The drum and bass calendar to Christmas: the nights, tours and dates to book now
From fabric on 23 October to Troxy on New Year's Eve, fourteen dates we have confirmed from the organisers' own pages, in order.
By D-N-B Desk
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Features
Longer reads on the artists, records, labels and ideas that drive drum and bass.
Drum and bass releases going into November 2026: the round-up
23 releases and 69 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
Noisia: three producers from Groningen and their influence
Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger have made drum and bass, dubstep, breakbeat and house, and wrote music for video games.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass in numbers: the facts behind thirty years of the sound
Tempos, chart positions, founding dates, crowd sizes and prices, each with its source. A reference you can quote.
By D-N-B Desk
Nia Archives: the artist at the front of the drum and bass revival
Born in Bradford in 1999, she released three self released EPs before her debut album Silence Is Loud reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart.
By D-N-B Desk
The 2027 drum and bass festival calendar so far: four dates to put in the diary
Rampage, Hospitality Weekender, Liquicity and Let It Roll have all published their 2027 dates. Here they are in order, with what each has confirmed.
By D-N-B Desk
A plain guide to drum and bass subgenres, from liquid to darkstep
Drum and bass runs at 160 to 180 beats per minute and splits into light, mainstream and heavy branches. Here is what each name means.
By D-N-B Desk
What the latest closure figures mean for the places drum and bass is played
The industry's own monitor says bars, clubs and casinos fell 5.1 per cent in a year, and the sector is 28.9 per cent smaller than in March 2020. Here are the numbers and who said them.
By D-N-B Desk
Liquid drum and bass explained: how melody and soul took over the breakbeat
A 1999 compilation gave the style its name, and by 2005 it was one of the biggest selling corners of drum and bass.
By D-N-B Desk
Neurofunk explained: where the cleanest, darkest drum and bass came from
A term from a 1997 magazine article, a pair of V Recordings and Virus records, and a style built on bass sounds that keep changing shape.
By D-N-B Desk
How big is drum and bass in the UK? Spotify's figures, and who they name
Spotify's own data, reported in December 2024, said UK drum and bass streams had risen 94 per cent in three years and that most listeners were under 34. These are the numbers and the names.
By D-N-B Desk
Techstep explained: the cold, dark sound that drum and bass built for itself
Around 1995 a group of producers stripped the warmth out of jungle and replaced it with machine drums, distorted bass and a science fiction mood.
By D-N-B Desk
What the Turn It Up music plan means for the people who make and book drum and bass
The 45 million pound plan set out in July puts money behind artists, labels and managers and loosens the licensing rules for events and festivals. Here is what it says and what it does not.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass this week: 14 nights across the UK from Friday 9 October
Every drum and bass and jungle night On The Door lists in the next seven days, by date, with venue, city and a link to each ticket page.
By D-N-B Desk
Sub Focus: from rock fan to self taught producer
Nicolaas Douwma has released records since 2003, with albums in 2009, 2013, 2020 with Wilkinson and 2023.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in September 2026: the full round-up
19 releases and 45 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
Netsky: the Belgian producer who joined Hospital Records
Boris Daenen signed to the label in late 2009, released a self titled debut album on 31 May 2010 and followed it with 2 in June 2012.
By D-N-B Desk
Calibre: the Belfast producer who helped name liquid funk
Dominick Martin releases mostly through his own Signature Records, and his records were so closely tied to the style that it was partly named after them.
By D-N-B Desk
Fourteen drum and bass producers and the one record to hear from each
A route through thirty years of the genre, from a 1993 chart hit to a 2024 number one, one named artist and one named record at a time.
By D-N-B Desk
Black Sun Empire: the Utrecht trio known as the kings of neuro
Formed in 1997 by Rene Verdult and brothers Micha and Milan Heyboer, the Dutch group has released six albums and runs three independent labels.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in August 2026: the full round-up
23 releases and 67 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
Outlook Festival: bass music in the forts and on the boats of Croatia
Born as a subsidiary of a Leeds night, the festival moved to Tisno in 2020 and is known for stages in tunnels, a moat and boat parties.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass and video games: from Devil May Cry to Forza Horizon
Noisia wrote a game soundtrack and a Counter-Strike music kit, and Hospital Records has put out a Forza Horizon 6 compilation. A short history of the sound in games.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in July 2026: the full round-up
29 releases and 77 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
A map of drum and bass: the places that made the sound
From a spare room in Stevenage to a house in Dollis Hill, from a Shoreditch office to a studio in Groningen: where the labels, producers and stations came from.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in June 2026: the full round-up
18 releases and 61 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in May 2026: the full round-up
21 releases and 64 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
Sound design 101: the three sounds that make a drum and bass track
The break, the sub and the Reese. What each does, where each comes from and how a producer balances them.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in April 2026: the full round-up
21 releases and 39 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
How to read a drum and bass flyer: headliners, rooms, hosts and set times
b2b, LP launch, hosted by, room two. A short glossary of everything on a poster, and what it tells you about the night.
By D-N-B Desk
Protecting your hearing on the dancefloor: a practical guide for drum and bass fans
Loud music is part of the culture, and so is looking after your ears. Earplugs, breaks and a few habits that let you enjoy nights for decades.
By D-N-B Desk
Your first drum and bass night: what to expect and how to enjoy it
Doors, sound, set times, rewinds and where to stand. A friendly guide for anyone about to go to their first night.
By D-N-B Desk
How a drum and bass record gets made, from first idea to release day
Sampling, drums, bass, arrangement, mixdown, mastering and the label. A plain walk through the process that turns a loop into a record.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in March 2026: the full round-up
20 releases and 62 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
Where to buy drum and bass music in 2026: labels, shops and what they pay artists
Bandcamp pages, label shops, streaming, download stores and vinyl. How to find the music and, if you want to, how to make sure the people who made it are paid.
By D-N-B Desk
Vinyl, CDJs and controllers: what drum and bass DJs actually play on
The format wars never ended. Each has its place, and each shapes how a DJ plays. A fair comparison, from the bedroom to the big stage.
By D-N-B Desk
How to start DJing drum and bass without spending a fortune
You do not need two turntables and a stack of records to begin. A sensible kit list, a learning plan and a few habits that save you months.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in February 2026: the full round-up
29 releases and 65 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
The anatomy of a drop: how a drum and bass track builds and lands
Intro, build, riser, the moment of silence and the drop itself. A plain guide to the structure that makes a dancefloor react.
By D-N-B Desk
The MC in drum and bass: what the microphone actually does
Few electronic scenes treat the person on the mic as part of the music. In drum and bass, the MC is there to guide the room, and the tradition goes back to the sound system.
By D-N-B Desk
How to beatmatch drum and bass: a first lesson
The core DJ skill is the same in every style, but at 174 beats per minute it asks more of your ears. Here is a clear first routine you can practise tonight.
By D-N-B Desk
Drum and bass releases in January 2026: the full round-up
14 releases and 23 tracks matched to Apple Music, listed week by week with labels, track counts and running times.
By D-N-B Desk
How to listen to drum and bass at home: speakers, sub bass and your room
The music is built for big systems, but you can get a great deal out of a modest set up. Where to put the speakers, what a sub does and how to protect the neighbours.
By D-N-B Desk
Jump-up drum and bass explained: the sound built for the crowd
Big hooks, bouncing bass and an MC with a microphone. Jump-up is the part of the genre that is designed first and foremost to get a room moving.
By D-N-B Desk
How fast is drum and bass? A plain guide to the tempo
Typically somewhere between 165 and 185 beats per minute, and in practice mostly around 170 to 175. Here is why the number matters and what it does to a night.
By D-N-B Desk
