Rolldabeats
Encyclopedia
rolldabeats is an online music database
dedicated to drum and bass
and its various stylistic origins. It was launched in February 2005 by the original webmaster
Thijs Engels, and web design
er Tom "Haste" Johnson. According to the website, the database holds over 100,000 tracks released by more than 20,000 artists.
and then later as an Excel
worksheet. The database grew and after five years Engels decided to make the database available online. In late 2001 he launched Tarzan using the database compiled from his personal music collection. With the help of site visitors through the guestbook
and forum
, the database continued to expand in both detail and volume.
In 2005 the website was redesigned by Haste, one of the contributors from the Tarzan forum, and was relaunched as rolldabeats in February with its own domain name
. It is now co-owned by Engels and Haste and maintained by a small team of site moderators, and has subsequently collected information on over 100,000 tracks released by more than 20,000 artists.
The site was nominated twice for Best Website in the Dutch Drum 'n' Bass Awards of 2006–07, losing to DnBForum.nl on both occasions, and taking joint second with 3VOOR12
in the latter. It has also promoted a series of DJ mix
es titled "A Decade in the Mix" by various members of the site staff which illustrate the development of drum and bass in the 1990s. The site held a fundraiser
on 3 November 2007, hosted by London
nightclub
DiTch, featuring several live sets
including DJ Bailey of BBC Radio 1Xtra
.
. The site owners are considering incorporating features such as audio clips of tracks, and music videos. The site also has an active Internet forum for announcements and submitting updates.
Site content is collected in several different ways. Originally the database was compiled from Engels' personal music collection, and later extended from the collections of site moderators. Some of the data is also gathered from online research by the site staff. The site also gathers much of its information from visitors through a forum, as well as other means including e-mail
and instant messaging
, which is then confirmed and added manually by a site moderator. Visitors, particularly artists and label owners, are openly encouraged to submit updates on any information that is missing or incorrect.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
dedicated to drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and its various stylistic origins. It was launched in February 2005 by the original webmaster
Webmaster
A webmaster , also called a web architect, web developer, site author, or website administrator is a person responsible for maintaining one or many websites...
Thijs Engels, and web design
Web design
Web design is the process of planning and creating a website. Text, images, digital media and interactive elements are used by web designers to produce the page seen on the web browser...
er Tom "Haste" Johnson. According to the website, the database holds over 100,000 tracks released by more than 20,000 artists.
History
rolldabeats originally started as an offline database stored on Engels' computer, first as plain textPlain text
In computing, plain text is the contents of an ordinary sequential file readable as textual material without much processing, usually opposed to formatted text....
and then later as an Excel
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
worksheet. The database grew and after five years Engels decided to make the database available online. In late 2001 he launched Tarzan using the database compiled from his personal music collection. With the help of site visitors through the guestbook
Guestbook
A guestbook is a paper or electronic means for a visitor to acknowledge their visitation to a site, physical or web-based, and leave their name, postal or electronic address , and a comment or note, if desired...
and forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, the database continued to expand in both detail and volume.
In 2005 the website was redesigned by Haste, one of the contributors from the Tarzan forum, and was relaunched as rolldabeats in February with its own domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
. It is now co-owned by Engels and Haste and maintained by a small team of site moderators, and has subsequently collected information on over 100,000 tracks released by more than 20,000 artists.
The site was nominated twice for Best Website in the Dutch Drum 'n' Bass Awards of 2006–07, losing to DnBForum.nl on both occasions, and taking joint second with 3VOOR12
3VOOR12
3VOOR12 is a multimedia platform of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting VPRO for alternative pop.3VOOR12 has 2 digital television channels , different radio channels ranging from punk, Roots and Alternative rock to metal), radioprograms on 3FM, a website and a weekly live event...
in the latter. It has also promoted a series of DJ mix
DJ mix
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. When a DJ mix or DJ mixset is recorded onto some medium, it is often referred to as a mix tape...
es titled "A Decade in the Mix" by various members of the site staff which illustrate the development of drum and bass in the 1990s. The site held a fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
on 3 November 2007, hosted by London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
DiTch, featuring several live sets
DJ mix
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. When a DJ mix or DJ mixset is recorded onto some medium, it is often referred to as a mix tape...
including DJ Bailey of BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1...
.
Content
rolldabeats provides information on artists, releases and record labels which includes catalogue numbers, track listings, release dates and cover artworkAlbum cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
. The site owners are considering incorporating features such as audio clips of tracks, and music videos. The site also has an active Internet forum for announcements and submitting updates.
Site content is collected in several different ways. Originally the database was compiled from Engels' personal music collection, and later extended from the collections of site moderators. Some of the data is also gathered from online research by the site staff. The site also gathers much of its information from visitors through a forum, as well as other means including e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
, which is then confirmed and added manually by a site moderator. Visitors, particularly artists and label owners, are openly encouraged to submit updates on any information that is missing or incorrect.