Jungle music
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that developed out of the UK rave scene and sound system culture in the 1990s. Emerging from breakbeat hardcore, the style is characterised by rapid breakbeats, heavily syncopated percussive loops, samples, and synthesised effects, combined with the deep basslines, melodies, and vocal samples found in dub, reggae and dancehall, as well as hip hop and funk. Many producers frequently sampled the "Amen break" or other breakbeats from funk and jazz recordings.[1] Jungle was a direct precursor to the drum and bass genre which emerged in the mid-1990s.[2][3]
Jungle
Early 1990s, United Kingdom
Departing from the customary predictability found in machine-generated dance music, where a consistent pulse facilitates a trance-like state for the listener, Jungle introduces a palpable sense of jeopardy. The accustomed safety net is forsaken in favor of an inherent risk, prompting a recalibration of one's movement and a heightened state of vigilance. This distinctive edginess associated with Jungle proved instrumental in redirecting the allegiance of numerous ravers away from the hardcore music scene, steering them back towards the embrace of house music.[4]
Etymology[edit]
The origin of the word jungle is one of discussion. Rebel MC is often noted for having popularised the term, and in Simon Reynolds' book Energy Flash, MC Navigator is quoted as attributing the word to him.[5] Others such as MC Five-O attribute it to MC Moose,[6] whilst Rob Playford (of Moving Shadow) attributes it to MC Mad P (of Top Buzz).[7] Some thought of this term as empowering, an assertion of the blackness of the music and its subculture, inverting the racist history of the term "jungle music".[8]
Origins[edit]
The breakbeat hardcore scene of the early 1990s was beginning to fragment by 1992/1993, with different influences becoming less common together in tracks. The piano and uplifting vocal style that was prevalent in breakbeat hardcore started to lay down the foundations of 4-beat/happy hardcore, whilst tracks with dark-themed samples and industrial-style stabs had emerged from late 1992 and named darkcore. Reggae samples and reggae-influenced tracks had been a feature of many breakbeat hardcore tracks since 1990, particularly from producers such as Shut Up and Dance,[9] however Ibiza Records,[10] and the Rebel MC were arguably the first to bring the sound system influence solidly into releases. The track "We Are I.E." by Lennie De-Ice is often credited as being the track that laid down the foundations for jungle with its ragga bassline.[11]
The infiltration of hardcore B-boys into the rave scene was catalyst for "the messy birth-pangs of Britain's very own equivalent to US hip hop: jungle."[12] The UK B-boy's removal from American racial tensions made hip-hop's sample and beat-making more attractive than the "protest side of rap," and spurred on their interest in the rave scene.[12] Alongside their 'sampladelic' taste, raving B-boys' use of MDMA fueled the more hyper sound that was passed down to Jungle, even after the drug was left for marijuana.
During 1992 and 1993, the phrases "jungle techno" and "hardcore jungle" proliferated to describe that shift of the music from breakbeat hardcore to jungle. The sound was championed at clubs such as A.W.O.L., Roast, and Telepathy, by DJs such as DJ Ron, DJ Hype, Mickey Finn, DJ Rap, DJ Dextrous, and Kenny Ken, record labels Moving Shadow, V Recordings, Suburban Base, and Renk,[13] and on pirate radio stations such as Kool FM (regarded as being the most instrumental station in the development of jungle) but also Don FM, Rush, and Rude FM.
Tracks would span breakbeat styles, particularly with darkcore, with notable releases including "Darkage" by DJ Solo, "Valley of the Shadows" by Origin Unknown, "Set Me Free" by Potential Bad Boy, "28 Gun Bad Boy" by A Guy Called Gerald, "Crackman" by DJ Ron, "A London Sumtin" by Code 071, "Learning from My Brother" by Family of Intelligence, "Lion of Judah" by X Project, and "Be Free" by Noise Factory.
Techniques and styles could be traced to such a vast group of influencers, each adding their own little elements. According to Simon Reynolds, jungle was "Britain's very own equivalent to US hip-hop. That said, you could equally make the case that jungle is a raved-up, digitised offshoot of Jamaican reggae. Musically, jungle's spatialised production, bass quake pressure and battery of extreme sonic effects, make it a sort of postmodern dub music on steroids."[14] This is an example of the effects of the sonic diaspora and the wide influence musical genres have; Jungle is where these different Black Atlantic genres converge.[14] Reynolds noted the audience of the genre evolved alongside the music itself; going from a "sweaty, shirtless white teenager, grinning and gurning" to a "head nodding, stylishly dressed black twenty something with hooded-eyes, holding a spliff in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other".[14] Jungle also served as "a site for a battle between contesting notions of blackness".[8]
Sociocultural context[edit]
Jungle was a form of cultural expression for London's lower-class urban youth. The post-Thatcherite United Kingdom of the early 1990s had left many young people disenfranchised and disillusioned with a seemingly crumbling societal structure. Jungle reflected these feelings; it was a notably more dark, less euphoric style of music than many of the other styles popular at raves.[14] The music was much more popular with black British youths than other rave styles, such as techno,[14] even though it was heavily influenced by these other rave styles, including those that emerged from the United States.[14] Jungle was also seen as "England's answer to hip-hop", with the goal of breaking down racial boundaries and promoting unification through its multiculturalism—drawing from different cultures and attracting mixed crowds at raves.[8] Jungle's rhythm-as-melody style overturned the dominance of melody-over-rhythm in the hierarchy of Western music, adding to its radical nature.[14]
Moreover, the greater accessibility to sampling technology allowed young people to inform music with their own sampling and experiences, allowing young people to work on their music in their homes rather than needing a grand recording studio.[23]
Characterised by the breakbeats and multi-tiered rhythms, Jungle drew support from British b-boys who got swept up into the rave scene, but also from reggae, dancehall, electro and rap fans alike. Reynolds described it as causing fear and "for many ravers, too funky to dance"[14] yet the club scene enjoyed every second.
Notable releases[edit]
Notable releases include: "Burial" by Leviticus, "Dangerous" by DJ Ron, "Lover to Lover / Maximum Style" by Tom & Jerry, "Original Nuttah" by Shy FX, "All the Crew Big Up" by Roni Size & DJ Die, "Incredible / Sweet Love" by M-Beat, "The Helicopter Tune" by Deep Blue, "Super Sharp Shooter" by DJ Zinc, "Sovereign Melody / Lion Heart" by Dillinja, "Everyman" by Kenny Ken, "The Victory / Lovable" by DJ Dextrous, "Bad Ass" by Aphrodite, "The Lighter" by DJ SS, and "Tiger Style" by DJ Hype.[24][25][26][27]
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