Pull the Plug

Jazzstep is a subgenre of drum and bass that fuses jazz harmony, timbres, and an improvisational sensibility with the fast, syncopated breakbeats of the UK jungle/DnB continuum. Typical hallmarks include swung and ghost‑noted breakbeats at 165–175 BPM, upright or electric "walking" basslines, lush Rhodes piano or vibraphone chords, and saxophone or trumpet phrases—either sampled from classic sessions or performed anew. Harmonically, it favors extended chords (9ths, 11ths, 13ths), chromatic passing tones, blue notes, and modal colors, giving it a smooth yet propulsive, late‑night club atmosphere. Compared with adjacent styles like liquid funk, jazzstep leans more explicitly into jazz vocabulary and instrumental colors, while retaining the momentum and dancefloor architecture of drum and bass.

Liquid funk (often called liquid drum and bass) is a melodic, soulful offshoot of drum and bass that emphasizes musicality over aggression. It typically runs at 170–174 BPM and features rolling breakbeats, warm sub‑bass, lush pads, jazzy chords, and expressive vocals or instrumental leads. Drawing on soul, funk, jazz, house, and ambient textures, liquid funk trades distorted basslines and harsh sound design for smooth grooves, chordal richness, and emotionally resonant hooks. The result is a sound equally at home on late‑night dancefloors and headphones, balancing dancefloor energy with reflective, feel‑good atmospheres.

Drum and bass (DnB) is a fast, rhythmically intricate form of electronic dance music centered on breakbeats at roughly 160–180 BPM and powerful, sub‑heavy basslines. It grew out of the UK’s early ’90s rave and jungle scenes, combining chopped funk breaks (most famously the Amen break), dub and reggae sound‑system aesthetics, hip‑hop sampling, and techno’s futurist sound design. Across its many substyles—liquid funk’s soulful harmonies, techstep and neurofunk’s cold, machine‑like bass engineering, jump‑up’s hooky bass riffs, atmospheric DnB’s pads and space—drum and bass remains a DJ‑oriented, dancefloor‑driven genre that prizes tight drum programming, deep low end, and precise arrangement for mixing.

Electronic is a broad umbrella genre defined by the primary use of electronically generated or electronically processed sound. It encompasses music made with synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, computers, and studio/tape techniques, as well as electroacoustic manipulation of recorded or synthetic sources. The genre ranges from academic and experimental traditions to popular and dance-oriented forms. While its sonic palette is rooted in electricity and circuitry, its aesthetics span minimal and textural explorations, structured song forms, and beat-driven club permutations. Electronic emphasizes sound design, timbre, and studio-as-instrument practices as much as melody and harmony.