Drum and Bass / Jungle - Mid 90's
Discussion
Lots to reply to/cover here, so probably going to be a long post!
On a similar note/going off on a tangent here..., I always love a tune where something only happens once, a good example being the single ping sound in the original of XLR8 - Dubplate. (The Total Science remix was 99% perfection, but I can't help but notice the lack of single ping for that final 1%!)
One of my favourites has to be Prototyped, just under 7 minutes of pure Reinforced style darkness, and right near the end (6:35) there's one single bar of strings that sound amazing. How he resisted using them more in the tune I'll never know, but its genius to me. Less is more!
Side note, I remember the very first time I heard Ray Keith (more on him later) playing Shadow boxing months and months before I got it on promo, talk about ground breaking!
Pirate radio stuff
Being from Northamptonshire we never had the luxury of any pirate stations, to us they were simply something we really looked forward to hearing when on record buying missions to London. We used to specifically choose to drive rather than get the train so we could listen to them on the journey! The closest we got was when Green Apple was being broadcast on Eurosport sub audio channel for a short time mid 92. Anyone remember that?
I loved the Black Mark shows, I still have all of the tapes stashed away.
Benny L/Serum/foghorn/very loud noises/current dnb/dnb for the next generation
I just can't get into it all personally. Even heard Serum say on a show a while back that it had gone a bit crap, and the wobbly sub bass needs to return!
Its as if they've stopped making tunes with some actual depth to them and are just in a competition to make the loudest noises. I understand they work well one a massive system and are mainly a crowd reaction thing, but its not for me. Some of it is utterly cringeworthy, its as if its become the happy hardcore of dnb. I wonder how many of the current generation who love is Ain't no way tune are aware its pretty much a rip off of the one Bizzy B did around 97 (his was much better too IMO).
Old tunes from Random_Person
I was't familiar with the Flex one, its not really a label I ever followed that much. Thinking about it I personally can't think of many tunes on it that really got my attention apart from Shy X & L Double - The s
t, L Double - Rock dat st (still love playing this one in sets!) and a huge favourite L Double - Music for the 90s.
I've got to mention Ray Keith here from the UFO tune you posted, for me this is one of my favourites of his.
I loved hearing this at Milwaukees, its a tune you literally have to play as loud as you dare from the start. I've seen people jump as the sample comes in around 48 seconds in, it feels like it will take your head off on a big system!
Of all the DJ's I say at Milwaukees, I'd have to say that Ray was one of the best. His mixing wasn't always great, but tune selection and the obscure stuff he played was crazy. Never did I see anyone else with as many dubs he always brought. I dread (no pun intended!) to think how much he used to be spending at Music House weekly, it had to be thousands a month. Easily one of the most prolific producers too, pretty much every week he would bring test presses for the residents (Steve E Wonder and me), Dread, Penny Black, UFO and god knows what else!
He made it no secret that he loved playing there too, as did all of the other big names to be fair. Not many people knew but Milwaukees was actually licenced until 7am, but closed at 6. Des the owner pretty much said if the last DJ was enjoying it and wanted to carry on then they could.
There was many a saturday morning at nearly 7AM he would still be going to a crowded room, with me sat there thinking come on Ray, I've got to be at work for 8!
To end, a few I deeply love from what was to me too short an era/stye around 94.
I simply love the detroit house/techno stabs. I really wish there were more like these!
Finally, the king of them all as far as I'm concerned, easily one of the best jungle tunes ever written
MightyBadger said:
Had a go at a sort of minimal jungle techno thing.
https://soundcloud.com/user-705150280/tidal?si=80e...
I like that, nice chilled vibe to it. I kept expecting it to drop at some point, but kind of glad it didn't. I love tunes that show restraint, and sometimes it really makes them stand out. https://soundcloud.com/user-705150280/tidal?si=80e...
On a similar note/going off on a tangent here..., I always love a tune where something only happens once, a good example being the single ping sound in the original of XLR8 - Dubplate. (The Total Science remix was 99% perfection, but I can't help but notice the lack of single ping for that final 1%!)
One of my favourites has to be Prototyped, just under 7 minutes of pure Reinforced style darkness, and right near the end (6:35) there's one single bar of strings that sound amazing. How he resisted using them more in the tune I'll never know, but its genius to me. Less is more!
Side note, I remember the very first time I heard Ray Keith (more on him later) playing Shadow boxing months and months before I got it on promo, talk about ground breaking!
Pirate radio stuff
Being from Northamptonshire we never had the luxury of any pirate stations, to us they were simply something we really looked forward to hearing when on record buying missions to London. We used to specifically choose to drive rather than get the train so we could listen to them on the journey! The closest we got was when Green Apple was being broadcast on Eurosport sub audio channel for a short time mid 92. Anyone remember that?
I loved the Black Mark shows, I still have all of the tapes stashed away.
Benny L/Serum/foghorn/very loud noises/current dnb/dnb for the next generation
I just can't get into it all personally. Even heard Serum say on a show a while back that it had gone a bit crap, and the wobbly sub bass needs to return!
Its as if they've stopped making tunes with some actual depth to them and are just in a competition to make the loudest noises. I understand they work well one a massive system and are mainly a crowd reaction thing, but its not for me. Some of it is utterly cringeworthy, its as if its become the happy hardcore of dnb. I wonder how many of the current generation who love is Ain't no way tune are aware its pretty much a rip off of the one Bizzy B did around 97 (his was much better too IMO).
Old tunes from Random_Person
I was't familiar with the Flex one, its not really a label I ever followed that much. Thinking about it I personally can't think of many tunes on it that really got my attention apart from Shy X & L Double - The s
t, L Double - Rock dat st (still love playing this one in sets!) and a huge favourite L Double - Music for the 90s.I've got to mention Ray Keith here from the UFO tune you posted, for me this is one of my favourites of his.
I loved hearing this at Milwaukees, its a tune you literally have to play as loud as you dare from the start. I've seen people jump as the sample comes in around 48 seconds in, it feels like it will take your head off on a big system!
Of all the DJ's I say at Milwaukees, I'd have to say that Ray was one of the best. His mixing wasn't always great, but tune selection and the obscure stuff he played was crazy. Never did I see anyone else with as many dubs he always brought. I dread (no pun intended!) to think how much he used to be spending at Music House weekly, it had to be thousands a month. Easily one of the most prolific producers too, pretty much every week he would bring test presses for the residents (Steve E Wonder and me), Dread, Penny Black, UFO and god knows what else!
He made it no secret that he loved playing there too, as did all of the other big names to be fair. Not many people knew but Milwaukees was actually licenced until 7am, but closed at 6. Des the owner pretty much said if the last DJ was enjoying it and wanted to carry on then they could.
There was many a saturday morning at nearly 7AM he would still be going to a crowded room, with me sat there thinking come on Ray, I've got to be at work for 8!
To end, a few I deeply love from what was to me too short an era/stye around 94.
I simply love the detroit house/techno stabs. I really wish there were more like these!
Finally, the king of them all as far as I'm concerned, easily one of the best jungle tunes ever written
Man that was a hangover this morning. But what fun. 31 records, Inta.... what a tune. That was exactly what was being played early 96 when I first tuned into Don FM 107.9 - life changing time for me.
V interesting to hear about all that Stussy. I wish I kept my record collection - I am still tempted to splash out on 2 1210's and spend the same on vinyl,. simply for nostalgia. I sold a posh car in 2022 and haven't touched the money since. Problem is I would need to buy up all the tunes I know,and that would take years - most don't even seem available now.
I plan to get wasted again at some point over the weekend so will add some more when I do. For now a gift, the tune Kenny Ken used to always rinse on the tape packs that nobody else did.
V interesting to hear about all that Stussy. I wish I kept my record collection - I am still tempted to splash out on 2 1210's and spend the same on vinyl,. simply for nostalgia. I sold a posh car in 2022 and haven't touched the money since. Problem is I would need to buy up all the tunes I know,and that would take years - most don't even seem available now.
I plan to get wasted again at some point over the weekend so will add some more when I do. For now a gift, the tune Kenny Ken used to always rinse on the tape packs that nobody else did.
Kenny Ken was very high on my radar around 93/94, his sets were always perfectly mixed, and as you said, he played a lot of tunes that no one else did.
This is one of my all time top 5 tapes, an hour of utter perfection from him. A perfectly mixed set of obscure darkness, and best of all there is no MC to spoil it!
Sit back and enjoy
https://www.mixcloud.com/OlDsKoOlRaVeRsUnItE/kenny...
This is one of my all time top 5 tapes, an hour of utter perfection from him. A perfectly mixed set of obscure darkness, and best of all there is no MC to spoil it!
Sit back and enjoy
https://www.mixcloud.com/OlDsKoOlRaVeRsUnItE/kenny...
Stussy said:
Kenny Ken was very high on my radar around 93/94, his sets were always perfectly mixed, and as you said, he played a lot of tunes that no one else did.
This is one of my all time top 5 tapes, an hour of utter perfection from him. A perfectly mixed set of obscure darkness, and best of all there is no MC to spoil it!
Sit back and enjoy
https://www.mixcloud.com/OlDsKoOlRaVeRsUnItE/kenny...
Interesting, out of all the DJs it was always Kenny that I thought was weakest - he had the tunes but his phasing and fade ins / outs were sometimes very dodgy. That link shows a very diffeent side, the 6 million ways fade in is what I would call an exemplary demonstration of correctly phrasing and creating a story between tunes, not something I ever heard him do back in the day.This is one of my all time top 5 tapes, an hour of utter perfection from him. A perfectly mixed set of obscure darkness, and best of all there is no MC to spoil it!
Sit back and enjoy
https://www.mixcloud.com/OlDsKoOlRaVeRsUnItE/kenny...
However I was only listening to his 95 - 98 stuff in the main - the latter seemed more questionable. I did like his Jungle mixes though, him, Finn, Ray, Gachet and SS on things such as Vibealite / Planet London were superior to the likes of Slammin Vinyl / Helter Skelter / One Nation.
It surprised me to read that Kenny Ken could ever be considered to be not an excellent mixer.
If I was asked to name some who always played perfectly I’d say him, Bukem, Slipmatt straight off the top of my head. Others too, but those instantly come to mind.
Here’s another legendary tape amongst myself and friends, probably my most played tape ever!
Excellent mixing from KK, tons of dark 93/very early jungle feeling to it all too.
Also, MC Fearless at his best IMO. I couldn’t stand the million miles an hour pointless crap MCing turned into in later years. This set is an excellent example of MC and DJ working together. Utter class set!
Also believed to be the source of Bassmans Bass to dark sample used in the tune of the same name.
https://www.mixcloud.com/michael-leigh5/kenny-ken-...
If I was asked to name some who always played perfectly I’d say him, Bukem, Slipmatt straight off the top of my head. Others too, but those instantly come to mind.
Here’s another legendary tape amongst myself and friends, probably my most played tape ever!
Excellent mixing from KK, tons of dark 93/very early jungle feeling to it all too.
Also, MC Fearless at his best IMO. I couldn’t stand the million miles an hour pointless crap MCing turned into in later years. This set is an excellent example of MC and DJ working together. Utter class set!
Also believed to be the source of Bassmans Bass to dark sample used in the tune of the same name.
https://www.mixcloud.com/michael-leigh5/kenny-ken-...
I can see the cross over with our heritage Stussy. Your golden era appears to be 90 - 94 (possibly sooner?) I was born 82 and I remember in 94 when I first found Jungle, I think either on Radio 1 or possibly Kiss, and it all just spiralled from there. I remember hearing "RIP" by Remarc, and also tunes such as "Just.... rock things Michael" lol - Bukem was just on the verge of bursting and 95 was just about to hit. I caught that wave, and it hit me hard. I then went full on in 96/97.
I keep posting about Magic Touch - seriously, his sets are exemplary and is full of new school jungle that I wasn't even aware was being made. Its like Sci Wax - new school amen that is as good / better than the original - and I am talking Tech Itch / Dom Roland / Shogun - the list is endless.
Have a listen to a recent Magic Touch set - let it roll and just see what you think. The sounds are new but all original and homage to the dayz. I love the resurgence and finding stuff that is basically like 1995 but in HD and "Mastered" is a huge win for me.
Play this, start is at 30:20 - and watch the tune that comes in. This is an example of whats available.
https://www.youtube.com/live/4TeAgZylgr0?si=DNx_aE...
I keep posting about Magic Touch - seriously, his sets are exemplary and is full of new school jungle that I wasn't even aware was being made. Its like Sci Wax - new school amen that is as good / better than the original - and I am talking Tech Itch / Dom Roland / Shogun - the list is endless.
Have a listen to a recent Magic Touch set - let it roll and just see what you think. The sounds are new but all original and homage to the dayz. I love the resurgence and finding stuff that is basically like 1995 but in HD and "Mastered" is a huge win for me.
Play this, start is at 30:20 - and watch the tune that comes in. This is an example of whats available.
https://www.youtube.com/live/4TeAgZylgr0?si=DNx_aE...
Edited by Random_Person on Saturday 30th March 19:32
Stumbled upon my Origin Unknown Speed of sound CD earlier and have just finished giving my Tannoys a bit of excercise. What an album took me straight back to the End ... I think my first visut there was for a Ram EP launch night a few month after this album has dropped. Every tune still sounds incredible but i really enjoyed this lesser known one
https://youtu.be/xLs2xP3VhFY?si=LZJaXY6UlROBmX76
https://youtu.be/xLs2xP3VhFY?si=LZJaXY6UlROBmX76
My golden era for mixing was 92-96 mainly.
My music history is like many others who got into hardcore, I grew up on rap, hiphop and electro.
Then slowly started getting more and more into electronic stuff. Then in 1990 a mate gave me a copy of a random sunday morning recording off Friends FM , a London pirate. I was hooked! I'd never heard anything like it, it was like entering a whole new world I never knew existed.
I would kill to find a copy of it again, but have no clue who the DJ was, and have listened to countless Friends FM rips over the years trying to find it.
Thankfully I can clearly remember some of the tunes on it, and they are pretty much what sparked me getting into the whole scene.
They are....
Paradox really was the stand out tune for me, listening to it to this day gives me chills and makes me feel emotional for the love of a music scene that took over my life ever since.
I did a dnb remix of in 2001 but sadly lost it years and years ago. I keep meaning to do another one, this might spark me to get on with it!
As for the new surge of modern hardcore/jungle with current production values and old style sound, I'm fully aware of that, and was very involved with it right at its start, which was believe it not back in 2000!
AlienEye (Then SmartE) on what was the Oldskool mailing list (email based, way before any forums such as B2VOS!) released what was then classed as a breaks tune sampling the Bomb scare beat and some house tunes. At the time I thought it was crap, simply because I wasn't into the house stuff.
However, as time went on I grew to love it.
Then in 2001 a mate called DJ Skywalker released a tune called Killerwhale, this has since been considered to be the first hardcore breaks/new hardcore tune released. Around this time, my mate who was a huge Kniteforce fan had started a fan site with forum which I was helping run and sort the HTML for.
This sparked DJ Luna-C who owned KF to start KFA (Knite Force Again) which started releasing more and more new hardcore. Loads of other labels started popping up and the scene grew along with various regular events in and around London that we all played at.
I had some releases on various EP's, the only one I can find now on YT is this one, which was released on a compilation in 2008.
I was trying to bring back the big reverse basslines from 95!
The scene has pretty much kept growing ever since
The Ram album always makes me laugh, because I remember it had been released on a Friday, and that night at Milwaukees pretty much every DJ set that played was basically the same but in a different order, mostly the entire album!
My favourites were (and still are) Orange sunshine and Cause and effect. I was highly disappointed at first with the Truly one remix, as the original is in my top 5 all time tunes. However, after hearing Ray play it one night and hearing it on the system it made me realise just how heavy the bass was in it.
The original still wins for me though!
I really need to get a new mix together and done, I've got 2 tunes finished to include by my brother and me, so looking forward to that!
Hopefully sometime within the next week....
My music history is like many others who got into hardcore, I grew up on rap, hiphop and electro.
Then slowly started getting more and more into electronic stuff. Then in 1990 a mate gave me a copy of a random sunday morning recording off Friends FM , a London pirate. I was hooked! I'd never heard anything like it, it was like entering a whole new world I never knew existed.
I would kill to find a copy of it again, but have no clue who the DJ was, and have listened to countless Friends FM rips over the years trying to find it.
Thankfully I can clearly remember some of the tunes on it, and they are pretty much what sparked me getting into the whole scene.
They are....
Paradox really was the stand out tune for me, listening to it to this day gives me chills and makes me feel emotional for the love of a music scene that took over my life ever since.
I did a dnb remix of in 2001 but sadly lost it years and years ago. I keep meaning to do another one, this might spark me to get on with it!
As for the new surge of modern hardcore/jungle with current production values and old style sound, I'm fully aware of that, and was very involved with it right at its start, which was believe it not back in 2000!
AlienEye (Then SmartE) on what was the Oldskool mailing list (email based, way before any forums such as B2VOS!) released what was then classed as a breaks tune sampling the Bomb scare beat and some house tunes. At the time I thought it was crap, simply because I wasn't into the house stuff.
However, as time went on I grew to love it.
Then in 2001 a mate called DJ Skywalker released a tune called Killerwhale, this has since been considered to be the first hardcore breaks/new hardcore tune released. Around this time, my mate who was a huge Kniteforce fan had started a fan site with forum which I was helping run and sort the HTML for.
This sparked DJ Luna-C who owned KF to start KFA (Knite Force Again) which started releasing more and more new hardcore. Loads of other labels started popping up and the scene grew along with various regular events in and around London that we all played at.
I had some releases on various EP's, the only one I can find now on YT is this one, which was released on a compilation in 2008.
I was trying to bring back the big reverse basslines from 95!
The scene has pretty much kept growing ever since
The Ram album always makes me laugh, because I remember it had been released on a Friday, and that night at Milwaukees pretty much every DJ set that played was basically the same but in a different order, mostly the entire album!
My favourites were (and still are) Orange sunshine and Cause and effect. I was highly disappointed at first with the Truly one remix, as the original is in my top 5 all time tunes. However, after hearing Ray play it one night and hearing it on the system it made me realise just how heavy the bass was in it.
The original still wins for me though!
I really need to get a new mix together and done, I've got 2 tunes finished to include by my brother and me, so looking forward to that!
Hopefully sometime within the next week....
Random_Person said:
For Stussy 
Know you love the Joker
Forgot to mention Joker in my reply... I used to absolutely love the label, been a Bizzy B fan since 92!Know you love the Joker
Yes, there was some utter cheesy nonsense on Joker, but there were also some crazy tunes that were proper dance floor material!
96 was the golden era for me and the jump up style, exactly what I was playing in the clubs during that era, stuff like these
Fresh is mental, not heard it for years! Those apaches!!
I've got an hour long Joker megamix online somewhere I did from vinyl around 2001, I'll have to try to find it
Ah yes... I found one of the early ones that really made me "hear" the cross over. 94 jungle, into 95 and into the new tech / dark side sound that started to emerge. Many of the tunes that came out on this label made me sit up and wake up - and realize this was an evolving sound rather than a diminishing one.
It was also the point where to me, the importance of the sound system started to be relevant. I remember this tune in my mates car with a decent Clarion stereo never sounded the same as in my room - where I had a pretty advanced 2:1 setup, (Paradigm for those that know). Canadian speakers with immense clarity and power. I still miss that sub to this day...
And this was a tune I remember going back to time and again on a chinese imported mix CD called Atom 1. It was track 3/4 maybe 5 of a decent album of breakbeat. Really stood out. Some 96 bass samples starting to define the genre here.
It was also the point where to me, the importance of the sound system started to be relevant. I remember this tune in my mates car with a decent Clarion stereo never sounded the same as in my room - where I had a pretty advanced 2:1 setup, (Paradigm for those that know). Canadian speakers with immense clarity and power. I still miss that sub to this day...
And this was a tune I remember going back to time and again on a chinese imported mix CD called Atom 1. It was track 3/4 maybe 5 of a decent album of breakbeat. Really stood out. Some 96 bass samples starting to define the genre here.
One of my absloute all time faves, ever - this was SOOOOOO underrated. I listened to hundreds maybe thousands of pirate radio hours, and seldom if ever was this rinsed. However, it was one of the all time best and everyone knew it. It was never played enough.
This for me defines the time of my life when I found the sound. Big place in my heart.
This for me defines the time of my life when I found the sound. Big place in my heart.
Another memory from my fave tape pack - Vibealite!
That was the actual tape pack - it was only a 4 which was rare but it was amazing. The R Keith one featured this, which was just amazing - and to this day I am unsure if the bass is purposefully slightly over egged / distorted. Just works though.
That was the actual tape pack - it was only a 4 which was rare but it was amazing. The R Keith one featured this, which was just amazing - and to this day I am unsure if the bass is purposefully slightly over egged / distorted. Just works though.
Edited by Random_Person on Tuesday 2nd April 22:48
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