saturday in Baltimore and i've gotten word of a drum & bass warehouse party sometime in march in d.c. Even a few local dj's here in b-more who spin strictly dnb as well. I understand where you're coming from though, electronic music has become very commercial here and most of the time when I talk to kids who think they know everything about "edm", they look at me with a blank and confused face when I tell them my favorite genre is drum & bass.
 
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Most people over thirty know what I'm talking about when I say, "remember that genre from the 90s called Jungle?"
 
It depends firstly what genre you're comparing to and what type of drum and bass, I don't think the genre is unpopular when it's slipping in and out of the charts.

But anyway this opening up a can of worms, same with the endless hate on jamp up threads
 
I suspect even the shit name of the genre puts people off a bit. Drum & Bass. Yes it makes it very clear what two of the necessities of the genre are, but god damn, it must be off-putting to people just hearing about it. I know it was for me originally.

Mainstream music minded people are more into Singing & Synth so it's very hard to push Drum & Bass when it's two things they hardly care about.
 
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