oldskool jungle

January 18, 2009 9:00 AM

blog to the oldskool, collecting obscure & long forgotten 91-95 oldschool hardcore/jungle gems, live sets, and more oldies from the golden era of jungle .
posted by geos (43 comments total)

Respect!
posted by Artw at 9:18 AM on January 18

Oh Gosh!
posted by gman at 9:26 AM on January 18

Oh yes
posted by Artw at 9:26 AM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Wow, this is great. This is the REALLY old school stuff, before they even started chopping the breaks very much. I love jungle and haven't really heard too much from its earliest period, so I'm digging this.
posted by DecemberBoy at 9:40 AM on January 18

I do kind of wonder if another form of music capable of causing such a degree og inter-generational terror will be along in my lifetime, or if the late 20th century was pretty much the highpoint for that.
posted by Artw at 9:40 AM on January 18

Thank you, I needed some music this morning.
posted by sunshinesky at 10:08 AM on January 18

I do kind of wonder if another form of music capable of causing such a degree og inter-generational terror will be along in my lifetime, or if the late 20th century was pretty much the highpoint for that.

I think the new inter-generational terror will be, and to a degree already is, shock and dismay at how soulless and gutless and prefabricated and corporate the kids' music is. I mean, I can't even fathom how anyone can stand the sight of the Jonas Brothers. Imagine another 10 years of refinement of that marketing formula.
posted by DecemberBoy at 10:14 AM on January 18

YES
posted by sandking at 10:24 AM on January 18

You're going to see an explosion of the most awesome digital noise ever in the next 2-3 years.

A generation of kids growing up with Ableton is going to show us the future.
posted by empath at 10:26 AM on January 18

A generation of kids growing up with Ableton is going to show us the future.

...more kids with better software doesn't necessarily mean better music, just more of it...it certainly is easier to bang out a track these days...
posted by mrblack at 10:47 AM on January 18

A generation of kids growing up with Ableton is going to show us the future.

A generation of kids growing up with Ableton so far has produced music that sounds like a generation of kids growing up with Ableton. I'm looking at you, minimal techno.
posted by Señor Pantalones at 10:55 AM on January 18 [2 favorites]

The vast majority of minimal techno is done by 30+ year olds. I know some kids that produce minimal, but they're just mimicking what's popular (and what they can sell), not really innovating. Deadmau5 is the only 'kid' i know of that's producing minimal stuff, but he's actually a lot more varied than that.
posted by empath at 11:04 AM on January 18

I meant to say that Deadmau5 is the only one I know that's really producing 'original' minimal stuff (as opposed to copying others)
posted by empath at 11:06 AM on January 18

BIG UPS
posted by ageispolis at 11:17 AM on January 18 [1 favorite]

The kids are awright. A generation of kids grew up with samplers and ended up producing an incredible array of stuff. The next kids will grow up with the new stuff (like Ableton) and take it to undiscovered places.

Fantastic blog.
posted by sektah at 11:31 AM on January 18

Oh my... the last time I heard this one must have been 15 years ago, blaring out of the tape deck of my mate's knackered Vauxhall Nova. Choooon.

The mutha beautiful sound of the British provincial town circa 93, when Romford was awash with cheap Akai samplers and chunky Double Doves.
posted by boosh at 11:43 AM on January 18 [1 favorite]

nice
posted by pyramid termite at 11:43 AM on January 18

I posted this on I Love Music (I'm a regular there) to almost total indifference, but early 90's DJ/producer Luna-C (Kniteforce/Krome & Time/DJ Force & The Evolution/etc.) has made pretty much his entire back catalog available for free.

If you've never heard of him, Luna-C kickstarted the infamous "Toytown Techno" movement with Sesame's Treet, but also has much more credible stuff in his discography - the tracks on offer range from piano-&-breakbeat rave-ups, to early trance, to straight up dark drum'n'bass. If you were following this music at the time you'll likely recognize some of the tracks (I had a mixtape in college with a bunch of these tunes). All downloads are 320 kbps with artwork, and Paypal donation is suggested but not mandatory.

(For the record, I'm not affiliated with Luna-C or Kniteforce, just very excited about this kind of music!!!)
posted by tantrumthecat at 11:45 AM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Does anyone know of any old skool jungle nights that are around at the moment? The only one I know of is Raindance and their partner nights (Moondance and Son of Dance).
posted by benwad at 12:11 PM on January 18

this is so awesome. found a lot of tracks i'd completely forgotten about. thanks!
posted by Señor Pantalones at 12:11 PM on January 18

There are lots of D&B parties in DC still, though not as many as their used to be.
posted by empath at 12:50 PM on January 18

Fantastic! Thanks for this post, geos.
posted by sveskemus at 1:30 PM on January 18

needs more monkey bars.
posted by ericbop at 1:49 PM on January 18

I read this as 'oldschool hardcore jungle gyms' and was expecting some serious steel structures.
posted by zippy at 1:57 PM on January 18

Good stuff. I was never a huge D&B fan but I remember being blown away by Goldie's Timeless album. My second listen was at the start of a 18 hour road trip, smoked a bit and just out of the Holland Tunnel into winter sun.
posted by exogenous at 3:08 PM on January 18

Heh. Nice. I listened to a lot of DnB in my "middle period" of electronic music listening. These days it's all noise, ambient, and minimalist music. But I still have fond memories of DnB. It's one of the most diverse genres of electronic, spawning what must be dozens of sub-genres.

P.S. I am one of those Ableton kids. Well, if you can call a guy in his late 20s a kid. :-)
posted by wastelands at 3:51 PM on January 18

Excellent find geos, thanks.
posted by punilux at 3:57 PM on January 18

If we used the term "Old Skool" in 1986 (and it was already getting a bit tired before my crowd started using it) I can't see how anything that came along a full decade later could use the same term.
posted by kanewai at 6:35 PM on January 18

Old School in this context refers to a particular genre of music-- "Old school uk breakbeat hardcore". Basically, breakbeatoriented-electronica before it fragmented into 'breaks', 'jungle', 'd&b' and 'happy hardcore'. The Time period involved is from 1990-96, basically, maybe even smaller -- 92-94.
posted by empath at 7:07 PM on January 18

the guy who made seasame treet? death is too good for him
posted by jcruelty at 7:43 PM on January 18

Nice find. Thanks for this.
posted by vronsky at 7:49 PM on January 18

If anyone wants to make your own jungle:

Roll Da Beats.
posted by empath at 7:50 PM on January 18 [1 favorite]

the guy who made seasame treet? death is too good for him
posted by jcruelty at 7:43 PM on January 18 [+] [!]

You probably hate kittens, puppies, and rainbows, too.

More seriously, don't be put off by the "Sesame's Treet" connection. (It's not even posted for download on that blog.)

As I've already mentioned above, Luna-C made a boatload of credible "scene" stuff before and after "Sesame's Treet", and he even writes about how having one of the first rave crossover tracks turned his world upside down - "Sesame's Treet" was made in an afternoon and never meant to be more than an in-joke. The song's success is retold as something of a cautionary tale.
posted by tantrumthecat at 8:21 PM on January 18

Alright, fair enough, at least he didn't show up on the telly, dressed as a cowboy
posted by jcruelty at 8:59 PM on January 18

Where did he come from? Where did he go?
posted by Artw at 10:32 PM on January 18

Just started listening to some Venetian Snares, which I didn't know existed until last month. Really reminded me of early 90s Screamtracker type stuff.
posted by benzenedream at 1:45 AM on January 19

Slammin'
posted by iivix at 5:37 AM on January 19

RIP Remarc remix is my lost gem of early (ish) D+B. A good example of the cutting up of beats and fsck me if it doesn't do what it says on the tin, DRUM AND BASS. Lost because I lent it to someone who never returned it. Two of the baddest basslines ever in one song, your PC speakers may not be able to reproduce the awe of the sound of this playing through a sound.

Reeeeewiiiiind!

I got a triple pack of vinyl from (The White Label) Labello Blanco called Christmas Pack or similar. Some nice examples of early D+B/late Happy Hardcore including 'Recession Jungle' by Bronx Massive, the more things change, the more they stay the same! Here it is! 1992!
posted by asok at 6:26 AM on January 19 [1 favorite]

Apropos of nothing, I did a nice mix with She Bangs the Drums by the Stone Roses and (possibly) the S Gachet tune on that Labello Blanco thing. Indie drum and bass original!
posted by asok at 6:41 AM on January 19

YT links to jungle and D+B raves. Check out the flyer in this link, filled with the same names who are still at it today!
posted by asok at 6:49 AM on January 19 [1 favorite]

Fuck yes, bangin post.
posted by everichon at 8:07 AM on January 19 [1 favorite]

This is my favorite jungle song by a long way.

It made me cry the first time I heard it. Of course, it was 6am and the sun was coming up, and all that, but man, wow that melody is beautiful.
posted by empath at 9:27 AM on January 19

http://hardcoreuknowthescore.blogspot.com/
www.thejunglepreserve.org
http://bristolradiorecordings.blogspot.com/
http://www.renegaderadio.co.uk/
http://ravers-choice.blogspot.com/
http://www.oldskooltime.blogspot.com/
posted by Señor Pantalones at 11:31 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]