Why DNB, Why?

Ever since I came back to New Zealand, I’ve had one question that’s yet to be answered: why the fuck is DnB so popular here? I can’t even count the amount of dusty mornings I’ve spent with ringing ears because Afterglow was drilled into my head during a night at Outback. I wholeheartedly understand that people enjoy different genres of music, but without fail, at every party, car ride, and night in town, I’m forced to endure DnB. And so, I’ve taken it upon myself to answer my own question.

TW: I will be shit-talking Drum n Bass in this piece if you haven’t noticed already. I accept that people enjoy it, but at the same time, I don’t know how one can vibe to that noise outside of town.

Let’s get into this then, yeah?

Like I said earlier, my move back here surprised me quite a bit. I suppose I was stuck in some fantasy land where I thought clubs would replicate the atmosphere I’ve seen in 90’s and early 00’s films, but I was terribly mistaken. I’ll admit though, that didn’t stop me from spending nearly every weekend in town during my first year. However, the music got way too repetitive, and I haven’t been to town at all this year because of that. Not shade to the djs, because that’s for sure talent (maybe?) and they’re giving the crowd what they want, but that doesn’t mean I have to want it too, right?

Anyways, I’ll try and answer my posed question here. I lowkey treated this like an assignment because of all the research I put into it. Luckily, I found some shit that might shed some light on the situation. Drum n Bass derives from a genre of dance music called Jungle. This was very popular “back in the day” as it complimented the rave atmosphere as well as the drug culture. With this little information, I suppose I can see the appeal for some people; loud, banging music, flashing lights, and getting absolutely hammered on alcohol and hallucinogens is what some people consider entertaining. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to convince me to thoroughly enjoy the presence of this genre because I don’t personally find that appealing.

So, onto the next piece of evidence. According to some random post on Reddit (very reliable, I know), some fellow stranger believed that DnB is so popular here because of the cultural similarities between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Like I stated earlier, DnB is basically the child of the UK’s Jungle scene, so naturally a lot of the djs listened to in this particular genre are British. If I were to take a guess, I suppose I would say that because of the drinking, party and other recreational cultures that are shared between the two nations, it was inevitable that New Zealand would catch onto the Drum n Bass trend.

Touching back on similarities, I think one of the most interesting points I can make in this piece relates to the importance of Reggae in New Zealand. Before you doubt what I’m writing here, let me give you even more history. I’ve already stated that DnB came from Jungle, but what did that genre come from? Surprise, surprise, one of its many stylistic origins is in fact Reggae. This genre of music is widely popular here, and for good reason too because it’s awesome. Of course it’s probably hard to see how DnB and Reggae are similar in any way, because I don’t see (or hear) it either, but that doesn’t change the fact that the two are connected in some way. Maybe this point wasn’t as thought out as I wanted it to be…

Anyways, answering this question is unbelievably hard. I know that it’s because I don’t like Drum n Bass, and I admit that I never will, so perhaps I was not the best person to take a crack at answering this. I just don’t see how it can possibly be enjoyable. I might get hate for that, and I apologise if I somehow offended you, but like seriously? You’re telling me that you can sit down in bed doing an assignment with DnB on your “chill” playlist? Surely you’re on something if you think that’s normal. Or maybe that’s why you actually do enjoy it; like I said earlier, drugs are a big part of the party culture here, so maybe throwing it back to some DnB while high as a kite is what really gets you people going on some cloud 9 shit. Whatever the case is, it seems that Drum n Bass is really popular in New Zealand, and that is not going to change any time soon.

If it did have to change, I can tell you exactly what I would like to see in town.

Let’s set the scene. You’re a box deep in some random concoction of drinks and you’re on your way to town. There’s a raging new club open that you’re keen to make an appearance in. When you’ve finally reached town (fuck you slow ass uber drivers), you drag your friends to this mysterious new club and magically get in really fast and for free because this is a work of fiction. The club is packed, the dance floor absolutely raging. You hear the tunes of old and new school Hip Hop, RnB, Techno, and every other genre that matches the vibe and isn’t DnB. You’re parched, so you go to the bar for a cheap drink and while you’re there you ask the bartender what the club is called: oh wait, I’ve basically reminded you old fellas about when Coyote opened for the first time. I hope I portrayed that accurately, because that’s how I felt when I went there the first time and that was in 2021.

Enough rambling for now, I’ll be back next week with another cracked feature.