Nothing But... Drum & Bass Floor Shakers, Vol. 33

Overview

Nothing But… Drum & Bass Floor Shakers Vol. 33: Fifteen detonations for the dancefloor

The Nothing But… Drum & Bass Floor Shakers series reaches its 33rd instalment with a compilation that fully earns its title. Fifteen tracks spanning the full spectrum of contemporary drum & bass: from the darkest, most unhurried half-step to neurofunk and liquid D&B, through experimental textures that confirm the creative health of the genre in 2024.

A journey through BPMs and sound

The first thing that stands out when analysing this compilation is its intelligent tempo architecture. Most tracks move within the 86–88 BPM range — classic half-step and bass-heavy D&B territory, where low-end gravity rules. Betaphonix opens with Lost In Space, a five-minute spatial journey with synthesizer layers that unfold with hypnotic calm. Laroque signs The Karma Supra, one of the most mature moments in the set, with a six-minute-plus structure that builds tension masterfully.

Amplex's Run (3:39) proves that impact needs no lengthy runtime: a compact, straight-to-the-point cut. Spyke's Everybody Inside adds a vocal touch that breaks the coldness of the set, while Dan Guidance's Haywire — clocking in at 7:36 — is arguably the most ambitious track of the slower block, deploying layers of tension borrowed from the darkest techno and applied to a D&B framework.

The leap into neurofunk and beyond

From track 6 onwards, the compilation mutates. Synthagmatics raises the pulse with Crepuscule at 109 BPM, a twilight piece laced with cinematic atmospheres. The duo Inztance & Volume None deliver Understory, six minutes of drum & bass informed by abstract jazz and ambient music. Minor Rain and Cell (Shaun Fraser) push the tempo to 129 BPM with Biomechanics and Below: textbook neurofunk, featuring twisted basslines and surgical breakbeats.

The final block returns to the groove: Requiem's Stomach Behavior at 84 BPM is pure hypnotic motion; Smiley Maxx's Bank Smasha at 113 BPM is the compilation's undisputed peak-time weapon; and Candary's remix of Z-NOX's Triple Union, stretching 13 minutes and 28 seconds, is the most radical statement of intent across the entire volume.

Standout tracks

• Haywire – Dan Guidance: dense, dark and enveloping sonic architecture. D&B with the soul of techno.
• Below – Cell (Shaun Fraser): precise and devastating neurofunk — Shaun Fraser at his finest.
• Triple Union (Candary Remix) – Z-NOX: 13 minutes that justify purchasing the entire volume.
• Bank Smasha – Smiley Maxx: the definitive floor-filler of the set, no compromises.

All in all, Vol. 33 of Nothing But… Drum & Bass Floor Shakers is a solid reference point for DJs and collectors alike. Subgenre diversity, careful production, and a selection that never loses momentum. Essential.