Nothing But... D&B Grooves, Vol. 12: Underground Drum & Bass in Full Spectrum
The twelfth instalment of the Nothing But... D&B Grooves series arrives as a wide-ranging snapshot of underground drum & bass in its current state. Spanning 25 tracks and well over ninety minutes of music, this compilation resists genre tunnel vision, mapping terrain that stretches from jungle-rooted rollers and liquid d&b through to neurofunk and darkstep-adjacent material.
The BPM spread tells its own story. The bulk of the tracks sit between 84 and 88 BPM — the standard Beatport half-tempo cataloguing convention for d&b — signalling deep, swung rollers built for dancefloor endurance. Two tracks break the mould with raw neurofunk intensity: Zap Vip by M@shinist at 161 BPM and Nash Potolok - Zvezdy (Dub Mix) by da.lab at 160 BPM. Gary Spears' Parallel Complexity (131 BPM), Okee's The Thin Bright Layer (129 BPM), and DJ108's Knave (129 BPM) round out the upper end with more technical and atmospheric approaches.
Standout Tracks
- Logical – PurpleNova: A cinematic opener at 65 BPM that eases the listener in before the compilation proper begins.
- Orphic – 2CHNS: Deep and immersive, layered atmospherics that echo the best of the liquid d&b tradition.
- Eastern Breeze – Degster: Oriental melodic textures over a rock-solid rhythmic foundation — arguably the most evocative cut here.
- Analytical Steps (Exclusive 2002 Mix) – Illform: The archival highlight of the set. Six minutes rooted in early 2000s jungle DNA, with production that has aged remarkably well.
- The Thin Bright Layer – Okee: The longest and most sophisticated track on the release, its dynamic progression fully justifying every one of its six-plus minutes.
- Bloodclot – Al Storm: Pure hardstep muscle from a recognised name in the rave and crossover circuit.
The breadth of contributors — Konvic & TiaSun, Tribeleader, Conrad Subs, Dreadnought, Lofti and more — reflects a decentralised and productive global scene. Nothing But... D&B Grooves, Vol. 12 may not be a landmark release, but it does exactly what a quality compilation should: honestly document the current pulse of drum & bass with range, depth and editorial purpose.
