Comments on: Born from jungle techno, the amen break, hip-hop and dub: a history of Drum'n'Bass

Born from jungle techno, the amen break, hip-hop and dub: a history of Drum'n'Bass

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:28:59 -0800

Perhaps you were there in 1991 when someone spun We Are i.e. for the first time. Maybe you were a suburban rebel in the mid 1990s, listening to British pirate radio and taping the broadcasts. Or you kept it legit and heard Fabio and Grooverider on Kiss FM or BBC Radio 1. Perhaps you only caught wind of it when Goldie was on BBC's Maestro (prev). You might spend your time figuring out which breaks were used, from the well-known Amen, Brother sample (prev), to Both Eyes Open by Lucille Brown & Billy Clark. Or maybe you don't know the difference between clownstep and liquid funk, but it sounds like something you want to know more about. Step inside, junglist, and embrace the bass.

There are many versions of the history of Jungle or Drum and Bass. Most histories note the shift of hardcore techno / rave styles into higher BPMs and the addition of reggae and dub influences, often citing Innerzone Orchestra's Bug In The Bassbin (1992), Baz De Conga (1990), and the experiments of Plaid (1991) and Meat Beat Manifesto (1990) as precursors to what would become drum and bass. Others note the asynchronous beats on Frankie Bones BonesBreaks records (from the first volume: Bass Rock Beats, and Vol. 2: Jamming Breakdown 2) as playing a significant role in the shift of styles. Whatever the origin, the general sound of jungle and drum'n'bass can be characterized by fast breakbeats (often sampled from a variety of sources and filtered in a variety of ways) and heavy bass lines. Jungle picked up steam quickly, moving from being non-existent in 1990, transitioning from techno and breakbeat hardcore to "jungle techno" with a first few tracks in 1991, then coming on strong on pirate airwaves and rave circuits in 1992. Things turned legit in 1994, with jungle getting featured on Radio 1, and the press, record industry and legal radio stations like Kiss FM had finally woken up to Jungle. The focus of the day was around ragga jungle, which featured more of a reggae groove and prominent MCs, putting a voice and a face to the otherwise mysterious DJs behind their decks and even more hidden producers. The peak of ragga jungle was brief, mirroring the rise and fall of "General" Barrington Levy, who was the voice of M-Beat's "Incredible." In a prominent magazine interview, Levy said such things as: "I run jungle at the moment" and "I came along and bigged up jungle. I took it national", examples of typical MC bombast. But those words were felt to be more than posturing from others in the jungle community. A self-appointed "jungle committee" (believed to include Grooverider, Goldie, Jumping Jack Frost and DJ Ron) formed to keep the music from getting too commercial, and amongst other things decided that "Incredible" shouldn't be played by anyone claiming to represent jungle. DJ Rap, one of the few female jungle DJs, played it anyway and was blacklisted from events. But regardless of committees, times changed, and so did the sounds. Rap's 1994 track Spiritual Aura was something of a precursor to one side of the sound of jungle: "intelligent drum'n'bass" (though LT[J] Bukem was headed there in '91 with the Logical Progression EP). LTJ Bukem started his Good Looking Records with the atmospheric Demon's Theme (backed with the much harder A Couple Of Beats), and continued towards more atmospheric DnB with Peshay, PFM, Blame, and Blu Mar Ten, to name a few. On the other side of the drum'n'bass divide were the harder sounds, like hard step found on DJ Hype's label True Playaz, which opened shop in 1996 with Hype's single Peace Love & Unity / And Remember Folks. Jump-Up is another off-shoot, which is still hard, but with more hip-hop and funk influences, like those found on Urban Takeover the label of Aphrodite and Micky Finn. That label also started in 1996, with Aphrodite and Micky Finn collaborating on Bad Ass / Drop Top Caddy. An even more intense branch of Jungle was also started around this time. Breakcore, which would go on to get it's own sub-genres, may have started with Alec Empire and his Digital Hardcore Recordings (DHR) label. The sound fused intense drum patterns with more abrasive sounds, as heard here on a track from his album The Destroyer, released in 1996. One of the genre's sub-genres is Raggacore, which brought back the reggae influences. But I digress, back to the jungle. In 1995, Jungle's first full-fledged celebrity hit it big. Goldie sold 150,000 copies of 2-disc album Timeless in the UK alone. The album was released not on his own Metalheadz label, which he formed the year before with fellow junglists Kemistry (Kemi Olusanya) and Storm (Jane Conneely), but on the larger dance label FFRR (Full Frequency Range Recordings). It was around 1996 that Jungle became Drum'n'Bass, at least according to Fabio, who had been involved as a DJ in London (Brixton, more precisely) starting back in 1984. Where Jungle was a media star in 1994, rising over hardcore with it's "cartoonish" elements, '96 saw Jungle become something sinister in media coverage. The ragga elements disappeared by-and-large, and the style was widely labeled Drum'n'Bass. 1997 saw Roni Size expand his sound with the help of a crew of musicians, going as Roni Size / Reprazent. Their sound was a blending many styles, as heard on Brown Paper Bag (YT/Vevo / DailyMotion), the first single from their double-disc set New Forms. The album won the Mercury Prize for 1997, and the group took their show live in 1998. Regardless of these strides, 1998 was the year Drum'n'Bass died (down). Some mark it as the curse of the Mercury Prize, while others see the rise of Garage as replacing the interest in jungle/drum'n'bass. This death was an incomplete one, as 1998 also saw the birth of Techstep, a dark and cold sound made by the near-exclusive use of synthesized or sampled sound sources, exemplified by Bad Company's track The Nines (1998). Techstep is something of a scion from Neurofunk, a term coined by English music critic Simon Reynolds, which is considered to have started with Optical - To Shape The Future (1997). No U-Turn, the UK label owned and run by Nico (Nicholas Kristian Sykes), is amongst the current adherents to the styles of Neurofunk and Techstep. 1999 was the lull before a broader re-birth, but it did not pass wholly without remark. Hospital Records founders Tony Colman and Chris Goss release the first album for their label, and their first album as the duo London Elektricity, entitled Pull the Plug. The sound was equated with the Roni Size / Reprazent "New Forms" LP, but there's more jazz to the whole thing. The sound is a lot broader than "liquid d'n'b," and the label reflects that, being only open to new sounds and styles. Drum'n'Bass came back with a swing, as heard on Shimon & Andy C's Body Rock (2001). The tune was released on RAM Records, one of the labels that had been around since the beginnings of Jungle, as seen with the label's 4th release, Valley of the Shadows by Origin Unknown. The new sound of Clownstep, a circus-style mock-swing beat with the goofy bassline and silly hoovers. Twisted Individual's Bandwagon Blues (2003) was his call-out to the biters copying his style. This, in turn, saw the release of John B's Rinse It Out Propa (FKA Blandwagon Poos) (2004), knocking on Twisted Individual. Some drum'n'bass communities generally spoke ill of anything that could be called Clownstep, while other groups embraced the options for a new, happy sound. As the 2000s progressed, the sounds of Drum'n'Bass diversified, with some labels re-issuing early 1990s material alongside new remixes, while other labels brought back jungle and ragga-influenced styles. Drum'n'Bass went live in a big way, with Hospital Records and London Elektricity making use of live musicians, Pendulum toured their soundwith live vocals, guitars and bass, looking more like a rock concert than a club set. KJ Sawka made a name for himself as a live jungle and drum'n'bass drummer, and other live groups have formed, changing the sound of recorded and live drum'n'bass. A further diversification of d'n'b has come from it's own artists venturing into similar genres. The UK group Aquasky have shifted over time, from drum'n'bass on Moving Shadow, Reinforced & Good Looking, then created their own d'n'b, breaks and hip-hop label, Passenger, with sub-labels Sonix and Incident for drum'n'bass tunes, plus 777 Records was created to lighten the load on the primary Passenger label. DJ Zinc, best known for Super Sharp Shooter (1996) and his Fugees bootleg remix (1996), got started on the garage tip in 1999 / 2000 after the last track on his Beats by Design EP got radioplay from garage DJs. Then there is the electro/trance'n'bass (YT) producer/DJ, John B, with his labels Beta Recordings for anything he fancies, Nu Electro Recordings for the electro'n'bass, Tangent Recordings for the more fluid sounds, and Chihuahua Recordings for the latin side of D'n'B. But if (broadly) South American-influenced drum'n'bass is your cup of tea, seek out Sambass. DJ Marky and Drumagick are some of the big names in Brazilian drum'n'bass-style production, as heard on Drumagick's Easy Boom (2002) and the track by DJ Marky & XRS - LK (2002), both which incorporate elements of Take It Easy My Brother Charles by Jorge Ben Jor. If you still want more, here are some documentaries: * A London Somet'ing Dis (1993/4, 25min 28sec, MySpace vid or 3-part YT: 1, 2, 3, which is a tad longer) * Talkin' Headz - The Metalheadz Documentary (1998, 4-part YT: 1, 2, 3, 4) * Welcome to the Jungle - Rude FM (min sec, 2 part YouTube); a short documentary on Rude FM 88.2, and the uploader Gold Seal Stable has more Rude FM clips, as well as a lot of Goldseal Records material (Discogs / Roll Da Beats) * Modern Times, a LTJ Bukem documentary in 2 parts on YT * London Pirates video collection - low quality vids, but some pieces aren't found elsewhere And if it's mixsets you're looking for, there are plenty: * The Jungle Preserve Vault - mixes hosted on MediaFire * Dubshack on Golden Era Jungle, hosting mixes from the beginning to more modern stuff * Ragga Jungle forums, but you'll have to register and say hello first * Drum & Bass mix search engine - does what it says on the tin

By: somergames

somergames — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:32:21 -0800

I'm in awe.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:36:53 -0800

I'm a junkie.

By: oddman

oddman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:47:01 -0800

Digital Hardcore: it's not music if dancing to just one song isn't an exhausting workout and no one is screaming at you. (I was a big fan of Atari Teenage Riot in my youth, I still listen to them on occasion.)

By: vbfg

vbfg — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:47:30 -0800

Woah, this may take some time. Nice one, Filthy.

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:48:55 -0800

It's rare that I hit a thread and find myself thinking about what snacks I can gather to take me through it. Awesome.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:52:21 -0800

ATR and Alec Empire deserve their own post, and they got the nod here due to a comment by DecemberBoy in the Trance history post.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:55:20 -0800

Is this something I'd have to have a... no, I can't do it. this post is just too awesome. marry me, filthy light thief.

By: 999

999 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:55:46 -0800

This is simply immense. Thank you.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:56:50 -0800

Jesus.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:57:01 -0800

I mean that in a good way.

By: preparat

preparat — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:00:08 -0800

Hold tight massive and crew! Favorited so hard!

By: Theta States

Theta States — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:02:24 -0800

!*LIGHTA*!

By: activitystory

activitystory — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:04:29 -0800

I think I need to put in for some vacation days to properly process this post. Ms. Activitystory will certainly be sorry she asked me to define DnB over the weekend.

By: DreamerFi

DreamerFi — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:05:37 -0800

I just wish you could be bother to add a link to your text.... I keeeeed.... awesome!

By: drowsy

drowsy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:05:51 -0800

Loving these music related posts, MeFites, thanks thief. Not sure if this fits the category but this reminds me that I've played mu-ziq's In Pine Effect for a day on repeat on more than one occasion, and must do so again.

By: everichon

everichon — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:09:33 -0800

* full elbows-and-forehead-to-floor Zen bow * Motherfuck.

By: wubwub

wubwub — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:11:34 -0800

Awesome write-up from an original junglist (I was there when it mutated from old-skool happy hardcore!)

By: Theta States

Theta States — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:12:49 -0800

The history continues: Many of my favourite 93/94 tracks are finding life again, in dubstep form. Although it's kind of sad that kids these days aren't sampling the Slamming Vinyl cheese classics. So many crates of records... so many hazy memories... Slammin' Vinyl, Congo Natty, White House, Suburban Base, Tearin, Ganja, True Playaz, Moving Shadow... some amazing trustworthy labels. It was great being around in the last great heyday of vinyl. Before CDJs and MP3s, if you had those old 12"s, they were good as gold.

By: symbioid

symbioid — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:12:54 -0800

Excellent wonderful post :) I didn't see breakcore at first, then did ctrl-f and sure as shit, it was there! :) <3>a sweet vid on youtube of ed cox performing some of his trademark accordian clowncore :) Finally, may I recommend Modulations (youtube) documentary from the late 90s... Just was amazing and introduced me to the various genres (at least as existed then), and I got to see some of my faves and learned some new ones in new styles. I think this post is an early contender for post of the year!

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:21:38 -0800

Re: mu-Ziq - I skipped the ill-defined drill'n'bass and more of the esoteric Rephlex artists for the sake of ending this post today. The nebulous "braindance" stuff will get its due sometime =)

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:23:09 -0800

Oh my gosh, this is massive in here.

By: squasha

squasha — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:37:09 -0800

filthy light thief, I salute thee. It wasn't enough for me to simply favorite the FPP, I've just added it to my firefox bookmarks.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:41:20 -0800

Epic post!

By: drowsy

drowsy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:41:48 -0800

@filthy light thief I hear you, it's like herding nebuli! I'm going to dig in now and get educated! Cheers.

By: bashos_frog

bashos_frog — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:50:40 -0800

fuck. there goes my productivity. (Thanks for this, FLT)

By: carter

carter — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:59:21 -0800

Wonderful, many thanks! May I recommend: Earth Leakage Trip/Psychotronic Sounds, out on Moving Shadow in 1991 as well. Also, the mix CD of LTJ Bukem's Logical Progressions 1 is ace.

By: namagomi

namagomi — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:12:32 -0800

great post, thank you. my favorite atari teenage riot / alec empire clip. playing at the first of may riots in berlin and subsequently getting arrested.

By: hazyspring

hazyspring — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:15:21 -0800

DJ Zinc is now spinning slightly different music, the genre he calls "Crack House." Disenchanted by the lack of originality, DJ Zinc told his agent to stop taking bookings for drum'n'bass nights and abandoned the sound he once lived for. He took most of 2008 off to spend time with his young son and figure out how he wanted to move forward in his career, before returning this year to play a hybrid of house sounds. From deep house to funky house to fidget house, he ended up producing something that did not fit into any of these sub-genres. Check out his new single, Wile Out, feat. Ms. Dynamite.

By: the bricabrac man

the bricabrac man — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:21:03 -0800

sweet baby jesus. I knew there was a reason I bought this subwoofer.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:22:57 -0800

Thanks, hazyspring - truth be told, I'm out of touch with the really current trends in d'n'b, partially because I've found the past styles to be more interesting.

By: Webbster

Webbster — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:30:39 -0800

Ah I love a bit of drum & bass... Even bandwagonjumper Bowie's effort.

By: Twang

Twang — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:31:15 -0800

"what snacks I can gather". Snack? SNACK?! Man I never hadda *bookmark* a MF post, it just took me an hour to get through the first paragraph! Shee-it. Did you know that Winstons 45 got to R&B#2 in July 1969? Snack. Um hm that's right.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:37:27 -0800

(thought continued ...) my last "current" interest in Drum'n'Bass was Ben Sage, circa 2005 with his original music and his bootleg remixes. His first album came out in 2008, and it was pretty good, if you're into trance'n'bass type sounds, with some industrial edge (the first track actually sounds like VNV Nation). Did you know that Winstons 45 got to R&B#2 in July 1969? That's news to me. Keen fact! I picked up that single on vinyl, primarily so I could listen to the 5+ seconds in it's original form. I got into the track, and didn't really notice the drumbreak the first time I listened to the song all the way through. Also overlooked in the FPP (but discussed in my head): Amon Tobin, though he's another bloke who deserves his own post.

By: Chuffy

Chuffy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:39:52 -0800

Great post. We are I.e. is one of those irritating, repetitive, please-let-it-end-soon types of songs that I am glad to not listen to...but I am happy all the fans out there have found someone who they can bow down to in validation of their love of skipping records and annoying sounds.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:50:29 -0800

Crikey Moses! That's the most awesome FPP I've seen.

By: EvaDestruction

EvaDestruction — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:52:21 -0800

Okay, now I've flipped my opinion on the coming storm. Bring it Mother Nature! I want to have nowhere to go and nothing to do (except work through this post and thread) tomorrow!

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:34:50 -0800

Meat Beat Manifesto: Jack Dangers created Jungle with his single Radio Babylon and presided over its demise with Actual Sounds + Voices.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:40:31 -0800

My favourite track of the last few years was Wiley's Wearing My Rolex, but I can never figure out whether it's Drum and Bass or Dubstep or Grime or what. Also, no love for the production forums on Dogs on Acid? D&B is even more fun when you make it yourself.

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:51:57 -0800

I'm usually an advocate of single-link posts; "find something cool and post it" is my general mantra. But this! This is amazing. Thank you so much, flt.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:54:19 -0800

Come selecta! Amazing!

By: Kid Charlemagne

Kid Charlemagne — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:58:03 -0800

This may be in the original post (I mean like, there are whole weeks of Mefi that don't have as much meat as this one post) but check this out. This is like everything you ever wanted to know about the Amen Break presented as a junior high social studies film.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:23:02 -0800

infinitewindow - thanks for Radio Babylon (1990) - the Scaruffi history noted MBM as an early influence, but in my haste I didn't find that track. Kid Charlemagne - that video was originally covered by the Amen, Brother previous mention, linked above the fold. That previous FPP had some more info around the video, though it's a rather self-contained clip.

By: elmono

elmono — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:25:57 -0800

Fantastic Post. Tks Don't miss Spring Heel Jack's 68 Million Shades and Omni Trio's The Deepest Cut.

By: hazyspring

hazyspring — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:44:34 -0800

And now, the popular genre of the moment is Dubstep, which evolved from Drum and Bass and Garage. I'd love to see a post on the evolution of it. I would have to do a lot of research to do it justice. But, to me, dubstep is all about the bass.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:48:27 -0800

elmono - while stewing on things after posting this, I didn't address how Jungle/Drum'n'Bass is largely a 12" or single-based genre, though things have been shifting in the last 10+ years. There were a few notable albums in the 1990s, but the majority of tracks were only on records or compilations and mixes. DJ Rap's US Debut was "an unashamed bid for mainstream recognition," though that interview makes it sound like more of a personal choice to make whatever she wanted, instead of grabbing for State-side fame where d'n'b didn't have such a large market.

By: jnnla

jnnla — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:49:06 -0800

DAMN...before I even tackle this post I need to say THANK YOU! Brilliant stuff...

By: mrdaneri

mrdaneri — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:58:50 -0800

Amazing FPP. Thanks for going the extra mile.

By: kaiseki

kaiseki — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:17:28 -0800

bTruly mindblowing. Former amateur DJ and huge jungle/DnB fan . . . those heady mid 90's days were some of the best of my life. Huge respect for this post, wish I could favorite it a million times and I'm looking forward to sitting down with beer and headphones for this one.

By: runincircles

runincircles — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:18:24 -0800

Post of the year. You rock flt!

By: sio42

sio42 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:38:13 -0800

love me some jungle! and now i am looking forward to the coming storm for time to actually read (and listen!) to all this good stuff. you are very awesome, filthy light thief!!!

By: LMGM

LMGM — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:46:21 -0800

YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS. I came of age in the Toronto rave scene in the 90s, and I only realized later how lucky I was to be in the North American epicenter of jungle. Toronto Massive!! Ragga jungle anthems make me all misty-eyed. Super Sharp Shooter - Ganja Krew (Jump to 2:22 for the sickest part) Original Nuttah - Shy FX and UK Apache

By: LMGM

LMGM — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:51:04 -0800

Ooops. just saw that Super Sharp Shooter was already in the FPP. My sleep-deprived brain missed it among the bazillion links up in there.

By: rollbiz

rollbiz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:57:32 -0800

AWESOME POST. I can't wait to get home and spend my whole night with it. I made a post back in 2007 about Prohibited Beatz: A documentary featuring JoJo Meyer and his live DnB work, the NYC scene, the Cabaret Laws, and more.

By: EvaDestruction

EvaDestruction — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:05:07 -0800

the popular genre of the moment is Dubstep... I'd love to see a post on the evolution of it. empath got the foundation for that started a few months back in another epic post of excellence.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:16:27 -0800

LMGM - I was just about to post a mix from 1992, featuring Rufige Kru (Goldie & Freebase), DJ Phantasy, NRG and MC Reality, all live on James St Bass' Harddrive Show. CIUT 89.5 FM. November 22nd, 1992. in Toronto, Canada (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), clarifying the fact that Jungle was in North America before 1994 (Wikipedia currently states the rave scenes of New York and Toronto "embraced the transition of hardcore to jungle around 1994"). Bigup Toronto Jungle! Also, if the slang confuses you, here are a few helpers: Jungle Vocab and the disorganized Drum n Bass Dictionary.

By: Theta States

Theta States — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:53:05 -0800

Ooops. just saw that Super Sharp Shooter was already in the FPP. Then you should rep Toronto and post up Dup Plate Pressure!!!

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:17:25 -0800

This post is, my dear filthy light thief, is one of depth and breadth and quality, a splendid effort overall. I'd like to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest appreciation and gratitude. You, sir, are a MUHFUGGIN LINK MACHINE !

By: BillBishop

BillBishop — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:18:32 -0800

Would have loved to see a mention of Dj DB and Jason Jinx, who were among the first to bring the sound to NYC at the legendary NASA party (but only because I was there). Wicked, post, WICKED.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:13:21 -0800

BillBishop - thanks for the reminder. Here's an interview with DJ DB, where he talks about the short-lived NASA parties (July 92 - July 93), getting DJ Dara his first residency, and the birth of the Sm:)e label. Here's a short bio on Jinx, noting him as one of the first US DJs to spin dedicated drum'n'bass sets. Then there's DJ Soul Slinger, who was a bit later on the scene (circa 1994?), but he claims to have released the first jungle track in the US on the first US jungle label. I remember first hearing a track of his in 1998, remixing The B52s Rock Lobster. And I just now noticed a post from last year, oldskool jungle, highlighting blog to the oldskool, featuring mixes and tracks from the golden era of jungle (aka the early 1990s).

By: nervousfritz

nervousfritz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:31:49 -0800

A few of my old favorites: mutant jazz by "t power" deep blue helicopter b side the a side of that another helicopter remix t-power synthesis a pretty good live set that includes the helicopter track (there's 4 parts to that) Sorry I got so fixated on that one song

By: mistersquid

mistersquid — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:18:48 -0800

This is worth coming back for.

By: Samuel Farrow

Samuel Farrow — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:44:58 -0800

Ten years ago I worked with a guy in the UK who was apparently an early producer of the genre; he introduced himself to the DJ, Roni Size in the booth as Roni played his track out in 1994. Our job was slamming phones (telesales), but he owned a picture disk of Golide's single Digital, and had scratching skills. It left me in awe thinking a scene that small touched me in New Zealand.

By: empath

empath — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:28:30 -0800

Some of my favorite D&B choons: John B - Up All Night Anything by High Contrast -- Check out his 2003 essential mix. Talisman and Hudson - Leaving Planet Earth Would have loved to see a mention of Dj DB and Jason Jinx, who were among the first to bring the sound to NYC at the legendary NASA party (but only because I was there). Wicked, post, WICKED. IF you want to reminisce about the old east coast rave days, check out these classic Dieselboy/Scott Henry mix tapes from the 90s: East Coast Science Also, the Fever tapes are amazing.

By: empath

empath — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:30:33 -0800

Also at that east coast science link -- Scott Henry's The Gift from 1997, which IMO, is the greatest rave music mix ever made.

By: daHIFI

daHIFI — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:55:09 -0800

Great post, although I'm disappointed you didn't mention Planet of the Drums AKA AK1200, DJ Dara and Diesel Boy. Also the sickest m-f'ing Jungle track of all time. Diesel Boy's Messiah. Goddamn that intro could destroy a dance floor. Also worthy of mention is Pendulum's Slam, and High Contrast is also doing a good job of keeping the flame alive, he's got some solid Essential Mixes. Great post.

By: empath

empath — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:12:50 -0800

It's Konflict's Messiah.

By: Sutekh

Sutekh — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:27:35 -0800

RE WIND!

By: p3t3

p3t3 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:51:15 -0800

Whoa, Massive post! Nice one. Missed this when it was posted the other day, but just found it in the popular posts; glad I didn't miss it completely. Nothing else to add much, except one of my oldschool favorites who hasn't had a mention in the thread yet is Remarc - R.I.P., Thunderclap , Help Me

By: Chairboy

Chairboy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:30:46 -0800

Rewind and come again my selecta... Awesome.

By: mannequito

mannequito — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:22:46 -0800

Also overlooked in the FPP (but discussed in my head): Amon Tobin, though he's another bloke who deserves his own post. I'm tempted to start working on this but as a long time fan, I'd be more interested in someone else doing it and hopefully hitting me with some new links to reignite my interest in him. and, yeah, awesome awesome post. Must have slipped by me while I was working night shifts recently but luckily the podcast came to the rescue.