Not bad considering just about each and every one of those releases helped pioneer new sounds, new footholds in what would become a sprawling array of sub-genres.

All but lost in that sea of acclaimed tunes is a lush and lovely 12” from “the Luke Skywalker of Breakbeat”, a young J. Majik. Released in 1995, the double A-side release Jim Kutta / Needle Point Majik is a wonderful example of that first wave of Metalheadz sound. Perfectly capturing the rough with the smooth, the jazzy with the futuristic, the lush with a hint of darkness, this release serves as a wonderful snapshot into that point in time.

The A-side starts off as a neat little roller with lots of tribal-sounding percussion. It bounces along for over 2.5 minutes, lulling you into a Bukem-esque sense of security, before an unexpected thunderous bassline arrives, layered with even more breaks. The familiar guitar licks flicker and fade throughout the madness, showing a brilliant exercise in contrast.

Titled “Jim Kutta”, seemingly in reference to Jim of Source Direct fame, many elements in this track, like the drums and pads, appear heavily influenced by some early bits from the Source boys. In particular this, and this one here, (although those two are far from bargain jungle!) Perhaps it may have had some production input from Jim himself, but this is mere speculation on my half. Regardless, the influence is definitely apparent.

Finally, on the flip we have “Needle Point Majik”. I can’t think of a track with a more enticing intro, in fact, this was the first tune I fell in love with that pushed me to discover the old school sound. Once those jazzy guitars echo and dance around the female coos, I was forever hooked. Just put it on and listen for yourself, I assure you your heart will melt every time.

Like the A-side, J. Majik entices you with a lush intro before letting loose with one of the biggest throbbing subs this side of dubstep. Jay’s signature work with the Apache break is second to none here, punchy and sliced to perfection, and sounds great in the mix (especially on that intro!)

It is surely one of my favourite moments from the entire back catalogue. Pick up a copy on Discogs, this one has surprisingly low ratings and most can be had for 3 quid or less! You can also check out “Needle Point” in A Guy Called Gerald’s brilliant Essential Mix from 1995, among countless other gems.

The post J. Majik – Jim Kutta / Needle Point Majik appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

I was listening to some Doc Scott and Kemistry/Storm mixes the other day (Mixmag and One in the Jungle) and it inspired me to have a dig for the kind of mid to late 90s tunes which were rated highly at the time but never surfaced much. Stuff you generally didn’t hear in a club and had to seek out unless you were lucky enough to live near Hoxton Square.

I was at Bournemouth Uni at the time and only managed a few trips up to Speed and the Bluenote but the guys from Fat Trax Records and their associates managed to get the big names down once a month or so. Luckily for me, they preferred the deeper styles so it was usually the likes of the DJs above along with DJ Lee and Peshay etc who would turn up at the weekend.

What I liked most about these guys style was the way they rolled out the mixes and showcased a wide range of moods and sounds across their sets. Always fresh and taking the path less travelled.

I think most of these tracks are around the 95-97 years. There’s some heavy bangers (Spirit – Fathoms), some deepness (Oblivion – Last Dance) and some all out technical masterpieces (Hidden Agenda – Dispatch 1). Don’t think I’ve heard an amen squashed, compressed and twisted like that before or since. Hope you enjoy the mix.

Origination – Brace Yourself – Creative Source
Spacelink – Timezone – Reinforced
Dj Krust – Going Nowhere – Full Cycle
Jonny L – Treading – XL
Hokusai – Divine – Source Direct
Intense – 1st Contact – Vibez
DOPE – Travelling – Rugged
Sounds of Life – Intallect Remix – Cert18
Oblivion – Last Dance – Street Beats
Danny Breaks – the Bear – Droppin Science
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J Majik – Lightsabre – Infrared
Hidden Agenda – Dispatch1 – Metalheadz
Nasty Habits – Prototyped – 31 Records
Dj Krust – Soul in Motion – Full Cycle
Spirit – Fathoms – Fresh86
Peshay – Music Remix – Good Looking
Source Direct – Exit 9 – Source Direct
PFM – One & Only – Good Looking
Photek – Hidden Camera – Science Virgin
Source Direct – Secret Liaisons – Good Looking

The post Dan Norman – Sounds Of Life 95-97 appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

Volume 6 however goes back a bit further, this time the mix heads into darker, post-hardcore territory. Starting from 1993 we have early works from established producers such as Dillinja (under his Capone alias), Lemon D, Photek (as Origination and Code Of Practice), Fenturion (Adam F) and Dexxtrous (J Majik). Without meaning to, looking back at the tracklisting there is a lot of really well known producers here, under some very earlier pseudonymous. A personal favourite of mine is the Bay B Kane cut “Unfolding Perspective” which gets darker than night during the Diana Ross sampling breakdown.

Expect lots of resampled string sections and synths, muddy mixdowns, amens, sub bass and movie sample quotes.

Half of the selection would also be eligible for inclusion under our Bargain Jungle series, with several tracks like “Treat Me Right“, “Age Of Aquarius” and “Back To The Future Pt 2” all available for well under a fiver on Discogs.

Tracklist

01. Sleepwalker – Age Of Aquarius (No Surrender, No Retreat) (L.D. Remix) – Hardtimes Recordings
02. N.W.1. Treat Me Right – Camden Tunes
03. Code Of Practice – Can We Change The Future (Dubplate Mix) – Certificate 18
04. Capone – Side B-2 (Black Wax EP) – Target Recordings
05. Fenturion – Mothership – Force Ten Records
06. DJ Crystl – The Dark Crystl – Force Ten Records
07. After Dark – Reincarnation – Moving Shadow
08. Origination – Signal To Noise – Rudeboy Recordings
09. 4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse – We Are The Future (Darren J Remix) – Tone Def
10. Dexxtrous – Aquarius – Infrared
11. Bay B Kane – Unfolding Perspective – Whitehouse Records
12. DJ SDR & Subsonic – Back To The Future Pt 2 – Shoebox Recordings
13. Atlas – Drifting Thru The Galaxy – Deejay
14. Dexxtrous & Sudden Def – My World – Infared
15. Internal Affairs – In My Soul – Reinforced

You can check out the rest of the deep jungle series to download at: https://soundcloud.com/drumtrip/sets/deep-jungle-series

The post Law – Deep Jungle Vol 6 appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

It is a pleasure to be able to launch the Sessions with a mix by DJextreme. Extreme is responsible for countless jungle mixes spanning the whole spectrum of the genre, often posted on his own blog Hardscore.
It was one of his mixes that really got me into Dillinja’s (slightly) lesser known early productions and remixes, being a huge fan himself.

For this mix he has raided the archives and supplied a deep selection, even including a Dillinja tune I haven’t even heard of! Here’s a few words by the man himself…

This mix began with one record; The Doc Scott Interstate Remix on Butterfly. From here the other tracks fell nicely into place mainly consisting of 1996 beats running with similar styles.

Producers include the likes of J Majik, Photek, Arteq (Optical), Phume (Klute Collaboration), Source Direct, Hidden Agenda plus one of my all time favourites ‘Astrology‘ by Danny Breaks on Droppin’ Science.

Ending with a nice Dillinja track, This is taken from the Japanese import version of R&S Records ‘In order to Dance‘ session one album.

01 Inner Visions – Hidden Menace – Basement
02 Solo – Dominion – Volume
03 Hidden Agenda – Dispatches #2 – Metalheadz
04 Photek – Hybrid – Science
05 System 7 – Interstate (Doc Scott Mix) – Butterfly
06 Phume – Freefall – Selector
07 Source Direct – 2097
08 Jonny L – 2 of us (Photek Remix) – XL
09 Arteq – Amazing – Celluloid
10 DJ Die – Landslide – Full Cycle
11 Yoshie Arakawa (Tekken) – Windermere (T Power dub Mix) – JVC
12 Photek – One Nation
13 Danny Breaks – Astrology – Droppin Science
14 J Majik – Aztek Step – Cutting Edge
15 Dillinja – City of Lights – R&S

The post Drumtrip Sessions #01 – DJ Extreme appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

I have re-upped this one in anticipation to Metalheadz History sessions at Cable on 19th November 2011. More on the official Facebook event page.

As you would expect, plenty of Rufige, Photek , Source Direct, Dilinja and co. some very dark techsteppy sounds, looking forward to some of these getting dropped on the 19th!

I admit its not the smoothest mixing I have ever put together, but the tunes are amazing. Is there a darker tune than Dark Metal?

Dark 90's Metalheadz Mix by The Law on Mixcloud

01.. Rufige Kru – VIP Rider’s Ghost – MH001-AA
02.. Doc Scott – It’s Yours – MET004-AA
03.. Photek – Consciousness – MET008-A
04.. Dillinja – Brutal Bass – MET006-B2
05.. Source Direct – The Cult – METH016-AA
06.. J Majik – Your Sound – MET007-A
07.. Lemon D – This Is L.A. – METH014-AA
08.. Digital – Down Under – METH021-AA
09.. Doc Scott – Drumz ’95 – METH015-A
10.. Asylum – Da Bass II Dark – 00DARK-AA
11.. J Majik – Arabian Nights – METH018-A
12.. Dillinja – Armoured D – 828783-1-F1
13.. Rufige Kru – Dark Metal – METH019-AA
14.. Doc Scott – The Unofficial Ghost – 828783-1-A1

The post Dark Metalheadz Mix by The Law appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.

-download link-

00:00 – Atlas – Second Heaven VIP
07:30 – Doc Scott – Inside Out
12:50 – J Majik & Peshay – Start It Again
18:40 – Hidden Agenda – The Flute Tune (Doc Scott Remix)
25:00 – J Majik – Your Sound (Photek & Digital VIP Remix)
30:00 – Roni Size & DJ Krust,Die – Formulate
34:30 – Wax Doctor – The Step Proto Pre Mix
39:40 – Photek – Mingus
46:00 – LtJ Bukem – untitled( made a few weeks after Horizons and better imo)
54:40 – DJ Krust – Asian love dance (Remix)

The post DJ Lee Metalheadz Podcast – Unreleased Dubs! appeared first on Drumtrip - Hardcore / Oldskool Jungle Blog.