Defining My Musical Aesthetic

The music I listen to at home is generally classic rock – e.g. Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. The music I go to nightclubs for is jungle and drum 'n' bass (DNB) – e.g. Shy FX, Kings Of The Rollers and Bou. I have noticed that these two genres are never present in the same space. If there were a fusion of these two genres, it is a scene I would be a part of. However, there’s not. So I’ve decided to fuse these two genres with my music.

Currently I am creating a demo track that mixes 90s DNB breakbeat and sub bass samples with my own guitar riffs. It is worth noting that mixing DNB with electric guitar has been done before, a prevelant example being Pendulum, however I have found that this is influenced heavily by metal. My style of guitar playing is influenced more by the blues, which has more of a loose, melodic feel to it. To quote Keith Richards, "The rock's easy, but the roll is another thing".

I realised that the term “drum 'n' bass” is very broad as a description of genre. There are some elements of DNB that I don't enjoy. So I did some research into the development of DNB in hopes to identify where the specific elements that I am using have come from.

Mac, 2015

I found this infographic on Adobe Behance particularly useful. Personally, I don't like the rhythm of dubstep - one of the major influences of DNB. Identifying this, I realised that I am taking more inspiration from the breakbeat influences of DNB. As Jungle/DNB developed in the UK, I had only considered targeting the urban centres of the UK but discovering that breakbeat was developed in New York, I have decided to expand my reach and target there as well.

I listened to popular and personal favourite DNB and breakbeat tracks to create an "audio mood-board" playlist. I also added classic rock tracks that have influenced me. The first track in the playlist, Come Together, is a remix of The Beatles of the same name and is the only example I have found of the sound that I'm aiming for.

To summarise my music in one sentence: Imagine Jimmy Page playing guitar while Shy FX mixes on DJ decks. Having clarified this, I can now focus on evaluating marketing campaigns that promote artists with audiences that would be interested in my music.