John Bryn Williams (born 12 July 1977, Maidenhead, Berkshire) performs as John B. He is an English producer and DJ whose primary work within the drum and bass/jungle sphere sits around drum and bass, drumstep and liquid-leaning styles — specifically noted for pioneering the "trance and bass" and "electrostep" approaches to DnB.

Williams began producing around the age of 14. He grew up in the South + East of the United Kingdom and moved into electronic production in his teens. Public biographical detail on his early influences is limited, but his recorded output and public profile show a consistent threading of trance and electro aesthetics into drum and bass frameworks.

As a producer John B’s signature is the explicit fusion of trance/electro timbres with DnB break programming — the musical claim behind the labels "trance and bass" and "electrostep." Practically, that translates to prominent, melodic lead synths and arpeggiated pads layered over punchy, cut-up amen and amen-adjacent breaks. His productions characteristically place bright, trance-style synth hooks up front while keeping drum programming tight and quantised for club clarity. Bass design tends to favour mid-range presence and harmonically rich tones that sit under the melodic elements rather than the purely sub-heavy approach; mixdowns emphasise separation between synth layers and break/transient detail so the melodic material survives on louder systems.

As a DJ John B blends those production tendencies into his sets: he often programs long transitions that allow trance-derived synth lines and electro stabs to breathe alongside classic DnB drums. His sets favour track selection that highlights cross-genre links — techno/trance textures folded into rollers and brighter liquid tracks — and he uses phrasing and EQ to bring melodic elements forward without losing punch on the drums.

On the career side, John B founded and runs the drum and bass label Beta Recordings. He has released music on established electronic labels including Metalheadz, Planet Mu and Formation Records, and has built a profile around the trance/electro hybrid approaches inside DnB. In 2010 he appeared in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJs poll at number 76, a public marker of his crossover visibility that year. Beyond studio work and label management, his activity as a DJ and producer has been the vehicle for promoting trance-and-bass and electrostep ideas within drum and bass programming.

Specific collaborators and individual release titles are not supplied here; verifiable label credits include Beta Recordings (his own imprint) and releases on Metalheadz, Planet Mu and Formation Records. Those label associations reflect both drum and bass lineage (Metalheadz) and more experimental electronic contexts (Planet Mu), matching his hybrid production approach.

Public statements about his direct influences are limited in available sources. The clear through-line in John B’s output is a practical influence from trance and electro production techniques applied inside drum and bass structures — that compositional choice is the factual basis for the "trance and bass" and "electrostep" tags attached to his name. He continues to operate from the South + East of the United Kingdom and to run Beta Recordings as a centre for his releases and related projects.

Raves & Dances

Date range

Location

A NIGHT WITH Gourski

Royal Rumble DNB present: John B