Drum and bass is a genre of music, which originated from the early Rave scene in the United Kingdom. It was mostly popular between 1995 and 2000, and it remains quite popular in the local scene in London, while enjoying some diffusion in other countries thanks to YouTube and similar sites.
Drum and bass could be considered an evolution, or even a sister genre, to Jungle music. In fact, from 1994 to 1997 circa, the two styles were quite similar. It was after 1997 that drum and bass started diverging in a significant manner, as styles, known as techstep and neurofunk, oriented towards science fiction sounds, heavy basslines, and simplified beats became popular among music producers.
Some people argue that the main styles, or at least the ones that are most popular among producers are darkstep, techstep, neurofunk, and hardstep.
The tempo is generally between 170 and 180 beats per minute, but it can also be faster or slower than that range in certain cases.
Optical and Ed Rush are often credited with the creation of the neurofunk genre, starting with their album "Wormhole" released in 1998.
Typical instruments used to make this music are a synthesizer, samplers, drum machine, keyboard, sequencer and a personal computer.
*A history of drum and bass music