Drum & Bass

In the 1800s, they brought gorse from the UK. Now it’s everywhere. In the 2000s, another import took root in Dunedin’s soil: Drum and Bass.

Whether you love to hate it or hate to love it, you can’t deny the fact that drum and bass is at the heart of Dunedin music culture. Originating from the UK rave scene in the ‘90s, like every other import, DnB made its way to New Zealand about a decade later. But it hasn’t always been this popular. “Even 10 years ago, you would never have heard drum and bass in the bars or on Castle Street. It was mainly live bands or people just playing music through their speakers,” said Lisa, a student who attended Otago University in 2010. Nowadays, it’s not really a party if there’s not a set of decks, and everyone’s a DJ.

Drum and bass has officially infiltrated the scene. How have we let this happen?