Serum of Dread and V Recordings (among many others) speaks to us about his love for jungle, before laying down a serious selection for his  Drumtrip Session mix.

Tell us a bit about yourself
I was born in Lincoln but moved around a lot with my parents when I was young. I’ve lived in London for the last 8 years or so.

When did you first fall in love with Jungle? Am I right to say your first vinyl release was 2004? I imagine it goes way back before then?
I got into jungle around 1994-5. I’d heard rave music before and quite liked it but I was more into hip hop and heavy metal and didn’t really respect music that didn’t have that element of live performance. Things changed when I came across a program called Protracker on the Amiga which was a basic sample based sequencer. Through messing with production, I realised that dance music was actually a lot more complicated than I thought.

I started going to nightclubs with a bunch of slightly older kids and it all fell into place. I pretty much fell in love with all forms of dance music around that time and there was a lot of good stuff out there. I started buying records and got a set of cheap decks but I had very little money so I’m still catching up on tunes I missed out on from back then.

There weren’t any decent raves where I lived (either that or I didn’t know where to find them) so I listened to a lot of tapes from The Edge and Helter Skelter. I’d also listen to Pete Tong, John Peel and One In the Jungle on the radio.

Your tunes always have that rugged 90s jungle sound but with more contemporary production styles. How do you get that across in your tracks?
Up until a few years ago my setup was software based but I’ve bought quite a lot of hardware lately and that features in my newer material. When I used software I still tried to do the same things people did with hardware back in the day. I used to set the channels up so each track had similar features to a channel on an old mixing desk.

The main rules I live by are to keep things simple and sample anything I can get my hands on.

Before you arrived on the scene, and others like Vapour and Bladerunner, did you feel dancefloor D&B was missing the breaks and bass and general feeling from a lot of the stuff from back in the day? What is it you like about that sound?
There have been times where I’ve felt that but I’ve also made a lot more modern sounding stuff too. It just depends on what I’m interested in at the time. I never really have much of a plan.

You have remixed some huge tracks like Papa Lover (a personal favourite remix of mine), The Way and The Execution – But which producer from back in they day would you like to remix one of your tunes?
I’d like to have Dillinja have a crack at something of mine. I’m surprised Ray Keith hasn’t had a go yet either to be honest, that would be good to hear.

What else is new for Serum? What have you got forthcoming?
I’ve got 12s and individual tracks coming on V, Playaz, Dread, Co-Lab, Chronic and Drum & Bass Arena. There are also a few bigger scale things I’m doing like a mix album for Philly Blunt album which is going to have a combination of oldies, remixes and new material.

I’m working on a collection of more soulful vocal tracks but that’s in the early stages. It’s a new thing for me though so I’m really enjoying it.

The oldskool / jungle sound seems to be making a bit of a comeback again, have you got any big remixes in the pipeline? I did hear a remix of Gangsta about a while ago, any chance of a release there?
Gangsta will be on the Philly Blunt album sampler along with my remix of Bass Switch that’s been floating around for a while. There will be a few more remixes from me and a bunch of other artists. I also just put the finishing touches to a remix for Ruffneck Ting which just relaunched and I’m really happy with that.

Tell us a bit about your mix for Drumtrip, the idea behind the selection?
With this mix I’ve tried to dig a lot deeper and avoid the usual stompers. There’s not really any jump up on there which is fairly rare for me. There are some real classics in there but also a few lesser known bits that featured on some of the sets that got me into the music in the early years. Hopefully this mix will get people hunting on discogs.

Any big ups / shouts?
Anyone bought my music, came to see me play or booked me for a show, and all the DJs and labels that have supported me. Also my girlfriend and daughter for putting up with the constant noise.

And finally…  On your Twitter profile you state you are a “DJ, Producer and Pie maker”; what is your favourite pie?
Chilli beef pie from Goddards in Greenwich with a good serving of liquor and chilli vinegar.

Catch Serum online at..

•  Facebook
•  Twitter
•  YouTube

Drumtrip Sessions #09 – Serum

01. Adam F – Circles – Section 5
02. Daz – Identity – Splash
03. Lemon D – Manhattan Melody – Conqueror
04. Timebase – Funky – Tearin Vinyl
05. Swift – Gang Related – Intalektive
06. Ed Rush & Nico – What’s Up – No U Turn
07. DJ Biggs – Sunrize – Back 2 Basics
08. Adam F – Aromatherapy – Section 5
09. Basic Influence – Still Waters – Hardleaders
10. Trace – Haze – Emotif
11. Roni Size – Step Up – V
12. Tango – Understanding – Creative Wax
13. Renegade – Eastern Promise – Dread
14. Chris Energy – Zalongo – Reinforced
15. Roni Size – Daylight – Full Cycle
16. Andy C – Roll On – Ram
17. Lemon D – This is LA – Metalheadz
18. Gappa G & Hyper Hyper – River Nijer (Nookie Remix) – Ruff Kut
19. Hidden Agenda – Get Carter – Metalheadz
20. Dillinja – Sovereign Melody – Deadly Vinyl

Huge thanks for Serum for the interview and a great mix, much appreciated!

The post Drumtrip Sessions #09 – Serum appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

So, an interview with DJ Flatliner

RAM Records crew – Left to right, DJ Freedom, Flatliner, Ant Miles, Andy C, Shimon, K-Tee and Stakka

How did you first get involved in the hardcore / Jungle scene?
I first got involved in the hard-core dance scene when I was about 15, a school friend of mine had an older brother who was already into the growing scene. My friend and I would sometimes go round to his brothers flat and listen to his newly purchased tunes. The music was like nothing I had ever heard before and I was instantly hooked from there. I recall hearing Nebula 2 “Anthema” for the first time there and my jaw just hit the floor.

You currently reside in Essex, is that where you’re from originally?
I have lived in various parts of Essex my whole life, spending my early childhood growing up in Dagenham but at the age of 10, my mum & dad decided to move to Romford. Our house in Romford was literally a stones throw away from the famous and now sadly gone, Boogie Times record shop. Incidentally, the very first person I made friends with at junior school in Romford aged 10 was a guy called Jeff (not Gerald) and he would later become a future collaborator of mine and a recording artist in his own right. He went under the name of DJ Freedom, he also carved out a successful DJ career too, we remain best mates even now, a whole 25 years later!  

When / how did you first get into music production?
Boogie Times was at the centre of a lot of what I did at that time and after a while I kinda got to know some of the people that worked in there especially Danny Breaks of Son’z of a Loop da Loop Era & Droppin’ Science fame but I also got to know many of the local producers & DJs from that neck of the woods also. I built up a friendship with Paul Smailes ( New Decade, Out of Romford Records label boss ) and later with Ant Miles who I got to know through Paul. 

DJing and producing is pretty much go hand in hand these days, did you DJ?
I did a spot of DJing locally, mainly just small venues and weekly stints on Essex based pirates but I soon realised, my goal was actually music production. I have always been a creative person, I studied art at school and I guess the desire to create something from my imagination like in my art lessons was still there when it came to writing music so I thought I’d try my hand.

Would I be right to say your first releases were a couple of tracks on the label Bionic Sound?
No, the Bionic Sound stuff is nothing to do with me. I’ve only ever released tracks on Ram or on Red Ones, Inverse Records label. (cheers Discogs – Law)

How did you first hook up with the RAM records crew?
It was around the time that Ant & Andy were releasing tracks under the name Desired State on Out of Romford Records. The label boss there, Paul Smailes, was a friend of mine and my path would often cross with Ant in Boogie Times. We would chat a lot about tunes, stuff we liked, stuff we was feeling and it was clear we shared the same futuristic taste in jungle D&B.

Tell us a bit about The Big Bang / No Boundaries. Samples used, inspiration etc
The Big Bang was like my nod to what people like DJ Crystl were doing at the time, especially his track Meditation. I loved the whole long intro, the fact it would hold a crowds attention, take them somewhere in their minds and then totally smash it with a huge drop. I wanted to make something similar in that vein. I believe the original data disks for Big Bang / No Boundaries were lost, hence why there has never been a remake. However, I know where each sample came from but I’ll keep that info close to my chest for now just in case I ever decide to resurrect it and send it to Andy  

What input did Ant Miles have on the tracks? What was it like to work with Ant?
First let me say, Ant Miles is an incredible musician, both inside and outside of D&B, he is adept with all kinds of instruments including everything from bass guitars to drums to keyboards. He was inspirational to work with and a great mentor. The Big Bang started life with me taking a whole bunch of sounds, samples and rough recordings round to his studio. Ant spotted the potential in what he heard and shared the same vision I had, from there we carved out the final product over the space of a few afternoons.

What kind of production setup / gear were the tunes produced with?
I had a fairly humble set up which I cobbled together over 6 months consisting of an low end Akai sampler, an Atari STFM computer, a moody copy of Cubase 3.0, a Yamaha DX7 keyboard and pair of Yamaha NS10 near field monitors. Everything was second hand, one of my speakers had a huge tear in the woofer, the Atari STFM was bought at a boot sale and the sampler was purchased from a Cash Converters type store but they did the job. I was 17 years old, I had no money but the drive to obtain the kit I needed to get me where I wanted to be kept me going.

You also hooked up with DJ Freedom for ‘Deeper Levels’ and the Liftin’ Spirit remix appeared on the Speed Of Sound LP, what happened to the original mix?
Deeper Levels was something I wrote with the help of my old school mate Jeff ( DJ Freedom ), everything just seemed to sit right, the sounds worked well together and once I had a decent version down on tape, I took it straight round to Ants. Again, like Big Bang, he saw the potential and wanted it for Liftin Spirit but it was also at the same time that Scott ( Red One ) had just got his own label off the ground, namely Inverse Records so we decided to switch it over to Inverse instead in a bid to help bolster the roster. It sold well considering the infancy of the label but it was Andy C who later approached myself and suggested I had it spruced up a little in order to be featured on the first ever Ram album, the Speed of Sound, which it did.

What happened to Flatliner? Especially after a few really good tracks on popular label like RAM?
Good question! I simply no longer had the time or desire to sit down and write tunes anymore and by the early 00’s I had kinda fallen out of love with the music. That’s not to say the music wasn’t good but my tastes had changed dramatically and what I craved musically I found less in D&B and more in the realms of techno and darker leftfield stuff such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher & Drexciya, Other factors were that I moved around a lot, doing different roles within my career, my job began to demand more and more of my time. More positively though, I became a father, and as anyone out there with kids can testify, being a parent understandably takes up a lot, if not all of your spare time.

What hardcore, jungle tracks did you personally rate back in the day (excluding RAM releases)?
Here are some of my all time favourite tracks ( excluding RAM releases ) that have either inspired me directly or purely just sign post in my mind, certain times in my life and the people I met along the way:

Did you follow drum and bass post-Flatliner? What do you think of drum and bass in 2013?
I still follow D&B with a passion, and I believe now is a really strong time for the scene. So many great young artists and old stalwarts alike all producing side by side and coming up with some really interesting results. I love the stuff Ram is putting out these days. People like Culture Shock, Hamilton, Calyx & TeeBee to name but a few are all delivering some serious tunes. I’m also a big fan of the sister project, progRam and for me, the stuff coming out on that particular label is even more in keeping with what I’ve always been into, the more experimental, darker jungle vibes. I absolutely loved Frankee’s Turning Point EP for example, long may all that continue.

What are you up to now days? Do you ever think Flatliner will return to drum and bass?
I’m 37 now, a full time parent, slave to my job and stuck paying a mortgage for what seems like an eternity. I’d love to get back into making tunes again, maybe I will one day, I always keep an eye on the scene so never say never right?

Any big ups / thanks? 
Well it’s certainly been an interesting 20 or so years growing up within the hardcore, jungle D&B scene. I’d like to shout out first and foremost Andy & Ant for giving me the opportunity in the first place, to be part of the scene, to pull back the curtain and see the magic happen, I am forever grateful guys. Shouts to Shimon, Red One & Danny Breaks also. Much love and respect to my close friends, namely Bill ( aka DJ Infinity / Bill Vega ) Paul ( New Decade ) and to my oldest mate Jeff (DJ Freedom) who without him, I might never gone down this particular path. Thank you too Rick ( Drumtrip ) for giving me the chance to do this Q&A and relive some warm memories.

Huge thanks to Michael AKA Flatliner for finding the time to talk to Drumtrip.

The post Interview with DJ Flatliner (RAM Records) appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

The set comes in at just over an hour and it was a real random selection, almost picking out the first vinyl that came to hand when thrusting around in the crates and shelves, and it turned out alright.

Props to my dog who seemed to enjoy the beats and sat about licking various parts of his anatomy to the sounds of Krome and Time, Remarc, Danny Breaks and a whole heap more.

Recorded on Monday 19th March, catch the video archive below.

MP3 Download

Tracklisting
01.. Sounds Of Life – Release The Bells – Cert 18
02.. DJ Rap & Ashton – Get Rushed – Suburban Base
03.. Intense – Paradox – Rugged Vinyl
04.. Parallel World – Tear Into It – Good Looking
05.. The Truper – Volume 1-A – Street Beats
06.. Foul Play – Being With You – Moving Shadow
07.. Dillinja – Moods – Logic
08.. Digital – Down Under – Metalheadz
09.. Krome & Time – Studio One Lik – Tearin Vinyl
10.. Remarc – RIP (Remarc Remix) – Planet Mu
11.. Andy C – Roll On – Ram
12.. Danny Breaks – Firin’ Line (Origin Unknown Remix) – Droppin’ Science
13.. Peshay – The Piano Tune – Good Looking
14.. DJ Gunshot – Wheel ‘n’ Deal – No U Turn
15.. Darkman – Dis Sound Ruff – Ministry Of Sound
16.. Tango – Understanding – Creative Wax
17.. Wardance – Sleeplessness – Formation

Thanks to everyone that tuned in, the next show will feature non other than the ever wacky Kola Nut.

The post Drumtrip TV Show #5 – Law appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

It was a great selection with quick mixing and even a little bit of Hype-esque scratching too.

Track List
Omni Trio – Future Frontiers
Cloud Nine – Jazzmin
Wots My Code – Dubplate
Lords Of The Null Lines – Disturbance (Tango Remix)
Under Rhythm London – Sub Circle (Remix) – Booby Trap Recordings (white)10″ Urep-4a
Leviticus – Burial
Nookie – Only You
Dj Hype – Rolllll The Beats
Kings Of The Jungle – Move Your Body
Dillinja – Sky
Dillinja – Tear Down
Asylum – Base 2 Dark
Krust – Set Speed
Dopeskillz – Pranksters
Alex Reece – Basic Principles
Remarc – Ricky
Omni Trio – Feel Good
Goldie – Jah
Renegade – Terrorist
Andy C & Shimon – Nightflight
Invisible Man – The Bell Tune
Dj Taktix – The Way
Essence Of Aura – Spiritual Aura

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We are looking for DJ’s to add to our schedule, If you are interested in playing, and have turntables, laptop / PC and a webcam, please get in touch via the contact page

The post Drumtrip TV Show #2 – DJ Elevate appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

I do the miss the designs of flyers like these, especially the old Fantazia and Dreamscape ones that look like across between Gamesmaster and The Lawnmower man. Early 90’s CGI was fantastic.

Find the site here; http://90sravescene.tumblr.com/
A few of my faves below…..

Bukem done up like Sir Patrick Moore is particularly brilliant. Plenty more on the site.

The post Better Days – Jungle Flyer and Ad Archive appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

Drumtrip has showcased a lot of classic tunes between our designated years of 1992 to 1996 since it was started.

Many of these have been stone cold anthems, others more under-appreciate personal favourites but I imagine not every visitor has encyclopaedic knowledge of Hardcore / Jungle (neither do I).

So this write-up and swift mix will hopefully demonstrate the evolution of Hardcore, to Jungle, to Drum & Bass by taking five tunes from each of the five years which were so influential in creating the sound we love.

I know a lot of this information might not be new to regular readers or people who were actually there at the time, but for anyone else; whether you dismissed Jungle at the time as another fad or you were too busy on the climbing frame at playschool to notice Original Nuttah riding the charts; this is for you.

The following tracks are a mixture of ground breaking releases ahead of their time, to the biggest classics of the years and maybe a couple of my favourites.

The mix itself was created digitally using sequencer, the reason for this was to squeeze in 25 tracks in the relatively short period of an hour to give you just a taster of the selection on offer.
Personally I prefer to let tunes roll out a lot longer when mixing the old fashioned way.

You can trace Jungle and Drum & Bass way back before where we begin 1992, and it depends how far back you wish to go.

In the early days Jungle / Drum and Bass took influences from the James Brown Funk and Soul breaks of the 60’s and 70’s, golden age 80’s Hip Hop and Acid House and the burgeoning Hardcore scene of the late 80’s to early 90’s.
But it was in 1992 in amongst the happy piano’s and catchy leads, something darker and more uniformed reared its head; and that is where we begin.

1992

01.. Bodysnatch – Euphony (Just 4 U London) [Big City Records]

Instantly recognisable by its signature London-centric vocal sample, Euphony’s simplistic rolling breaks (sampled from Bobby Byrd’s ‘Hotpants’) , sparse samples and bass set it apart from its more frantic counterparts and takes its place as the intro to this journey.

02.. LTJ Bukem – Demons Theme [Good Looking Records]

The track that started a genre; as Hardcore started to split between the happier and darker vibes LTJ Bukem took it in a totally different direction.
Originally written in 1991, Demons Theme sounded out of place amongst its contemporaries and kick started the whole ‘intelligent’ movement of the 90’s spearheaded by Bukem’s Good Looking organisation. Rolling amens, sub bass with soothing deep strings and vocals backed with tribal percussion. This style did not catch on until late 1993 when it was being cloned by half the scene which is just testament to how ahead of its time it really was.

03.. Nasty Habits – Here Come The Drumz [Reinforced]

Darkcore had arrived, Nasty Habits AKA Doc Scott served up a 4 track EP on the legendary Reinforced and this track was the highlight.
Rolling amens once again, backed with nasty reversed hoovers and the instantly recognisable samples ‘Confusion! Here come the drums’. Relentless stuff.

04.. Metalheads – Terminator [Synthetic]

Goldie had already been producing under the name ‘Rufige Kru’ on Reinforced records, and guided by Marc Mac and Dego produced this seminal piece of work.
Futuristic sounding beats, with what is believed to be the first example of multi-pitched or times stretched drum loops peppered with vocal snippets from the classic Terminator movie and big bass stabs. It went on to be one of Goldie’s biggest tracks (until 1994) and helped propel him to the forefront of the genre. “You’re talking about things I haven’t done yet!”

05.. Noise Factory – Breakage #4 [3rd Party]

Another example of a tune pushing the boundaries and shows how fast the music was changing in late 1992. Noise Factory was already a recognised name with a slew of releases on 3rd Party parent label Ibiza Records. Breakage #4 was a variant on a track on the same EP called Futuroid, a very simple track with repetitive bleeps, rolling amens and the vocal of ‘I bring you the future’.
This track was up to 20BPM faster than other tunes at the time and mixes nicely with more contemporary Drum & Bass and as such has had numerous remixes. It’s fair to say the track lived up to its vocal sample.

1993

06.. Q-Project – Champion Sound (Alliance Remix) [Legend Records]

Q-Project and the Legend Records crew had already been producers of the more conventional Hardcore sound but it was 1993 when they really established their own style.
The label was a mix of deep, spaced out jungle as pioneered by Lucky Spin and the emerging Darkcore sound. The original mix of Champion Sound was written towards the end of 1992 and would have been a contender for the ’92 section of our mix. But the Alliance Remix became the biggest track on Legend and was an example of the signature Drum and Bass sound.
The rolling beats, with big sub-bass hits, Ragga-tinged vocal and the famous synth stabs.
Still one of the biggest tracks today, it has since been remixed countless times in multiple genres.

07.. LTJ Bukem – Music (Happy Raw) [Good Looking]

Another year, another Bukem tune. For 1993 there were a few contenders from the Good Looking camp but being a personal favourite of mine, it had to find its place in the mix.
Starting with a hypnotic bell sample the tune rolls out but features Bukem’s signature progressive style. Half way through, the mood of the tune changes to a much darker vibe, with solemn chords and very tribal beats, a lot of DJ’s had often mixed in the next tune by this point so it is a part of the tune that is often overlooked. Honourable mention to Bukem’s ‘Atlantis’ remix but this pipped it.

08.. Omni Trio – Renegade Snares (Foul Play Remix) [Moving Shadow]

I am not quite sure how a Moving Shadow tune didn’t feature earlier in the mix having been around since the beginning. But this track alone pretty much demonstrates Moving Shadow at the peak of their powers in 1993. With a fantastic set of artists such as Omni Trio, Foul Play, Cloud 9 and 2 Bad Mice, along with Reinforced it is probably the greatest Hardcore / Jungle label there was.
Omni Trio was already well known for his piano led, subtle Hardcore sound and Renegade Snares was a certified classic, but Foul Play toughened it up for the dance floor and created a monster that still gets dropped in sets today, made famous to a new generation by a certain Andy C teasing it over todays upfront Drum and Bass.

09.. Origin Unknown – Valley Of The Shadows [Ram Records]

When experienced producer Ant Miles combined with 15 year old Essex resident Andy C, they started a special label and created a special tune. With the Ram only a year old it was a B-side track that would go on to be the biggest in the labels history totally over-shadow the A-Side which was the excellent amen roller ‘The Touch’.
Valley Of The Shadows, like many timeless tunes was a relatively simple affair but would form the classic Drum & Bass blueprint.
The bell sample, the break loop and several other samples all came from a CD given away in a 1993 edition of Future Music magazine. However the ‘long dark tunnel’ vocal was sourced from a BBC documentary from 1989 about out of body experiences.
The bass laden tune got ever increasingly popular over time and was remixed and re-issued in 1996 on Ram and was one of their biggest selling tracks.

10.. Subnation – Scotties Sub [Mercyless]

Another track ahead of its time was the notorious Scotties Sub (or just Scottie).
Made up of what sounds like only five or six tracks, it was minimal genius.
It featured some clever amen chopping neatly laid behind the main break that drives the tune along.
Simple but effective sub bass is present but probably the most famous aspect of the tune is the inclusion of the samples lifted from the 80′s black comedy / horror ‘The Evil Dead’.
Cries of ‘Scottie!’, ‘I don’t wanna die’ and demonic laughter make this a classic.

1994

11.. Renegade – Terrorist [Moving Shadow]

Ray Keith with the help of Nookie was already an established and respected producer by the time Terrorist hit the shops in 1994. By no means the first record to utilise Amen Brother break by The Winstons, but it went on to be probably the biggest amen track of them all.
As well as the amen break, you have the classic intro piano melody and of course the huge bassline.
The bass was taken from a track by Kevin ‘Reese’ Saunderson called ‘Just Want Another Chance’.
This 1988 slice of early Detroit techno had been sampled before but Terrorist made it its own and spawned years of copycats and became a staple part of D&B, especially the Tech-Step sound pioneered by No-U-Turn.

12.. Dead Dred – Dred Bass [Moving Shadow]

Another Moving Shadow tune and another landmark, Dead Dred aka Ascend & Ultra vibe were already producing for Back 2 Basics but this one was no doubt their biggest track by some distance.
Dreamy and swirly synths are interrupted by gunshots and then the dread sample hits, this sets up the frantically pitched amens and what is commonly referred to as the first reversed sub bass line in Jungle. This style of bass was huge within the UK dance scene and was re-used over again in Jungle and the new genre of Speed Garage a year or two later.

13.. Tom & Jerry – Maxi(mun) Style [Tom & Jerry Records]

Consisting of Marc Mac & Dego AKA 4Hero; Tom & Jerry was known as the duos more dance floor orientated alias having released some classic Hardcore tracks a couple of years before.
There were so many great tracks in this year but I felt this one shows the range Jungle had in encompassing samples from all genres and in this case the Funk and Soul genre.
Sampled from Maxi – Lover To Lover, Maxi(mun) Style starts off positive and soulful with familiar strings and melody before dropping with hard bass and Jungle FX. As with many of these classics, it has since been remixed several times.

14.. Leviticus – The Burial (Lovers Rock Mix) [Philly Blunt]

Anthems don’t come much bigger than this one, so big in fact Pete Tong picked up on it and re-released it on his FFRR label.
Leviticus was DJ Jumping Jack Frost, with only a few releases previously he was not that prolific as a producer but with Optical and Dillinja on the boards for the two different versions of the track, it was destined to be huge.
Spurred on by the ‘Think’ break drum loop sampled from a Lynn Collin’s track of the same name, The Burial had it all; moody strings, Ragga vocals, the sing-along section, a hefty bassline and a melody to hum along to.

15.. Goldie presents Metalheads – Inner City Life [FFRR]

Possibly the greatest Jungle or Drum and Bass tune ever made.
From the creative mind of Goldie, perfectly crafted with the help of Moving Shadow boss Rob Playford as engineer; Inner City Life was a landmark and gained major airplay on Radio and MTV.
The amazingly mournful vocals of Diane Charlemagne work brilliantly with the deep strings and choppy beats to create a masterpiece.
The track proved to the media that Jungle was more than just a ‘rave’ music, and it was capable of being just great music on its own, whether it’s in the dance or at home. The album Timeless, three tracks woven together for over 20 minutes as a symphony concreted this notion.

1995

16.. Dillinja – The Angels Fell [Metalheadz]

Dillinja was already creating crushing jungle work-outs for a couple of years by this point, often Ragga influenced and more dance floor orientated but this track signalled a slight change in some of his output and was one of several tracks that pushed the futuristic tech-step sound.
The intro starts with strings sampled from the Bladerunner OST by Vangelis (a goldmine sample source for D&B producers) and lazy breaks taken from the Incredible Bongo Band’s version of ‘Apache’, originally by The Shadows. When it drops a subtle amen and huge bass combo drive the track along without it ever really letting loose. A refined classic.

17.. Alex Reece – Pulp Fiction [Metalheadz]

Love it or hate it, this track divided opinion but there is no disputing its effect on the progression of Drum and Bass. With its very simple two-step drum pattern Pulp Fiction offered something different and focussed on a simple groove and smooth but very big bass line. It was a huge hit which the way for Drum & Bass becoming a predominately two-step genre by 1997.
Due to the two-step pattern sounding slower, despite being the same BPM as everything else, many believe it pushed the average tempo of Drum & Bass to over 174BPM, much to the dismay of many original jungle fans. Personally I love the tune for what it is, but maybe not so much for what it helped create.

18.. P-Funk – P-Funk Era [Frontline]

P-Funk AKA Pascal was another who had been around since the early days of jungle, creating massive tracks like Johnny and Flammable under the alias of Johnny Jungle along with Sponge.
1995 was the dawn of the rollers and this was one of the best examples. Featuring Dr Dre influenced strings, a rolling break with further samples from KRS-One and the usual floaty female vox, P-Funk Era was played and remixed for years after.

19.. Andy C – Roll On [Ram Records]

As the title suggests, another one of the rollers, this time from Andy C who still must have only been around 16 years old at the time of release. This, as with other tracks at the time followed a similar pattern; strings and melodies from the intro, the percussion builds until the bass hits, and when it finally drops it is almost an anti-climax as it peaks earlier in the build-up. Another track that followed this pattern was Jo – R-Type which narrowly missed out being included in the 1993 section.
A vintage double A-side release from Ram with ‘Cool Down’ on the flip, and as such was re-released as part of Ram’s 15th year anniversary in 2007.

20.. T-Power – The Mutant – Rollers Instinct (DJ Trace Remix) [SOUR Records]

DJ Trace, along with Ed Rush and Nico gave birth to the Tech-Step genre and this may be one of the earliest proper examples of the style.
The DJ Trace remix of Mutant Jazz totally changed the atmosphere of the original with spooky reversed piano keys, horn stabs and huge subs combined with the Reese bassline made famous by Terrorist a year earlier. This style went on to be huge throughout 1996-97 with No-U-Turn and Metalheadz pushing the boundaries.

1996

21.. Cybotron presents Dillinja – Threshold [Prototype]

The dark Tech-Step style was in full effect by 1996 with No-U-Turn and Metalheadz pioneering the sound. Dillinja perfectly demonstrates the movement away from conventional Jungle sound to a more subtle and futuristic style.
Grooveriders label Prototype was also highly influential in establishing this new sub-genre and the incubator was the legendary Metalheadz nights at London club The Blue Note.
I could have chosen one of several tracks from Dillinja alone in this year, including Silver Blade, but the strings, massive (deliberately) distorted bass line and status as a Blue Note anthem means Threshold gets the nod.

22.. Nasty Habits – Shadow Boxing [31 Records]

That man Doc Scott again, back then the King Of The Rollers was always ahead of the game and created this extremely dark steppy number.
The tune rolls out with sharp beats, deep bass and that huge hypnotic synth driving the tune along, it sounds like the end of days but at the same time shows restraint. I imagine it sounded very unique at the time.

23.. Boymerang – Soul Beat Runna [Regal]

Boymerang was a bit of an enigma, the man behind the name is now ‘alternative rock’ producer Graham Sutton. At the time he was well known for his part in group Bark Psychosis but around 1994, maybe intrigued by the explosion of Jungle he began his own productions.
This culminated in releases and remixes for Prototype recordings and No-U-Turn as well as a full length LP. The LP in my opinion is easily one of the greatest Drum & Bass albums of the 90’s and amongst the track list is probably his most famous creation; Soul Beat Runna.
Soul Beat Runna is known for drum loop that runs throughout the track, it was a Boymerang’s creation entirely, made by deconstructing the amen break and replacing the individual drum hits with new samples (among other techniques). The loop was left clean deliberately by Sutton so other producers could sample it and Dillinja took the invitation and used it to great effect with the monstrous Silver Blade. Shortly after the album’s release Boymerang left the scene as fast as he entered and continued his work as a producer for various Rock acts including British Sea Power.

24.. Photek – The Hidden Camera (Static Mix) [Science]

This list would not be complete without a Photek score and I am surprised it took until we reached 1996. However, prior to this time Photek did what he did best which mostly consisted of amen smashers across a spectrum of labels, but it was this release that he cemented that Photek sound after great work on his own ‘Photek’ label the year before (Rings Around Saturn anyone?).
The Hidden Camera was dark, jazzy, with sparse samples and funky double bass throughout with his trademark ninja beats. This style peaked with the fantastic Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu (Two Swords Technique) which made the UK top 40 and featured on the end credits to the Wesley Snipes vampire flick ‘Blade’.

25.. Adam F – Circles [Section 5]

Although originally released at the tail end of 1995, it wasn’t until 1997 that the track was re-issued on F-Jams and featured on the seminal album Colours, that it truly made its mark outside of Drum & Bass circles (excuse the pun!).
A perfect example of the way this music can be enjoyed at home relaxing, or in the middle of a hyped-up club night. Sampling Bob James’ Westchester Lady as the foundation of the tune, Adam F created one of the most recognisable and celebrated tracks of the 90’s.
Circles seems to transcend genres, even Drum & Bass sub-genres and appears to be universally enjoyed, something you do not really get with the Drum & Bass tracks of 2011.

The End
That brings the mix and the write-up to an end, there are plenty of tracks I have missed out, there is no mention of Ed Rush, DJ Crystl or Source Direct, some of my favourite producers. But there were only five places available per year, and I chose what I thought were either the most groundbreaking tracks, or the biggest in general.

Please post below with what tunes you think should have been added, and as stated previously, I wasn’t there to witness this so please feel free to correct any of the above information!
Law

The post What is Jungle? – The History 1992 to 1996 appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.