| Jungle | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1990s, UK |
| Derivative forms | |
Jungle is agenre ofelectronic music that developed in the 1990s out of the UKrave scene and Jamaicansound system culture. Emerging frombreakbeat hardcore, the style is characterised by rapidbreakbeats, heavilysyncopated percussive loops,samples and synthesised effects, combined with the deepbasslines, melodies and vocal samples found indub,reggae anddancehall, as well aship-hop andfunk.[1] Many producers frequently sampled the "Amen break" or other breakbeats from funk andjazz recordings.[2] Jungle was a direct precursor to thedrum and bass genre which emerged in the mid-1990s.[3][4]
Thebreakbeat hardcore scene of the early 1990s was beginning to fragment by 1992 and 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 of4-beat/happy hardcore, whilst tracks with dark-themed samples and industrial-style stabs had emerged from late 1992 and nameddarkcore. Reggae samples and reggae-influenced tracks had been a feature of many breakbeat hardcore tracks since 1990, particularly from producers such asShut Up and Dance;[a]however, Paul Ibiza[b][7] and theRebel MC were arguably the first to bring thesound system influence solidly into releases. The track "We Are I.E." byLennie De Ice is often credited as being the track that laid down the foundations for jungle with itsragga bassline.[8]
During 1992 and 1993, the terms "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 AWOL,[9] Roast and Telepathy, byDJs such asDJ Ron,DJ Hype,DJ Randall, Mickey Finn,DJ Rap andKenny Ken, record labelsMoving Shadow,V Recordings,Suburban Base and Renk,[10] and onpirate radio stations such asKool FM (regarded as being the most instrumental station in the development of jungle) but alsoDon FM, Rush and Rude FM.
Tracks would span breakbeat styles, with notable releases including "Darkage" by DJ Solo, "Valley of the Shadows" byOrigin Unknown, "Set Me Free" by Potential Bad Boy, "28 Gun Bad Boy" byA Guy Called Gerald, "Crackman" byDJ Ron, "A London Sumtin" by Code 071, "Learning from My Brother" by Family of Intelligence, "Lion of Judah" byX Project, and "Be Free" byNoise Factory.
Techniques and styles could be traced to such a vast group of influencers, each adding their own little elements. According toSimon 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 ofJamaican reggae. Musically, jungle's spatialised production, bass quake pressure and battery of extreme sonic effects, make it a sort of postmoderndub music on steroids."[11] This is an example of the effects of the sonic diaspora and the wide influence musical genres have; Jungle is where these differentBlack Atlantic genres converge.[11] 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 aspliff in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other".[12] Jungle also served as "a site for a battle between contesting notions of blackness".[13]
Jungle reached the peak of its popularity between 1994 and 1995. At this stage, the genre was achieving a number of UK top 40 hits, including "Incredible" byM-Beat featuringGeneral Levy, and spawned a series of CD compilations such asJungle Mania andJungle Hits. Controversy raged over the success of "Incredible" when Levy reportedly made comments in the media that he was "running jungle at the moment". Although Levy always argued that his comments were misinterpreted, this did not fail to stop a boycott of the single amongst a group of DJs that were dubbed as the "Jungle Committee".[14][15] Labels such as Ibiza, 3rd Party and Kemet were prolific in their releases.[16]
Having previously been confined to pirate radio, legal stations woke up to jungle from 1994. London'sKiss 100 launched itsGivin' It Up show in early 1994 and featured DJs on rotation including Kenny Ken Jumpin Jack Frost, DJ Randall, DJ Rap and Mickey Finn. A year later, the UK's nationwide broadcasterBBC Radio 1 finally gave jungle a platform on itsOne in the Jungle weekly show.[17]
Major labels such as Sony and BMG were signing deals with artists includingA Guy Called Gerald, Kemet andDJ Ron. Of these,Roni Size and4hero would achieve wider commercial success asdrum and bass artists, but continued to release more underground jungle tracks—the latter adopting the aliasTom & Jerry to continue to releaserare groove sampling dancefloor-oriented jungle. The underground classic "Burial" byLeviticus would see a major release onFFRR Records.
Jungle music, as a scene, was unable to decide whether it wanted to be recognised in the mainstream or if it wanted to avoid misrepresentation.[18] This manifested in the cooperation of jungle artists and small record labels. Small record labels worked to provide more autonomy to the music artists in return for their business and jungle music was proliferated by pirate stations in underground networks and clubs. Whilst the media would in part feed off jungle music success, it also perpetuated negative stereotypes about the scene as being violent. The seminal 1994documentaryA London Some 'Ting Dis, chronicled the growing jungle scene and interviewed producers, DJs and ravers to counter this perception.[19][20]
1996 and 1997 saw a less reggae-influenced sound and a darker, grittier and more sinister soundscape. Hip-hop andjazz-influenced tracks dominated the clubs in this period.[21]Dillinja,Roni Size,Die,Hype,Zinc,Alex Reece andKrust were instrumental in the transition of the jungle sound to drum and bass. By the end of 1998, the genre's sound had changed forms significantly from the sound heard earlier in the decade.
Ragga jungle is a fusion genre that combines jungle with a heavyreggae influence. It would become a major subgenre during 1994 and 1995, with popular tracks such as "Incredible" by M-Beat featuring General Levy, "Original Nuttah" by UK Apachi andShy FX, "Sound Murderer / RIP" by Remarc, "Limb by Limb" byHitman featuringCutty Ranks, and "Code Red / Champion DJ" byConquering Lion.[22]
In 1995,jump-up would also become a popular subgenre that came out ofhardstep, with influences of various kinds of sound experiments, most importantly thebass line. Popular tracks of this subgenre include "Dred Bass" by Dead Dred, "Super Sharp Shooter" byDJ Zinc, "This Style" byShy FX, "R.I.P" (DJ Hype Remix) by Remarc and DJ Zinc's remix of theFugees' "Ready or Not". The genre would later regain popularity in the early 2000s with new productions by artists such asShimon &Andy C,Bad Company,DJ Hazard andPendulum.[23]
Also known asatmospheric drum and bass, intelligent jungle andintelligent drum and bass, ambient jungle is categorized by a stronger emphasis on atmospheric, melodic elements than complex, re-sequenced breakbeats. Ambient jungle evolved out of thebreakbeat hardcore scene in the early 1990s in contrast todarkside.Hardcore's influence on ambient jungle can be heard in the B-side ofDieselboy's 1994 mixtape,Future Sound of Hardcore.[24]LTJ Bukem is generally considered the originator of this genre and his labelGood Looking Records put out many of its most celebrated releases in the 1990s.[25] Iconic artists in this subgenre includeLTJ Bukem, Wax Doctor,Peshay,Blu Mar Ten andOmni Trio.
The post-Thatcherite United Kingdom of the early 1990s had left many young people, particularly London's lower-class urban youth, disenfranchised and disillusioned with a seemingly crumbling societal structure. Jungle reflected these feelings, as it was a notably more dark, less euphoric style of music than many of the other styles popular at raves. The music was much more popular with black British youths than other rave styles, such astechno, even though it was heavily influenced by these other rave styles, including those from the United States.[26]
Jungle music was also seen as "England's answer to hip-hop", aimed at breaking down racial boundaries and promoting unification through its multiculturalism by drawing from different cultures and attracting mixed crowds at raves.[27] Jungle's rhythm-as-melody style overturned the dominance of melody-over-rhythm in the hierarchy of Western music, adding to its radical nature.[28]
Moreover, the greater accessibility to sampling technology allowed young people to create music in their homes by incorporating their own sampling and experiences, rather than needing a grand recording studio.[29]
Characterised by thebreakbeats and multi-tiered rhythms, Jungle drew support not only from British b-boys who got swept up into the rave scene, but also fromreggae,dancehall,electro and rap fans alike. Simon Reynolds described it as causing fear and "for many ravers, too funky to dance"[30] yet the club scene enjoyed every second.
The origin of the word jungle is one of discussion.Rebel MC is often noted for having popularised the term, and inSimon Reynolds' bookEnergy Flash, MC Navigator is quoted as attributing the word to him.{{efn|"According to MC Navigator from Kool FM, 'jungle' comes from 'junglist', and was first heard in 1991 as a sample used by Rebel MC. "Rebel got this chant—all the junglists—from a yard-tape" referring to the sound-system mix-tapes imported from Jamaica. "When Rebel sampled that, the people cottoned on, and soon they started to call the music jungle."[11] Others such as MC Five-O attribute it to MC Moose,[c] whilst Rob Playford (ofMoving Shadow) attributes it to MC Mad P (ofTop Buzz).[d] 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".[32]
Notable releases include: "Burial" byLeviticus, "Dangerous" byDJ Ron, "Lover to Lover / Maximum Style" byTom & Jerry, "Original Nuttah" byShy FX, "All the Crew Big Up" byRoni Size &DJ Die, "Incredible /Sweet Love" by M-Beat, "The Helicopter Tune" byDeep Blue, "Super Sharp Shooter" byDJ Zinc, "Sovereign Melody / Lion Heart" byDillinja, "Everyman" byKenny Ken, "The Victory / Lovable" byDJ Dextrous, "Bad Ass" byAphrodite, "The Lighter" byDJ SS and "Tiger Style" by DJ Hype.[33][34][35][36]
The term "jungle" is often used as a synonym for drum and bass, particularly in the United States. More commonly, jungle is viewed as the originating point for drum and bass, with the progressive changes brought by artists in the late 1990s serving as the point of diversion (some examples being Trace &Ed Rush,LTJ Bukem,Photek,Total Science,Goldie andOptical).During this time, a false dichotomy was established between drum and bass and jungle, with the former for white ravers and the latter for black ravers.[37] The sub-genre of drum and bass developed to be quicker, more industrial, less danceable yet was seen as more 'accessible and commercial' than jungle, as cited in an article byThe Observer in 1996.[38]
InBlack Music in Britain in the 21st Century, written by Julia Toppin in 2023, she explains, "the process of modifying jungle's name can be viewed as an 'act of resignifying the otherness' to disassociate it from black people and the racist media narratives containing race, drugs, and violence with jungle music and the scene."[37] The jungle scene had always been portrayed in a negative light due to its affiliation with the rave scene and especially because of the black people associated with the music.[39]
The security and drug incidents at jungle events typically seemed to attract more police attention than other EDM genres, though the same trouble would happen in any other raves attended by predominately white audiences. With the emergence of drum and bass, the previous biases against jungle intensified while drum and bass's popularity grew rapidly in mainstream media. In her article, Toppin highlights the sonic marginalization that occurred during the late 1990s, with black jungle ravers declined entry at night clubs and DJs being shadow-banned from playing jungle at venues.[40] This would lead to jungle's return to the underground at the end of the decade.
A thriving underground movement producing and developing tracks in the style of the 1990s and some original (though mostly mainstream drum and bass) jungle producers have noticed this new enthusiasm for the original sound.Shy FX, for example, launched the Digital Soundboy label in 2005 to put out more jungle. The UK is still home to a thriving jungle scene. Frequent jungle nights at theCorsica Studios has been pivotal to the continued success of the genre. The scene has grown with new producers such as Forest Drive West,Tim Reaper, Dead Man's Chest andSully.[41][42]
The early to mid-2000s saw a jungle revival in the emerging drum-funk subgenre, with labels such as Scientific Wax, Bassbin Records and Paradox Music pushing for a more breaks orientated sound. Technicality and Bassbin events in London were spearheading this return to more traditional elements of jungle music.
One of the scene's originators,Congo Natty, continued to release jungle music throughout the 2000s, culminating in the 2013 albumJungle Revolution.[43]
In 2018,Chase & Status produced an album exploring jungle sounds,RTRN II JUNGLE.[44]
In the 2020s, prevalent jungle record labels include Future Retro London, 3AM Eternal and Sub Code Records.
Even more common, especially in jungle/drum 'n' bass, is a break ... which fans and musicians commonly refer to as the 'Amen' break.
What's acknowledged to be the earliest jungle tune, despite its lack of toasting, dates from 1989. Built on a ragga bassline, "We Are I.E." by young London Lennie De-Ice rules dancefloors.
