Breakbeat Era

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• Genre: Jungle/Drum 'n' Bass
• Hometown: Bristol
• Breakbeat Era Website

About

Two of Drum 'n' Bass's top producers, Roni Size and DJ Die, have teamed up with songwriter and vocalist Leonie Laws for perhaps the most mainstream-accessible Drum 'n' Bass on record. These tracks take influences from Tech-Step and Jump Up, with fat, rounded basslines and a mixture of acoustic and electronic samples that reference Fusion, rock, Techno, and hip-hop. Laws' compositions are full of repeated melodic refrains, which complement the loop-oriented Drum 'n' Bass production. Her lyrics, which she delivers in a smoky alto diva's voice, are angst-ridden and bitter, dealing with difficult relationships and communication failures. Size and Die's dark, hazy yet spacious production complements the subject matter perfectly, featuring cavernous echoes and shimmers which contrast with dry, tough, bass-heavy breakbeats and searing electric guitar samples.

- Noah Enelow