Seven of the United Kingdom’s Top 40 singles at the moment are drum & bass tunes, with Chase & Status featuring thrice.
The discussions started with the notion that we’re in the midst of a DnB renaissance, which progressed to the genre becoming a mainstay in Beatport charts, and now we’re witnessing drum & bass reach unprecedented heights in the music mainstream as a whole. A bright spotlight on the scene, such as it’s receiving at present, can never be a negative thing, even though the genre’s primary strength remains in the underground and has remained to do so for over three decades.
There have been occasional instances of drum & bass songs cracking the UK Top 40 Singles charts, but we can’t recall another time when there were as many as seven songs on the list that are drum & bass, by drum & bass artists, or drum & bass leaning in their aesthetic, and we are going to go deeper into each tune that’s sitting in the UK Top 40 charts one after the other.
Chase & Status and Bou – Baddadan Feat. IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga and Takura
Regardless of what you listen to, if you haven’t heard ‘Baddadan,’ you’re probably living under a rock. Clubs, festivals, house parties – this high energy number has taken over nearly every party. Chase & Status have historically been the masters at putting drum & bass to a wider audience, and for this one, they roped in Bou and four of the most revered MCs from the UK, like IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga and Takura. ‘Baddadan’ also marks the first of the three tracks Chase & Status have in the Top 40.
Kenya Grace – Strangers
This is a song that isn’t from a drum & bass artist but is schematic. By trade, South African-born British sensation Kenya Grace is dominating not just the UK but charts worldwide. Currently sitting in the third position in her own country, she is fighting with Doja Cat’s ‘Paint The Town Red’ for the chart’s top spot. This is a great sign for the genre, as drum & bass-inspired tunes like ‘Strangers’ are making their way into pop culture.
Turno, Skepsis & Charlotte Plank – Rave Out
Sometimes it just feels like it’s Turno’s world, and we’re simply living in it. The man can switch things up and throw in a banger if he likes, or he can tone it down and deliver tunes that touch your soul. For ‘Rave Out,’ however, Turno teamed up with Skepsis and Charlotte Plank to find the perfect balance between the soul and the dancefloor. Fast forward to September, ‘the ‘Rave Out’ tune is one of the biggest drum & bass tunes of the year while sitting in the 37th position of the UK Top 40 Singles charts.
Chase & Status, Hedex, ArrDee – Liquor & Cigarettes
Exhibit number 2 from Chase & Status in the UK Top 40 Singles charts is ‘Liquor & Cigarettes.’ Ever since the release of their first album in 2008, Chase & Status have consistently had a knack for bridging the gap between the underground and the mainstream of drum & bass, which has made them one of the finest purveyors of the genre. So, having another Chase & Status tune dominate the charts is no surprise.
After the success of ‘Baddadan,’ came ‘Liquor & Cigarettes’ with fellow drum & bass superstar Hedex, who has been in hot form in the past few years, alongside the vocal delivery of the mighty ArrDee. The tune currently sits in the 31st position on the charts and is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Bou – Closer (feat. Slay)
Since exploding onto the scene, Bou has only been associated with the art of delivering hedonistic bangers but with a rhythmic sensibility; and he has tons of tunes like this in his repertoire. After teaming with Chase & Status for ‘Baddadan,’ Bou has landed on his own on the UK Top 40 Singles charts with a delightful collaboration featuring Slay.
Featuring Slay’s powerful vocals and a sped-up sample of Robert Miles’ ‘Children,’ Bou brings his trademark bouncy bass stabs on ‘Closer,’ which is currently holding 30th place in the charts.
Becky Hill, Chase & Status – Disconnect
The final tune on the charts with Chase & Status is their collaboration with Becky Hill on ‘Disconnect.’ Becky Hill has been one of the genre’s biggest vocalists, with mammoth releases like ‘Afterglow’ and ‘Here For You’ with Wilkinson, and ‘Hold On’ with Netsky, to name a few. Joining forces with Chase & Status for the first time, ‘Disconnect’ became one of the tunes of the summer thanks to a giant nostalgia hit the tune offers.
Currently 12th in the charts, ‘Disconnect’ is the second highest-ranked drum & bass tune after Kenya Grace’s ‘Strangers.’
Issey Cross – Bittersweet Goodbye
Another drum & bass hitmaker with tunes like ‘Used To This’ and ‘Oh My’ in her locker, Issey Cross’s solo number ‘Bittersweet Goodbye’ has spread like wildfire not just in drum & bass but across the dance music scene as a whole. Remixes of the tune are coming from every corner of dance music, and there are no signs of stopping the Issey Cross train.
Sampling The Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony,’ Issey Cross laid her evocative vocals on a drum & bass beat and delivered one of the festival favorites of the drum & bass genre. ‘Bittersweet Goodbye’ currently sits 22nd on the top 40 charts.
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