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neurofunk

Neurofunk

United Kingdom · 1990s
DarkIntenseDancingEpic
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Description

Neurofunk is a dark, technically intricate subgenre of drum and bass known for its surgically designed basslines, tense atmospheres, and highly engineered rhythm sections. Sitting around 170–175 BPM, it blends the relentless drive of techstep with futuristic sound design and a funk-influenced sense of groove.

Producers sculpt evolving "neuro" basses using heavy resampling, modulation, distortion, and filtering, then weave them through precision-cut breakbeats and cinematic FX. The result is a high-pressure, sci‑fi aesthetic that feels both mechanical and organic—aggressive yet danceable, clinical yet funk-rooted.

History
Origins (late 1990s)

Neurofunk emerged in the United Kingdom during the late 1990s as drum and bass splintered into darker, more technical strands. Building on techstep’s dystopian edge, artists began emphasizing hyper-detailed bass design and tighter funk-oriented drum programming. Early touchstones included releases on Virus Recordings and Renegade Hardware, where producers pushed resampling and modulation techniques to new extremes.

Defining the sound (early–mid 2000s)

Through the 2000s, the neurofunk identity solidified. Ed Rush & Optical, Bad Company UK, Konflict, Teebee, Cause 4 Concern, and Dom & Roland helped set the template: evolving Reese-derived basses, razor-edited breaks, and bleak, sci‑fi atmospheres. The sound spread beyond the UK, finding strong footholds in the Netherlands and Germany via acts like Black Sun Empire and Phace, and later through Noisia’s visionary production, which raised the bar for mix engineering and sound design.

Globalization and cross-pollination (2010s–present)

In the 2010s, the style became a global production discipline, influencing bass music at large. Artists such as Mefjus, The Upbeats, and a new wave of producers fused neurofunk techniques with glitch hop, midtempo, and even dubstep. Labels and collectives prioritized cutting-edge engineering and arrangement, while advances in soft synths and processing tools made the hallmark "neuro" movement more accessible. Today, neurofunk remains a benchmark for high-precision electronic production, continually informing modern drum and bass and adjacent bass-heavy genres.

How to make a track in this genre
Tempo, rhythm, and groove
•   Aim for 170–175 BPM. Use a tight, punchy kick and a snappy, weighty snare (often on 2 and 4) with rolling ghost-note shuffles. •   Layer and edit classic breaks (e.g., Amen variants) for movement, but keep transients clean and phase-coherent.
Sound design and bass architecture
•   Create evolving "neuro" basses with FM/wavetable synthesis, heavy modulation, and resampling. Use serial distortion, dynamic filtering (band-pass/notch/comb), and multiband processing. •   Automate movement with LFOs, envelopes, and macro controls; alternate phrases (call-and-response) to maintain interest. •   Resample frequently: print bass riffs to audio, then reprocess with transient shaping, frequency splitting, and time-warping.
Harmony, atmosphere, and arrangement
•   Keep harmony minimal—often modal or static drones—to spotlight rhythm and timbre. Use pads, stabs, and FX for tension rather than melodic hooks. •   Build cinematic intros (foley, risers, tonal FX), then drop into a sparse, groove-forward A-section. Add B-section variation (new bass motif, switch-up drum edits) and second-drop escalation.
Mixing and engineering
•   Prioritize headroom. High-pass non-bass elements; use sidechain or dynamic EQ to let the sub (40–80 Hz) sit clean beneath mid-bass movement. •   Control stereo: keep sub mono; spread mid/high layers. Surgical subtractive EQ, transient control on drums, and tight bus compression glue the mix. •   Reference professional masters; check translation on club systems.
Performance and workflow
•   Sketch with a simple drum loop and sub pattern, design a few bass variants, then arrange with contrast and fills. For live/DJ contexts, engineer strong intros/outros for double-drops and seamless mixing.
Main artists
Influenced by
Drum And Bass
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.
Techstep
Techstep is a dark, stripped‑down branch of drum and bass that emerged in the UK during the mid‑to‑late 1990s. It favors rigid, two‑step drum patterns, stark sci‑fi atmospheres, and heavily processed "Reese"-style basslines over the funkier break-chopping of earlier jungle. The aesthetic is cold, mechanical, and dystopian: metallic snares, tightly quantized rhythms, and industrial textures combine with minor, dissonant stabs and eerie pads. Typical tempos sit around 170–175 BPM, with emphasis on sub‑bass weight, tension, and precision rather than melodic complexity.
Jungle
Jungle is a fast, breakbeat-driven electronic music genre that emerged in the UK in the early 1990s. It is characterized by heavily chopped and re-sequenced funk drum breaks (most famously the Amen, Think, and Apache breaks), deep sub-bass rooted in reggae and dub, and frequent use of ragga and dancehall vocals. Typically around 160–175 BPM, jungle emphasizes syncopation, polyrhythms, ghost-note snare articulations, and swung grooves. Production often features time‑stretching artifacts, pitch‑shifting, rewinds, sirens, and dub‑style effects, creating a kinetic, raw, and rhythmic sound world. While closely related to drum and bass, jungle retains a distinct identity through its reggae/dancehall influence, looser and more chopped breakbeats, rough-and-ready sample aesthetics, and sound system culture sensibility.
Techno
Techno is a four-on-the-floor, machine-driven form of electronic dance music that emerged in mid-to-late 1980s Detroit. It is characterized by steady 4/4 kick drums, repetitive and hypnotic rhythmic patterns, synthetic timbres, and an emphasis on texture, groove, and forward momentum over elaborate harmony. Producers typically use drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers to build layered percussion, pulsing basslines, and evolving motifs. While often dark and minimalistic, techno spans a wide spectrum—from soulful, futuristic Detroit aesthetics to hard, industrially tinged European strains—yet it consistently prioritizes kinetic energy for dancefloors and a sense of machine futurism.
Industrial
Industrial is an experimental electronic music tradition that uses abrasive timbres, mechanical rhythms, and transgressive aesthetics. Its sound palette often includes distorted drum machines, tape loops, metallic percussion, feedback, and found-object recordings alongside synthesizers and samplers. Emerging from late-1970s UK underground art and performance scenes, industrial foregrounds themes of dehumanization, technology, surveillance, and power. Releases frequently embrace anti-commercial presentation, stark graphic design, and confrontational performance art, treating the studio as a laboratory for sonic manipulation rather than a vehicle for conventional songcraft. While early industrial emphasized noise, tape processing, and avant-garde collage, later waves fused the style with dancefloor precision (EBM), rock and metal heft, and club-oriented production, giving rise to a broad post-industrial family that remains influential in experimental, electronic, and popular music.
Funk
Funk is a groove-centered African American popular music that prioritizes rhythm, syncopation, and collective interplay over harmonic complexity. It typically features a strong emphasis on “the One” (the first beat of the bar), interlocking drum, bass, guitar, keys, and horn parts, and short vamp-based harmonic cycles built from dominant and extended chords. Signature sounds include tight drum grooves with 16th‑note syncopation, syncopated ostinato bass lines, percussive "chicken‑scratch" guitar, clavinet riffs, punchy horn stabs, and call‑and‑response vocals. Emerging in the mid‑to‑late 1960s from soul, R&B, jazz, and gospel traditions—especially the rhythmic innovations of James Brown—funk became a foundational source for disco, hip hop, boogie, electro, house, and many modern pop and dance styles.
Hardstep
Hardstep is a mid-1990s strain of drum and bass that tightened jungle’s frenetic breakbeats into tougher, more rigid, "stepping" drum patterns. Where early jungle leaned on chopped Amen edits and reggae signifiers, hardstep foregrounds punchy two‑step rhythms, heavyweight sub‑bass, and gritty midrange tones. The style is club-focused and percussive, emphasizing forward drive and impact over lush atmospheres. Hip‑hop’s influence is felt in the head‑nod swing of the drums and occasional MCing, but the overall aesthetic is darker and more industrial than classic ragga‑jungle. Hardstep helped bridge the gap from jungle to the colder, techier forms of late‑’90s drum and bass.
Darkcore
Darkcore is a darker, moodier strain of early-1990s UK breakbeat hardcore that deliberately shifted rave music away from euphoric pianos and diva vocals toward ominous atmospheres and heavy bass. It centers on chopped breakbeats, sub‑bass pressure, Reese and Hoover stabs, horror‑film samples, and minor‑key pads, creating a tense, nocturnal sound that prefigured jungle and drum and bass. Typical tempos range from roughly 150–165 BPM, with DJ‑friendly 12" arrangements, dramatic breakdowns, and sound‑design tricks such as early time‑stretching artifacts, pitch‑shifting, and aggressive filtering.
Darkstep
Darkstep is a sinister, aggressive strain of drum and bass that emphasizes dystopian atmospheres, heavy breakbeats, and distorted bass design. It trades the jazzy or soulful edges of earlier DnB for a colder, horror-tinged palette built from reese-style basses, detuned pads, and metallic, industrial textures. Typically clocking in around 170 BPM, darkstep tracks feature hard-hitting kicks and snares framed by chopped “Amen”-style breaks, rapid edits, and tense build‑and‑drop structures. The aesthetic draws on sci‑fi and horror cinema, cyberpunk, and post‑industrial culture, producing a claustrophobic sense of menace and momentum suited to late‑night, underground dancefloors.
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