drill and bass

drill and bass

English

Alternative forms

• drill 'n' bass

Etymology

From drill (“tool for boring”) (typically producing a loud, harsh noise) and drum and bass.

Noun

drill and bass (uncountable)

1. A style of electronic music with fast, loud percussion and harsh noises.
   • 2010, Nicholas Collins, Nick Collins, Introduction to Computer Music, John Wiley & Sons →ISBN, page 130

     The compositional applications of granulation run from stutters (tight repetitions at rhythmic or even pitched rates; think of Mantronix's Bassline (1985) or drill and bass), to disintegration and coalescence effects.

   • 2013, Simon Reynolds, Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture, Routledge →ISBN, page 374

     What the Squarepusher-type drill and bass artists have responded to and exaggerated ad absurdum is only one aspect of jungle: the music's complexity.