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ARTICLE
During the late 80s and early 90s there was a musical shift as the rave scene exploded and drum ‘n’ bass emerged, impacting the UK’s music charts and dancefloors. Initially the sound was referred to as ‘jungle’ but by the mid-90s the name drum ‘n’ bass was adopted as an umbrella term to cover all types of music produced in this style.

I remember drum ‘n’ bass being around during my early days as a DJ and never thought I’d end up playing it as part of my sets. But in recent years I’ve enjoyed listening to more of this style of music, adding it to my work both as a DJ and music producer.

I’ve mentioned in previous DJ Playlist articles the importance of having a healthy representation of as many music styles as possible to ensure you can provide a music solution for your client’s requirements. Pushing your musical boundaries is important for both you and your audiences – and this often means stepping out of your comfort zone.
Recently, I’ve used tracks by Wilkinson, Sigala and DJ Fresh to create short drum ‘n’ bass sets that have worked well for me. If the audience are going along with the vibe then I’ll add a few extra tracks, like ‘Waiting All Night’ by Rudimental, and even add in some drum ‘n’ bass remixes of commercial pop and dance hits including ‘Love Me Again (Kove Remix)’ by John Newman, ‘Pjanoo (High Contrast Remix)’ by Eric Prydz and ‘Skin (Wilkinson Remix)’ by Rag ‘n’ Bone Man.

These remixes allow you to continue a drum ‘n’ bass set without making things too specialist. They’re also great for keeping your DJ sets feeling fresh and exciting, before mixing into other pop and dance tracks when you’re ready to move the set onto another style. Maintaining an audience’s interest is crucial and taking time to select the right drum ‘n’ bass tracks can result in the required reaction, both on the dancefloor and in other areas of the room too.

I’ve used drum ‘n’ bass as part of a main party set and more recently for a warm-up set where the client requested a cooler, edgier vibe. There are several artists creating drum ‘n’ bass tracks that feature smooth vocals and slower tempos, and these are perfect to use as part of a warm-up or cool-down set.

Often, styles like drum ‘n’ bass are dismissed and left out of a mainstream DJ set to make way for ‘the usual suspects’ that get played at almost every event. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing it safe, but if the opportunity arises to play a different music style, then you should grab that chance – you might just be surprised at the results.

1 \\ Heartbeat Loud – Andy C
2 \\ End Credits – Chase & Status
3 \\ Turn Back Time (Wilkinson Remix) – Diplo
4 \\ Gold Dust (Shy FX Remix) – DJ Fresh
5 \\ Hot Right Now – DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora
6 \\ I Got U (High Contrast Remix) – Duke Dumont
7 \\ Ready For The Weekend (High Contrast Remix) – Calvin Harris
8 \\ Gecko (Overdrive) (Matrix & Futurebound Remix) – Oliver Heldens
9 \\ Better Off Without You (High Contrast Remix) – Becky Hill feat. Shift K3Y
10 \\ Get Free (Andy C Remix) – Major Lazer
11 \\ Control – Matrix & Futurebound
12 \\ Love Me Again (Kove Remix) – John Newman
13 \\ Slamm – Pendulum
14 \\ Pjanoo (High Contrast Remix) – Eric Prydz
15 \\ Skin (Wilkinson Remix) – Rag ‘n’ Bone Man
16 \\ Waiting All Night – Rudimental feat. Ella Eyre
17 \\ Give Me Your Love (Andy C Remix) – Sigala, John Newman, Nile Rodgers
18 \\ Desire – Sub Focus & Dimension
19 \\ Endorphins (Sub Focus vs. Fred V & Grafix Remix) – Sub Focus vs. Fred V
20 \\ Afterglow – Wilkinson feat. Becky Hill

You can legally download all of these tracks from:
www.mastermixdj.com/crates
***tracklisting subject to change***
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 112, Pages 72-73.
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