THE MASSIVE @ "JUNGLE FEST", MOSCOW RUSSIA 2009 NEWSCHOOL JUNGLE An editorial article by DJ K JUNE 2009 (please read disclaimer) VERSION 1.0 VERY EARLY JUNGLE In the early 90's, there was a new style of electronic music emerging from the dance music scene. It focused heavily on sampling breakbeats, hip-hop, reggae and dub, and had a central distinguishing focal point of a louder, heavier, often sustained bassline unlike the other more straight-forward dance beats. Originally from the offshoot of "rave", it then developed under the umbrella term of "hardcore" (referring to the more raw samples & sheer speed of the music compared to the rest of the electronic music at the time), it eventually split between "hardcore techno" that remained with a focus on the 4-on-the-floor kick drum, and the term "jungle techno" and "jungle" was coined for the other genre that split as it began to develop quite quickly and thoroughly through 1994 and 1995. The speed increased from its counterparts since an average of 130 BPM at the beginning of the decade, to 140 in the first years, rapidly to 160 in 1993 and by 95 it was averaging in the mid-170's. Not only the speed had changed, but for jungle, any remnants of the 4-on-the-floor kick drum became less prominent and was done away with altogether by '94. (lennie de ice - we are i.e.) 1991 (2 bad mice - hold it down) 1992 (nookie - gonna be alright) 1993 (ellis dee - rock to the max) 1993 OLDSCHOOL JUNGLE A few sampled breakbeats were quite popular with jungle at this time. Undeniably by the beginning of 1995 it peaked with most releases favoring the use of the "amen" break, sampled from the Winston's "Amen Brother" record. Producers were twisting, splicing and re-splicing bits and pieces from this drum sample and re-arranging it into furious syncopated patterns, accentuated by heavy bass hits. Ragga and soundclash samples were being included giving an aggressive edge to this already instense style of music. In what was referred to by some as the "ragga jungle crisis of '95", something had to change with the direction jungle music was heading into. (remarc - thunderclap) 1994 (shy fx - who run tings) 1995 (marvellous cain - gun talk) 1995 (lemon d - this is l.a.) 1995 INTELLIGENT JUNGLE, DRUM & BASS Right in the middle of the 90's, as jungle music was peaking with numerous parties, producers and records gaining incredible momentum, there was a simultaneous parallel movement in the scene. Seeing much wider possibilities for this sound than where it was currently going, many producers began to create what sounded like a counter-genre of jungle, dubbed "intelligent". Intelligent jungle took a more minimal approach, sampling less intense drums and utilizing different patterns to create an atmospheric, "chill" sound, as opposed to the clash-driven aggressive jungle, and ragga-jungle which was gaining the most popularity at rave parties. (deep blue - the helicopter tune) 1993 (ltj bukem - music) 1994 (t power - police state) 1995 It took only about a year before the audience (as well as dj's and producers) were getting tired of hearing the amen break being mashed over and over into different tracks. A change in the sound happened in this year. Hard amen breaks, complex mashed-up beats and ragga shouts disappeared suddenly on a very large an obvious scale in the jungle scene. What prevailed was a completely re-born sound. Although there is no clear defining event or author, in what manifested itself like a collaborative effort this year (1995) by dj's and producers, the term "jungle" became "drum & bass". EARLY DRUM & BASS (TECH-STEP, JUMP-UP) By 1996, the records being placed into the now "drum & bass" bins in record shops had a different sound. Instead of pushing beats to the limit, beats were now being pulled out of the songs as much as possible, to the point where a minimal sound was becoming more appealing on the dancefloor. By the mid-90's, technology was also advancing. Now producers, who were relying almost solely on simple sampling hardware to make jungle in the past, could begin to use advanced software to write songs. It was becoming more common for producers to, in addition to samples, to start adding synthetic instruments to their tracks, especially kicks, hi-hats and snares. Basslines were edited and tweaked, and in the next 2 years, an emergence of many very experimental tracks were released. Labels such as V and Trouble On Vinyl and artists like DJ Krust and Prisoners of Technology (to name only two of many) were at the forefront of this "tech-step" or "minimal jump-up" sound. (dj krust - set speed) 1995 (gang related & mask - dictation) 1996 (dj krust - warhead) 1997 (aphrodite & mickey finn - bad ass) 1997 (prisoners of technology - the flavor) 1998 MIDDLE TO MODERN DRUM & BASS Similar to how rapidly the amen break was getting overused, so was the feelings for the minimal jump-up sound. As technology continued to advance, so did the development of the still new "tech-step". A thicker, more mature genre moved ahead with big hits and many new labels started. Many of the biggest producers today helped pave the tech-step sound of then. Evidence of a wider possibility for much more complex audio engineering and heavier drums were exploited over many years as the modern version of "drum & bass" from then until today can be directly related-to in a continuous timeline. With clear, loud drums, flowing basslines and a repetitive danceable beat, drum & bass quickly became a popular sound in clubs and parties with the people on the dancefloor. In these years, the speed increased slightly and leveled-off close to 180 BPM, where it still resides today. (bad company - the nine) 1998 (ed rush & optical - bacteria) 1999 (ryme tyme & touch - frogger) 2000 Not only were the sounds becoming more complex, but new elements were being added constantly. Vocals, melodies, more instrumentation - the genre was really starting to round-out as a respectable style of music that could be placed next to any other in a record store. Perfectly polished clear drums, nicely arranged layers and absolutely smooth matching basslines continued to come out, track after track and hit after hit. A golden era of drum & bass was rising with more and more producers and promoters rising to a higher status as famous leaders of the now massive musical genre. (konflict - messiah) 2000 (john b - up all night) 2001 (dj zinc - casino royale) 2001 (dj marky - lk) 2001 JUNGLE STILL ALIVE If the past of the genre has shown a pattern, it is that one sound gets stagnant quickly, or at least it was for some people. As this drum & bass movement was happening there were a handful of releases that tried to throwback to the old "jungle" sound of 1995, but they were far overshadowed by the over-saturation of the new, much more popular drum & bass sound. There was, however, a small uprising of producers, particularly an underground collective in North America with an alternative sound that held on to the original sound without giving up. Having been silent and accepting of drum & bass for the last years, these pockets of loyal believers began to break the silence in the next years. (e-sassin & r.a.w. - soundstorm) 1997 (dj 3d - 3d anthem) 1998 (b-boy3000 - warrior) 1999 Around 2001, underground producers from Canada, America and across the world began connecting via the internet. What they found was that there were quite a few people creating their own tracks with the old "jungle" sound. They had been playing the few releases that had appealed to their style and creating their own tracks to play alongside it. (krinjah - anthem) 2001 (soundmurderer - limb by limb remix) 2001 Although the sound was extremely similar to that of 1995, it had grown-up somewhat from the original movement. The speed was also perfectly in time with the current drum & bass releases, around 180 BPM. These releases sounded like old jungle as it relied heavily on sampled breakbeats, reggae and hip-hop, and was also using the amen break (among others). Not only using, but chopping it up even farther than it had ever been done before when it was abandoned suddenly in '96. Ragga vocals and soundclash shouts were back with a vengeance. The sub-genre was incredible. Young party-goers who were too young to have experienced the jungle movement of the early 90's first-hand were craving something more than what was big in the drum & bass scene - however, big-time drum & bass labels were not showing any interest in signing these renegade artists. A NEW SOUND: N2O RECORDS With the existence of new technology for inserting hard drums and manipulating basslines there were advantages. No longer was there a need to rely on simple samples, but drums were being layered and boosted... basslines were getting twisted and distorted. The record label N2O had already been in existence for a few years and, along with its sister label Big Cat, took many of these rough-sounding arists under its wing first. Landmark releases influenced by punk and hardcore in the next years by R.A.W., O.D.G., Capital J, DJ K and General Malice were widely distributed and really kick-started this new sound. Further labels including Good Fortune, Ridem, Dub-fi-Dub and Judgement established a solid foundation with a huge catalogue of releases in this style. (dj 3d - la to ny) 2001 (bboy 3000 - kill u too) 2002 (capital j - diss da program) 2003 (red army audio - kokane) 2003 (benjie - little stereo) 2003 (general malice - blaze di chalwa) 2003 (dj k - respect) 2003 RAGGA-JUNGLE.COM, CANADA & THE EAST COAST RAGGA-JUNGLE.COM WELCOME PAGE IN ITS INCEPTION YEAR The west-coast American sound was rough, dirty and distorted. In fact what proved to be perhaps too rough for a major, even bigger (and what is still thriving today) uprising of similar new producers coming from closer to the east-coast of North America, in particular in Canada. Debaser, Tester, Rhygin, Sixteenarmedjack, Krinjah, RCola, Jackie Murda and many more were already forming a strong new sound taking elements of the old jungle sound and making it their own. "Ragga-jungle.com" was founded and immediate interest starting becoming apparent from all across North America, the world, and of particular note from Europe. As this new ragga jungle was gaining momentum, so did the number of European producers. In 2003 and 2004 many labels began to take shape, and by 2005 they were in the forefront of this new movement, with many records being released and the sound gaining strength. (debaser - my sound rule) 2003 (rcola & jackie murda - junglist bandelero) 2003 (deportee - undercover badbwoy) 2003 THE NEW SOUND DEVELOPMENT N2O DISS DA PROGRAM TOUR POSTER As the N2O camp started accumulating a large catalogue of releases, so did the ragga-jungle community. Both sides were adding new artists to their roster and communities from North America and around the world. N2O launched their "Diss Da Program" tour in 2003, showcasing their artists and sound, performing from coast-to-coast. By 2005 somewhere close to 50 labels dedicated to this movement had started, many with several releases to their names. X-13, Ten Pound Sound, Press Up, Clash Records, Illegal, Bananas, JungleX, Top Ranking, Jungle Royale, Mashit, Dead Homies, Chopstick, Hand Grenade and MANY more. These records were being distributed across the world, and Europe was a massive market for the sound, with hundreds of copies being shipped there regularly. (dj c - billie jungle) 2004 (kgbkid - bawling for soundclash) 2004 (dj frankus - jungle farmer) 2004 (sixteenarmedjack - see you smile) 2004 (tester - ready fi war) 2005 (O.D.G. - king of the jungle) 2004 (R.A.W. - oh my god remix) 2004 "NEWSCHOOL JUNGLE" Early on in this sound development, N2O coined the term "leaders of the new sound", referring to this new style of drum & bass, even though the term drum & bass was already becoming a less appropriate term for this music. You could hear online communities fearlessly using the word "jungle" often, and with the establishment of Ragga-Jungle.com, more and more followers were calling it "North American Jungle" or "Ragga-Jungle". Although most of the releases did feature reggae samples, many only carried the same sound but without the "ragga-" portion, in particular from N2O, and could logically be only called then "Jungle". Europe, probably due to its proximity to the UK, where the majority of the new, or "newschool" drum & bass music was being manufactured and sold, was already very accustomed to the currently well-developed "tech" sound. These followers of what was happening primarily in North America made a clear distinction between that style and this separate style. They labelled this UK or "tech" style as: "drum & bass", and this other sub-genre sound as: "jungle". Completely separated parties were being thrown for drum & bass or jungle. Some parties would feature 2 rooms: one drum & bass and the other, jungle. These actions firmly established these terms as a definition for 2 different types of music. After many connections were solidified through friendships, websites and distribution, from 2005 onwards North American artists began touring Europe, where a huge fanbase for this sound had been accumulating for the past years. Their eyes were opened to the full extent of this sound movement and a worldwide community were united. With Europe having become by far the biggest hub for this sound, they were the most influential in shaping and evolving this genre. We were headlining parties on the "jungle" floor, or at "jungle" parties. Although defined differently than they had previously been used to for some of the rest of the world, it only seemed natural to embrace the term "jungle" for our music. Of course it had to be noted that there was still a classic genre bearing the same name from 1995 and before. Becaus of this, a distinction had to be made. Since music often takes the tag "oldschool" when referring to dated or classic material in the genre, it was only appropriate to refer to pre-'96 jungle as "oldschool jungle". This left our new genre aptly titled "newschool jungle", or in everyday speech: "jungle". NEWSCHOOL JUNGLE: A genre of electronic music with a speed around 180 BPM. Similar to the current genre of drum & bass, but with the main difference of being created in the style of oldschool jungle (1995 and before). As with the oldschool jungle, newschool jungle relies heavily on sampled drum beats (in particular the amen break) - often including reggae, hip hop and rave elements. Although its counterpart drum & bass uses almost exclusively synthetic drums in a simple & repeated pattern, jungle almost exclusively uses drum samples in chopped-up snippets and re-arranged into unlimited different, often erratic patterns. DRUM & BASS (mindscape & hydro - skid row) 2008 NEWSCHOOL JUNGLE (superkopter - wonderful land) 2009 The genre was first developed in North America, with notably large advancements happening around 2002. It grew rapidly in the next years across the continent and in Europe. Although the word "jungle" was still being used loosely (and unofficially) around the world, it was Europe who secured it as the definition for this genre in the mid 00's through its clear segregation from it and the drum & bass community. Officially, "newschool" is added in order to distinguish it from the already defunct "oldschool jungle" genre, but "jungle" can be used in everyday speech. KILLA RECORDS Newschool jungle continues to evolve. Ragga-jungle and reggae elements are the biggest part of this sub-genre, however, Killa Records has been instrumental in continuing to push the jungle side of the sound forward. Many DJ K tracks, although made in the ragga-jungle style, feature absolutely no ragga elements. Drawing influences from parts of ragga-jungle, oldschool jungle, and many of the productions from the N2O era that do not have ragga samples, DJ K founded Killa Records in 2003. The releases used heavy tech-wise basslines often found in drum & bass, but undeniably was produced with chopped amens and jungle samples. With a deep crate of unreleased material in the same style, DJ K regularly showcases this brand of newschool jungle across Europe. (dj k - kill or be killed) 2003 (dj k - suffer) 2004 (dj k - hostile) 2008 DRUM & BASS TODAY Meanwhile, drum & bass also continues to evolve with its own following. A Major sub-genre in the last years has been "newschool jump-up" (as not to confuse it with the oldschool jump-up from '96-'98), taking the same bouncy beats and playful basslines in a thicker, more mature production style. (dj hazard - busted) 2007 "Liquid" continues from the influences of "intelligent" drum & bass with its updated production style. (bachelors of science - song for lovers) 2008 And there are a few strange offshoots of sub-genres that have also become popular. (castor - emily) 2005 JUNGLE TODAY With the majority of the producers now coming from different pockets of Europe (especially in the East), newschool jungle and particularly ragga jungle is at an all-time high. With vast networks continuously developing through social networking sites, dubplates are being shared and showcased on the now rapidly-growing number of websites dedicated to the new sound. Crews, DJ's and artists continue to push the sound ahead with new vinyl, digital releases, mixes and parties. Although never seeming to achieve quite the same status level as drum & bass, jungle has carved a deep niche in the underground electronic music scene and continues to thrive. http://www.raggajungle.biz (German jungle site with dubplate showcase & other media) http://www.overload.in/ (Russian jungle site with dubplate showcase & other media) DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ!! I do not claim that this article is perfectly accurate and/or complete (especially when mentioning producers, labels, scenes and timelines). It is a subjective piece with my main objective of telling a story from my perspective, what I personally experienced during these years. It is for entertainment (and possibly educational) purposes only. I've attempted to represent facts as accurately as possible. All audio clips are property of their respective artists & labels, I do not own the rights to these songs, they are put here in low quality to support the text only. If you want to help me make this article better, please send me your comments, additions and information where facts and names are missing. I appreciate all feedback. thirtyoneseconds@gmail.com ShoutMix chat widget SOME ESSENTIAL REFERENCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_drum_and_bass (well-written history including jungle vs. drum & bass portion from a global perspective) http://www.rolldabeats.com (essential jungle record catalogue database) http://techno.org/electronic-music-guide/ (slightly dated - last update around 2001) http://www.globaldarkness.com/articles/history%20of%20jungle%20drum%20and%20bass.htm (one of the first articles on the history of drum & bass) http://pitchfork.com/features/the-month-in-drum-bass/6135-the-month-in-drum-bass/ (Debaser article 2005) http://www.ragga-jungle.com (the first ragga jungle website) http://www.lajunglist.com (original California portal including n2o records) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac (the amen break video)