DnB Girls Present: XII (A Review)

DnB Girls Present: XII (a review) #dnbgirls #tallygtuesdays #drumandbassproper #usdnb #nadnb #cadnb #dnb #jungle #neurofunk #minimal #techstep #jumpup

If you call yourself an American or Canadian junglist, you have most likely heard of the DNB Girls, a prestigious collective of women who are artists, producers, song writers, singers, and DJs, all within the realm of drum and bass and jungle.  There are a couple of dozen members, all from the United States and Canada.  On April 12 of this year, 2025, they are set to release their first-ever compilation in conjunction with Amina.

DNB Girls Present:  XII is described by the DNB Girls as “a harmonious blend of talent, collaboration, and feminine energy.”  They go on to state that “this unique compilation album sheds a light on the incredible talent and creativity of female artists in the North American drum and bass scene.  With every track produced or performed by DNB Girls and their collaborators, this project is a true celebration of unity, collaboration, and the undeniable power of women in music.”  The compilation was assembled “by Jams and Mizeyesis (the two co-founders and leaders of the DnB Girls) with Aversive on engineering duties” and “marketing support by Arietta”.  This compilation is a true team effort.

I received a pre-promo of this release so that I could utilize some of the tracks in my annual DJ mix; this mix, DNB Becomes Her, showcases the talents of female-identifying producers, musicians, and vocalists, and every track on the compilation was a viable candidate for the mix.  I ended up using seven of the twelve tracks, although I attempted to include every song. Here is a short description of each:

Arietta x Clay Adams:  “Not Scared”

Chill synth pads complemented with saxophone samples form the introductory phrase, giving off a sexy, relaxed vibe that is reminiscent of the late 90s house music scene.  Smooth-voiced Clay Adams sing-raps about big things popping until the drop hits, a fantastically energetic two-step and verrrrrry funky bass-line.  This tune is big!

Aversive featuring Bvitae:  “It All Comes Together”

Lush and gorgeous piano introduces this rolling track to the listener.  Sultry-voiced Bvitae complements this soulful song with her powerful lyrics about everything coming together slowly.  It is a smooth ride through and through!

PHNX & Horge:  “Prove It”

This dark and techy minimal roller begins with a half-step vibe for the first phrase of the introduction, followed by a swift change to two-step drum and bass that begins simply and progresses richly through the track.  DNB Girl PHNX complements the deep music with her velvety voice, singing about proving it and moving it.  This track would be an excellent addition to any sexy liquid, groovy minimal, or in a more energetic tech-step set.

S1 & Distinct:  “Crabs Legs”

Intense and menacing pulsing synthesizer sounds accompanied by a deep and smoothly progressive kick drum culminate in a drop that is fun and funky.  It’s a little bit dance-floor, a little bit neuro, and a little bit jump-up.  It’s a combination of things that lead to a drum and bass track that is a lot more playful than the dark and ominous intro leads one to believe.

Mizeyesis:  “Ease Up Junglist…. Feel Nice”

This gorgeous jungle track is a love song to jungle.  It is reminiscent of the early days of atmospheric jungle, the kind you could have on as background music way back when.  Lush pads and a light rhythm begin the track which is quickly joined by a stretched out sample of “jungle is massive” (indeed it is!) and the sexy and legendary Reese bass.  Drums are then introduced drumfunk style.  The fourth phrase is the pre-drop breakdown where the drums take a short break.  The drop is preceded by some more classic ragga vocals.  The drop is all of this plus a gorgeously programmed set of amen chops.

BHOP & Dvine MC:  “Gridworker”

This drum and bass and bass music power couple knocked it out of the park with this ditty.  This deep, dark, and conscious track begins with a booming bass-line and light two-step that is the perfect backdrop for Dvine MC’s fluid rapping skills.  Her lyric game and way about spitting rhymes is next-level.

Dubschoo featuring MissFudge:  “Smokey Waters"

This classic-sounding soulful roller is on the deeper side.  MissFudge sings alluringly about exploring the ocean.  Once the drop hits, the sound changes from beautiful to edgy due to the crunchy and distorted neurofunk bass.  The song is punctuated with bits of bass to keep things interesting.

Jen Symmetry: “Low Key Sass”

This entertaining track begins with nothing more than a synthesized sample of her son whining for drum and bass.  The track then gains some melody which follows through to the drop, a combination of crunchy computer sounds and ethereal chirps.  It’s a fun track with a really fun sample!

Nvrsoft & JMOD:  “Torrential”

Soft and inviting piano coincides with my personal favorite sound—a thunderstorm—in the introduction.  This plus drums work their way towards the drop, a nod to both rollers and tech-step/minimal.  This track is probably one of the most versatile of the compilation.

Arietta:  “Cyberflow”

Beginning with a techy synth loop and a softly cooing voice; the pace picks up with the addition of quicker, more anticipatory drums and a clear, vibrant female voice singing about the digital world and neon.  This voice and the drums then rapidly progress in intensity, culminating in a DROP accompanied by some powerful singing.  This cyberpunkesque tune has an edgy feel to it that would fit into any peak hour drum and bass set.

Aversive featuring MissFudge:  “Silent Ghost”

Rhythmic tambourines accompanied by foreboding atmospheric sounds begin the first half of the first phrase, where this is joined by a drum, which is quickly followed with a kick and a snare.  Bring in a guitar-like sample and haunting and hypnotic vocals provided by MissFudge and you have Silent Ghost, a deep, dark, and expressive take on drum and bass.

Crystalfresh:  “Wake Up”

Crystalfresh’s track rocks, literally!  The beginning is fairly simple, a basic drum beat with a deep and ominous, looming bass-line.  This is then joined in the second phrase by an electric guitar and a seductive, growling male voice singing about waking up to face his death.  After two phrases, the song goes full neuro with no remorse, chockfull of crunchy, techy, glitchy goodness..  This is a banger if I ever heard one!

You may have noticed that the title of the compilation is XII, roman numerals showing twelve. You also may have noticed that there are twelve tracks on the album.  Why twelve?  The running themes of XII  are “duality, harmony, and completion” through the feminine and masculine and yin & yang.  There will be a more detailed writeup to come with the release of this compilation, so stay tuned!

I’ll be back in a few weeks with the next edition of drum and bass sample history.

Tally G