Coming soon: Drum & Bass / Jungle

Review: Western Lore reasserts its place at the vanguard of contemporary jungle with this twelve-track set, a widescreen survey of the genre’s evolving emotional and rhythmic terrain. Founded by Bristol artist Dead Man’s Chest, the label’s curatorial strength lies in its ability to bridge eras and sensibilities—pairing established names with new voices, hard breaks with softer contours. His own ‘Living Real’ opens the collection with echoing vocal trails and crisp percussive rolls, while Denham Audio’s ‘Be Sweet To Me’ offers a sweet-and-sour blend of hardcore tension and wistful pads. Sonic returns with the razor-edged ‘X’, Response & Sourpuss stretch time on the haunted ‘Four 4’, and Eusebeia’s ‘Epoch’ drifts into panoramic ambient territory. Standouts from Vilhelm Hasselgren and Ravver carry the same detail-oriented production that defines the release, full of submerged textures and cinematic drama. What links each contribution is a shared reverence for breaks as both pulse and palette. As with earlier volumes, this isn’t just a snapshot of jungle—it’s a reminder of its capacity to shift, absorb and outlast.