Neurofunk
Breaks · 1997 · 170 to 178 BPM · also known as Neuro, Neuro DnB
Neurofunk is the systematic refinement of techstep from 1998 onward: constantly modulating basslines, surgically precise mixing and a cold, functional groove. The term itself came from criticism, coined by Simon Reynolds, before the scene adopted it as its own. Through the 2000s, Noisia turned this approach into a worldwide production standard, admired and imitated far beyond drum and bass, reaching into metal and video game soundtracks. It favours engineering precision over emotion: every element is mixed and processed to a near-forensic degree, with the bass treated as a constantly evolving sound design problem rather than a simple melodic line.
13 reference tracks
- Ed Rush and Optical: Funktion (1997)
- Black Sun Empire: Arrakis (2004)
- Noisia: Stigma (2007)
- Noisia: Machine Gun (2010)
- Mefjus: Blackout (2013)
- Mefjus, Camo & Krooked: Sientelo (2021)
- Noisia & The Upbeats: Dustup (2019)
- Sewerslvt: Looming.Sorrow.Descent
- Noisia: Collider
- Noisia: Could This Be
- Noisia: Diplodocus
- Noisia: Anomaly
- Noisia: Concussion
At a glance
- Tempo: 170 to 178 BPM
- First appeared: around 1997
- Machines: Native Instruments FM8, Xfer Serum
- The sound: Reese multi-bandes resamplée, Serum et FM8, Éditions de drums millimétrées, Chaînes de resampling documentées
- Labels: Vision Recordings, Virus Recordings, Renegade Hardware, Subtitles, Eatbrain, Blackout
- Key artists: Noisia, Ed Rush & Optical, Black Sun Empire, Phace, Mefjus
Producing Neurofunk
Neurofunk sits at a fixed 172 to 174 BPM with no swing, and the word funk is key: the beat stays a rigid two-step, kick on beat 1 and the and of 3, snare on 2 and 4 with a ghost hit, but the bass syncopates in sixteenths like a funk line played by a robot, its groove from the contrast between static drums and a bass that bounces and changes timbre note to note. Layer the kick from a short click and a 909 body, stack the snare from several sample-aligned hits with no reverb, program hats with tiny variation. The signature bass is a multiband-resampled Reese, two detuned oscillators split into three bands and processed separately, clean lows, distorted mids, FM'd highs, then bounced back and reworked. Serum supplies the Reese, FM8 the metallic, talking basslines.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Neurofunk?
Neurofunk is the systematic refinement of techstep from 1998 onward: constantly modulating basslines, surgically precise mixing and a cold, functional groove. The term itself came from criticism, coined by Simon Reynolds, before the scene adopted it as its own. Through the 2000s, Noisia turned…
What tempo is Neurofunk played at?
Between 170 and 178 BPM.
Who are the key Neurofunk artists?
Noisia, Ed Rush & Optical, Black Sun Empire, Phace, Mefjus.
