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Behind the Decks: Drum'n'Bass
My editor here at Time Out sometimes complains that this column is a bit of a rant and too negative, so I thought I’d use this column to instead talk about a success story in local electronic music: the drum’n’bass scene.
While previous sounds such as trance and breakbeat have come and gone, this most abrasive form of dance music has not only managed to gain a foothold in Hong Kong, but has managed to go from strength to strength each year since the first dedicated d’n’b event was launched in the late 1990s.
That event was MashUp, based at the now-legendary nightspot CE-Top, and the intervening years have witnessed an explosion of drum’n’bass parties staged by newer crews, including Magnetic Soul, Kongkrete Bass and Heavy.
Scenes such as minimal techno and hip-hop are rife with posturing and outsize egos, but our local drum’n’bass DJs and promoters are some of the most positive, down-to-earth and friendly people involved in the local music scene.
They’re obviously not doing it for the money either, with tickets for events featuring international performers often priced as low as $120 – proving they’re purely in it for the love of the music and are only seeking to cover their costs.
And despite the odd local d’n’b drama, the crews are also not interested in the kind of cut-throat competition seen in other scenes – particularly local Hong Kong promoters and DJs – and regularly collaborate with each other, resulting in a greater diversity of events.
Apologies to the editor, but I am going to have to say one negative thing now: week after week, the parties are usually attended by the same bunch of people, true drum’n’bass lovers who are in it for the long haul.
So the next time you hear of an event held by those three above-mentioned crews, think about coming down – you’ll be adding even more diversity to a flourishing scene while soaking up some positive energy.
2 comment(s)
DJ Steve Bruce
Maximum respect to the ONLY TRUE music scene in Hong Kong. Drum and Bass is the ONLY scene where people actually come JUST because of the music and not because its the IN place to be seen (scene), or it's hard to get in, or you get a free firework with your champagne.
16 Sep 2009 10:17:10 AM
Cookie (Magnetic Soul)
At Magnetic Soul, we've been at it for more than 4 years now.
It's been a tough road and a lot of work along the way, but it's also been fun.
The International DJs that come through all say the same thing. "You can tell the people that are here at the party are really into Drum N Bass."
Cheers for the encouragement and taking the time out to write an article.
By the way, who wrote it?
07 Oct 2009 06:29:35 AM
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