I listened to the most recent episode (20080504) of Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show with Fabio and was struck by the heft of the self-reflective conversation and the sharpness of Fabio‘s and Pendulum‘s attacks on the dnb community.

Much of the conversation centered around the dnb’s reaction to Pendulum’s upcoming release In Silico, concentrating on fans’ criticisms (for the album being too rock ‘n’ roll). At first, the conversation came off as a little egocentric, but it quickly became apparent Fabio was fitting the discussion within the framework of what is probably the largest debate within electronic music: the state of dnb.

For the most part, I thought it was admirable for Fabio to so seriously question the state of dnb and whether it was “inspiring” or had “energy” anymore. Furthermore, he criticized the dnb community for being too narrow minded and not keen on pushing things forward. While these accusations are commonplace, especially from the dubsteppas, they are not usually heard within the dnb scene. Equally admirable was the semi-conclusion Fabio (and with which Pendulum tagged along) reached, which was that dnb’s health doesn’t really matter so long as there are still tracks that kill it.

Just as surprising, albeit in a negative way, were the sharp barbs Fabio and Pendulum had for dnb fans. The snide remarks included comments about fans inability or unwillingness to pay attention to the sound (and instead just ‘aving it up, thinking all drums/patterns are the same) and fans’ closed mindedness. Yes, I applauded the criticism of narrow mindedness , but narrow mindedness is the conscious rejection of alternatives, perhaps in the context of keeping dnb ‘pure’. Declaring that fans are close minded is not only entirely too simple, especially for someone who has been around as long as Fabio, but condescending. Does Fabio really think fans are unable to differentiate and appreciate the various types of dnb? Surely the exodus from dnb to dubstep demonstrates they care!

The entire conversation was even more condescending by drawing a distinction between DJs and fans. Fabio even claimed fans are unable to tell when there’s been a bad mix. Was he serious? Sure, DJs are more knowledgeable about (and invested in) dnb, but to create an us-versus-them divide is counterproductive and misses a major point: If dnb is not evolving, then it means producers and DJs aren’t pushing the sound in new directions. Blaming the fans is not just an easy way out of the debate, but also demonstrates how out of touch one is from the scene.

My opinion is that dnb has lost the majority of the energy it had “back in the day”. But that–as Pendulum hinted to at one point–it might be me changing and not an issue with the scene. For example, there is plenty of incredible dnb action out there (e.g., the ish on Hospital Records and Vampire Records), although there is an enormous amount of rubbish and pop-icized dnb, too. And when I do tune in, my mind is still blown when I hear tracks like Hazzard‘s Machette or Killers.