Quiet type of music starts off nicely, ending loud with explosive bit (8)
I believe the answer is:
shrapnel
'explosive bit' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'quiet type of music starts off nicely ending loud' is the wordplay.
'quiet' becomes 'sh' (both can be said to tell someone to be quiet).
'type of music' becomes 'rap' (music genre).
'starts off' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'nicely ending loud' is 'nel'.
'sh'+'rap'+'nel'='SHRAPNEL'
'with' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shrapnel that I've seen before include "Projectile fragments" , "Metal fragments from explosion" , "Flying debris" , "Scattered pieces from a bursting shell" , "bursting shells" .)