Out of the UK rave and breakbeat scenes in the early ‘90s rose jungle, a new form of edgy, boundary-pushing dance music. Linked with England’s sound system culture, Jungle featured sampling technology paired with a bold new approach that combined sped-up breakbeats with deep basslines and vocals and melodies inspired by (or even sampled from) dub, reggae, hip-hop, and soul. The result was the birth of a new underground movement. 

Propelled by innovators such as Roni Size, Goldie, and LTJ Bukem, this new style quickly evolved into closely linked subgenres like drum and bass (DnB), paving the way for further offshoots, including UK garage, grime, and, later, dubstep. 

Landmark tracks like “Original Nuttah” by UK Apache and Shy FX (1994) captured the essence of jungle, fusing reggae and hip-hop over a manic beat. That track helped popularize the underground genre, earning a silver certification in the UK. Next came Origin Unknown’s “Valley of Shadows,” which featured haunting voices sampled from an episode of a BBC documentary about out-of-body experiences. That track, which fused darkcore with jungle, remains highly influential decades later. 

By the mid-’90s, Roni Size & Reprazent had taken jungle/DnB to unprecedented heights with their debut album “New Forms,” which was crowned with the Mercury Prize for Album of the Year in 1997. “New Forms' ' followed the success of Goldie’s 1995 classic, the aptly titled “Timeless.” The charismatic DJ, producer, and actor helped raise the genre’s profile with this critically acclaimed album, which peaked at no. 7 on the UK album chart.

While the genre and its associated scenes appeared to have peaked as the genre faded into the new millennium, there was no shortage of cutting-edge DJs and producers still pushing forward. Pendulum, Sub Focus, High Contrast, and Calibre were among those carrying the torch through the Aughts, while labels like Hospital and RAM provided a playground for new innovation. In the years that followed, jungle and DnB would begin to appear in dance and pop songs via artists such as Rudimental, a practice that continues through the present day with chart-toppers like Pinkpantheress, Jorja Smith, and Charli XCX. 

While jungle has seen its peaks and valleys, one constant is the dance music underground, which has always embraced the movement. DJs like Tim Reaper, who runs the Future London label, has been a key figures, injecting new energy and ideas into the scene. English producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter Nia Archives came up in a musical family listening to Goldie, Roni Size, and Shy FX;. having made a name for herself via her remixes and energetic DJ sets – not to mention her opening slot on Beyonce’s “Renaissance world tour” – Nia has established herself as a new leader in the space. Taking her lead, we’ve compiled a collection of jungle/DnB tracks by a range of artists carrying this underground style forward.


Head to the SoundCloud Stories for more on each track: [Web users: COPY/PASTE ⬇️] https://soundcloud.com/stories/post/new-era-jungle

More on each track

Jungle/DnB's New Era

SHERELLE REMIX
Taken from the new EP 'Natural Aerials'
Out Now on Greco-Roman - https://bfan.link/natural-aerials

CREDITS
Written, performed, produced and mixed by Matt Cutler at Port In The Storm, Nottingham - December 2021 / January 2022.
Remixed and additional production by SHERELLE.
Mastered by Matt Colton.
Published by Warp Publishing. 
Photo credit - Annie Spratt.
P&C 2022 Greco-Roman Ltd.

Visited By Astronauts (SHERELLE Had A Groove Remix)

Listen + Buy

@eusebeia / @sciwax / @djsofa430
FR008, now available now from the Future Retro London Bandcamp page.
Buy: futureretrolondon.bandcamp.com/album/fr008
Stream: sq.lnk.to/FR008

FR008

Museum / Flow State

Tim Reaper & Kloke - Flow State

Booyaka Style

Burn Dem Bridges

Burn Dem Bridges (Nia Archives Edit)

WANTED

IUDICIUM

Ricochet

Number 1

After a (long) 2 years of waiting, very happy to say that Voychek EP is out now on Over/Shadow - available via their Bandcamp on vinyl / digital as Part.4 of their new Quadrant series:

nectax.bandcamp.com/album/nectax-quadrant-4

Special thanks to @djsofa430 for this 10/10 remix of Voychek.

Bookings: james@earth-agency.com
Instagram → www.instagram.com/nectax
Facebook → www.facebook.com/nectax

Voychek EP

Nectax - Voychek (DJ Sofa 93 Remix)

Happy to share the Playtime Is Over EP on Motive Hunter Audio.

Buy/Stream: https://cygnusmusic.link/kqe6ydp

Bandcamp: https://motivehunter.bandcamp.com/album/playtime-is-over-ep

Bookings: james@earth-agency.com
Instagram → www.instagram.com/nectax
Facebook → www.facebook.com/nectax

Ricochet

Vitesse X

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