Falling in love with a certain type of music can happen in many ways. Through radio, a playlist on Spotify, in a concert or a gig; the possibilities are endless.
Once you have found the genre that reflects your energy, rhythmic preferences and tempo, the next thing you need is an unlimited supply of music to dig into the genres deeper. While there are apps like Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud with their bottomless libraries, there’s no other platform like YouTube purely because of its sheer longevity.
Long before music streaming apps were a thing, fans, promotional channels, and many other sources started uploading music from all eras to YouTube. 17 years later, the platform is the closest thing we will get to a time machine when it comes to music.
When it comes to electronic music, after House and Techno, Drum & Bass arguably has the best crop of channels that push the genre from all corners of its mainstream and underground realms. We are going to give you a list of promotional channels on YouTube that you should keep up with if you are keen on exploring Drum & Bass to its deepest depths.
UKF
With close to 3 million subscribers, UKF is by far the biggest voice of Drum & Bass on YouTube, championing the genre on the platform since 2009. After 13 years of relentlessly pushing the music they love, they have now transformed themselves into a one-stop-shop for all things Drum & Bass with a label and events like UKF On Air under their belt.
They also have their website where they bring the finest and the freshest talents for interviews, and other creative features. It’s not just DnB; UKF’s illustrious catalogue has equal contributions to the Dubstep and Bass House scene as well.
DRUM&BASSARENA
Now to the second biggest facilitators of Drum & Bass to exist on YouTube in terms of their stature. While UKF serves as the perfect umbrella for the genre to reach the masses, Drum&BassArena takes care of everything under that umbrella covering all the sides of the underground. Drum & Bass, Jungle, Half-time, Techy stuff; you name it and you’ve got it.
In fact, Drum&BassArena are the ones who bring the scene together once in a year for their Drum&BassArena Awards where they award the best artists, labels, promoters, music videos and more for their contributions to the genre throughout the year.
SKANKANDBASS
‘Strictly underground, strictly heads’ is the ethos they live by, and after amassing over 150k subscribers, Skankandbass are the premier destination for the highest quality underground drum & bass and discovery of music from the most promising talents in the scene.
Now an extended arm of a label, sold-out events, and a supremely strong social media game, you know where to head if you are looking for the swankiest drum & bass music and content.
DISTRICT BASS
With over 120k subscribers and a loyal fanbase that was eagerly waiting for its return during the channel’s hiatus in the last two years, District Bass is the place to be if you are into anything that relates to Drum & Bass. The Austria based channel also run a merch line which suits their narrative of dystopian lands like DnB.
If you are just stepping into the darker zones of drum & bass and want to experience the genre’s catalogue as a whole, District Bass will provide you with music for weeks!
BASILISK BASS
If deep, dark, minimal, tech and rolling drum & bass is your thing, then Basilisk Bass is a channel that you will never get tired of. Founded in 2016 and based out of Christchurch, New Zealand, the channel’s consistency in advocating the sounds they love has seen them become one of the biggest promoters on YouTube of the global DnB league.
Basilisk specializes in song premieres, so if there’s any label owners or independent artists reading this, Basilisk Bass is the ideal channel to present your dark and punchy drum & bass powers.
FORBIDDEN FREQUENCIES
With close to half a decade of pushing forward-thinking Drum & Bass music, Forbidden Frequencies is a Drum & Bass promotion channel based out of Porto in Portugal. With the goal of “sharing amazing and exclusive drum & bass content” to their supporters worldwide, Forbidden Frequencies focus more on the darker and progressive side of the genre.
Like Basilisk Bass, they also pick song premieres. Dark, dancefloor, rugged, steppy, you know where to bring your unreleased music to.
DARKSTEP WARRIOR
The name suggests it all. If you dig anything that revolves around the dark, pacey and pulsating side of drum & bass, Darkstep Warrior’s uploads will be a goldmine for you. With over 120k Subscribers and now 12 years deep, Darkstep Warrior is one of the oldest Drum & Bass promo channels on YouTube.
If you are a DnB head and you’ve slept on this one, anything from the Neurofunk world of Blackout Recordings and Eatbrain Records is Darkstep Warrior’s bread and butter.
EASY T DNB, PHANTOMAUDIO83, 4AM BREAKS AND I-WITNESS DNB
These 3 are the most underrated or rather underappreciated channels that are pushing drum & bass music. These 4 channels encapsulate drum & bass and jungle music when the genres were in their formative years.
East T DnB uploads music from the Dubplate days of the drum & bass, while PhantomAudio83 which isn’t as active as it used to be, has uploaded a treasure trove of prototype Neurofunk from the peak Ed Rush & Optical years.
4AMBreaks is all about the ambient, jazzy, and deeper side of drum & bass like the golden Good Looking Records days, and finally, I-Witness DnB is a mix of all the ones we have mentioned combined into one channel.
LIQUICITY
Whatever the Dutch do in drum & bass, they do it the best and Liquicity is the prime example of that. We are now going to list channels that promote the liquid, jazzy and dreamy side of the genre, and Liquicity sits right on top of the realm’s throne with over 800k subscribers.
Starting as a channel that pushed liquid drum & bass, Liquicity transitioned into the dancefloor DnB with a jazzy touch which they currently pioneer. From their first upload in 2008, Liquicity’s dreamlands have seen them grow into a label that is pushing the jazz and soul segment of DnB along with a festival that takes place in their homeland.
LEDGE SOUNDS
As the name suggests, the channel’s uploads are legendary in the soulful world of drum & bass. Now a decade old and with over 40k subscribers, the Belgian drum & bass promoters are one of the gold standards for the best and the prospective talent in the liquid drum & bass space.
LIQUIDDNBFTW
Liquiddnbftw is a channel that boasts one of the most loyal followings from the lot because of its unique ability to combine liquid drum & bass with stunning visuals. Along with the alluring music, Liquiddnbftw adds visuals of cityscapes, mountains and all the pretty possessions mother nature has on offer.
Established in the UK, Liquiddnbftw is now 11 years old with a subscriber base of 62k and they support a wide a selection of newcomers & established artists in the genre via their channel & label.
LIQUIDMUSICK
Last one in this extensive list and it’s one of our favourites. Another channel showcasing the soulful spectrum of drum & bass, LiquidMusick is one of the finest purveyors of the genre. Hailing from the Netherlands, the channel is 12 years old with close to 60 k subscribers with deep and moving liquid drum & bassuploads that do not disappoint at all.
Did you find this list useful? Lets us know!
