D-beat

D-beat

Encyclopedia

Tutorials

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Directory

Email this to a friend D-beat

D-beat

D-beat (also known as Discore^[1] and käng, in Sweden^[2]) is a style of street punk developed in the early 1980s by imitators of Discharge, for whom the genre is named.^[3] The first such group was The Varukers.^[1] The vocal content of D-beat tends towards shouted slogans. The style is distinct from its predecessors by its minimal lyrical content and greater proximity to heavy metal. It is closely associated with crust punk, which is a heavier, more complex variation.^[2] D-beat bands typically have anti-war, anarchist messages and closely follow the bleak nuclear war imagery of 1980s anarcho-punk bands. The style was particularly popular in Sweden, and developed there by groups such as Anti Cimex,^[4] Mob 47,^[5] Driller Killer,^[4] and Wolfbrigade.^[4] Totalitär, Avskum, Skitsystem, and Disfear^[6] are contemporary Swedish D-beat groups. Other D-beat groups include Disclose, from Japan; Crucifix and Final Conflict, from the U.S.; Ratos de Porão, from Brazil; and MG15, from Spain.

Drum beat

Scandinavian D-beat
Legacy
Bibliography
See also
References

Drum beat

The name "D-beat" refers to a specific drumbeat, associated with Tez Roberts, Discharge's first drummer,^[3] though rock musicians such as Buzzcocks and Diamond Head had used the beat previously. The term was coined by Rich Militia, the singer of Sore Throat, in 1988, to describe the drum pattern played by Dave "Bambi" Ellesmere, Roberts's replacement, on Discharge's EP Why?.

Three versions of D-beat drum tabs:

First (listen to sample): H:|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:|| S:|--o---o---o---o-:|| K:|o---oo--o---oo--:|| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & S=snare K=kick H=hihat

Second (listen to sample):

the 'D-Beat' in musical notation

H:|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:||
S:|--o---o---o---o-:||
K:|o--o-o--o--o-o--:||
   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &            S=snare K=kick  H=hihat

Third (like early Anti-Cimex and Discharge): C:|x--x-x--x--x-x--:|| S:|--o---o---o---o-:|| K:|o--o-o--o--o-o--:|| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & S=snare K=kick C=crash

Scandinavian D-beat

Early Scandinavian D-beat bands, such as Anti Cimex, are associated with very noisy and distorted guitar. This wave of D-beat hardcore punk emerged in the early 1980s, particularly in 1983 with the release of Anti Cimex's second 7" Raped Ass EP, notable for its raw recording and prominent Discharge influence. Some of the more distinctly fast-sounding Swedish bands, such as Mob 47, essentially employ a very fast D-beat. Scandinavian bands, including Totalitär, Skitsystem, Wolfbrigade, and Disfear, remain some of the most well-known D-beat bands, although their more modern sound has cleaved closely to developments in crust punk and extreme metal.

Legacy

Discharge and other D-beat bands influenced the thrash metal bands of the mid-1980s (particularly Metallica, Anthrax and Sepultura). However, D-beat's influence on the genre was not as pervasive as the American hardcore punk of the time. The popular punk band Rancid also borrowed from D-beat, particularly on their fifth album, released in 2000 at the height of the D-beat revival.

Although bands have played in this style since the early 1980s, hardcore punk is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in Discharge and Scandinavian/Japanese- influenced hardcore. Many of these bands also take inspiration from crust punk; bands such as Wolfbrigade and Tragedy are largely responsible for the movement towards fusing the driving Discharge sound with dark, melodic elements reminiscent of Amebix.

Bibliography

Glasper, Ian (2004). Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984. Cherry Red Books.
Jandreus, Peter (2008). The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977-1987. Stockholm: Premium Publishing.