According to a new mini documentary based on the genre called DnB: In for Life, statistics based on user data show that their “yearly average streams of the Drum ‘N’ Bass genre have increased by 94 percent since 2021”.

The short film produced by Spotify traces the evolution of the UK sound and subculture, featuring big names in the scene like Charlie Tee, Kanine, Sota, Singer and DJ Flight. In the documentary, Charlie praises its freeing nature and fandom, describing it as “the most exclusive universal club – but the only criteria is that you have to love the music.”

An article from MixMag notes Spotify’s Top 10 artists in the scene – Chase & Status, Bou, Rudimental, goddard., Sub Focus, Charlotte Plank, Skepsis, Hybrid Minds, SHY FX and Nia Archives.

It also notes the most streamed D’n’B tracks of the year – Chase & Status and their collaboration with Stormzy, “BACKBONE”, as well as Rudimental and Skepsis with “Green and Gold” feat. Charlotte Plank and Riko Dan, and goddard. and Cat Burns with “Wasted Youth”.

Research from How Music Charts marks a rising interest in the sound – the most followed electronic music playlist on Spotify, called Mint, saw an increase in the number of drum and bass tracks added annually, and the audiences for Spotify’s “Massive Drum & Bass” and “Jungle Classics” playlists both doubling.

Data shows that a younger crowd are being drawn into the dance genre, with 68% of listeners below the age of 34. This could be for several reasons – a crop of new musicians and DJ’s championing the sound, popularity on social media and an increased diversity in both style and performers.

Artists like PinkPantheress, Nia Archives and Piri & Tommy have found success by reimagining the breakbeats and tempos of the D’n’B sound with dreamy vocals, smooth instrumentation and pop-style song structures. Nia’s album Silence Is Loud saw her mix jungle rhythms with indie rock influences, and Pink Pantheress has incorporated hyperpop and alternative flavours into her eclectic style that she describes as “a form of D’n’B that’s acceptable to listen to at home.”

In an interview with DJ Flight from the BBC, she shared her excitement for a new wave of female artists on the D’n’B scene, saying “it’s so incredible that there’s so many women coming through now, because with the internet and that visibility, it’s like they can’t be stopped”.

Social media has played a part in the expansion of electronic music as a whole – Tik Tok has mentioned that electronic music is one of the apps most celebrated genres, with fans and artists using its features to share and remix music, create trends and post their favourite live sets. The company says that the tags for “#ElectronicMusic” video creation is up 70% this year, and “#DnB” is up 50%.

@boilerroomtv Best of 2023: @chaseandstatus • Boiler Room: London #boilerroom #boilerroommoment #newmusic #electronicmusic #rave #ravetok #dnb #drumandbass #chaseandstatus ♬ original sound – Boiler Room

While the popularity of D’n’B has flourished, the nightclub culture that cultivated the genre is dying in the UK, with the Night Time Industries Association predicting that unless action is taken soon, UK clubbing could be “extinct” by the end of the decade. An average of three clubs a week are shutting permanently, and if this pattern continues then all spaces in the UK will have disappeared by 2030.

DNB: In for Life, the mini documentary from Spotify and Drumsheds is out now and available to watch on Youtube.

O’Connor’s music was streamed 243,000 times from July 24-25, before that number rose to 7.3 million from July 26-27 following the sad news of her death at age 56. Her famous cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” racked up 3.2 million streams alone during the week and amassed an additional 10,000 downloads. UK statistics are yet to be released.

Listen to “Nothing Compares 2 U” below:

The Irish musician and activist was found unresponsive at her London home on July 26th and shortly thereafter pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have yet to disclose an official cause, but have ruled out any possibility of foul play.  

O’Connor, whose death comes 18 months after her 17-year-old son took his own life, had been publicly vocal about her mental health struggles and was hospitalised on her own volition in early 2022 after revealing suicidal thoughts in a string of since-deleted tweets.

Following the tragic news of the singer’s passing, tributes flooded in from all over the world, with many prominent music industry figures sharing touching messages on social media. Bryan Adams wrote: “RIP Sinéad O’Connor, I loved working with you making photos, doing gigs in Ireland together and chats, all my love to your family.”

RIP Sinéad O’Connor, I loved working with you making photos, doing gigs in Ireland together and chats, all my love to your family. pic.twitter.com/49ryuIhGTQ

— Bryan Adams (@bryanadams) July 26, 2023

Ian Brown also reminisced about his shared experiences with the singer, a woman he deemed a “beautiful soul”.

RiP SiNEAD O’CONNOR A Beautiful Soul. Hearin Collaborating with and hearing Sinead sing my songs in the studio in Dublin was magical and a highlight of my musical life. A Beautiful soul LOVE TO HER FAMILY X

— Ian Brown (@ianbrown) July 26, 2023

Morrissey and Lily Allen, however, criticised their peers, condemning the empty platitudes offered up by personalities who hadn’t supported O’Connor while she was alive. 

It’s hard not to feel incensed when there are so many people posting about Sinead and how fearless she was, people who would never in a million years align themselves with with anybody who stood for something or had anything remotely controversial to say. It’s so spineless. If…

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) July 30, 2023

Allen recently took to Twitter to express her dismay at the “spineless” tributes posted by people who only empathised with the Irish singer in death, while the former Smiths frontman released a lengthy message on his website:

“[…] The cruel playpen of fame gushes with praise for Sinéad today…with the usual moronic labels of ‘icon’ and ‘legend’. You praise her now only because it is too late. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you. […] Music CEOs who had put on their most charming smile as they refused her for their roster are queuing-up to call her a ‘feminist icon’, and 15 minute celebrities and goblins from hell and record labels of artificially aroused diversity are squeezing onto Twitter to twitter their jibber-jabber. […]”

Never one to shy away from controversy, O’Connor was known for her outspoken nature and strong beliefs, consistently bringing attention to issues such as child abuse and women’s rights. In 1992, she famously tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a performance on the TV show Saturday Night Live, in protest of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Although the stunt attracted much criticism, O’Connor remained undeterred in her activism – in her 2021 memoir she declared that it was more important for her to be a protest singer than a successful pop star.