Pianos Raining Down (with McDonald & Jannetta - 165 To 134 BPM mix)
Ooh Boy
Sound System Love
Review: Real jungle and jungle techno rufige in full gatefold LP form from 4am Kru. Incognito Rhythm is an ironic name, since the titular track fronting this giant of a record sounds anything but incognito; judging by the full guns-blazing force of its shelling drums and sprayed quad-basses, it might as well have blown its cover, sounding as ballistic as a rubber bullet in a chamber full of springs. After the jungle techno exposition we move forthrightly into classic b-people jungle, with sizzling orchestral rompler workings wedged in with short-form breaks loops to exhilarating effect. The centrifugal mood is broken on 'Deepest Darkest Jungle', on which a much more tenebrous tone is achieved, giving off whiffs of a zoophonic jungle jamboree, the mise-en-scene for a fluting epiphany. The sounds of churlish cheek return from 'High Time' and thereon, after which r&b and ragga voxes predominate and determine the moods of the tracks in question. 'Wutt' is by far the maddest one, refusing at every turn the temptation to settle.
Review: It was way back in 1994 when original rave hero and genuinely foundational DJ Ellis Dee (real name Roy Collins) offered up his one and only 12" as Norty But Nice. 31 years on, that two-tracker returns to stores in remastered form via this coloured vinyl reissue from Vinyl Fanatiks. Lead cut 'Do You Want It' is spacey, intoxicating and - as you'd expect - breathlessly energetic, with Collins placing piano riffs, vocal samples and intergalactic electronics atop a jungle-style hardcore breakbeat and booming bass. On flip-side 'Give It To Me Baby' he opts for more deep space synths, rolling bass, deeply layered breakbeats and more rushing piano motifs. Both tracks are, of course, genuine breakbeat hardcore classics.
Review: EBY is an acid house artist who has more than made his mark over the years. 40 years, to be exact, and to mark that rather notable occasion he is back with a special release on Foxbam Inc called ACID Thing and it comes in various different formats. This is a grey vinyl version that celebrates the classic acid sound while infusing it with a modern twist and plenty of big basslines, squelchy synths, and potent rhythms. The standout 'Acidanus' includes MC Soph who made her debut on Acid Indigestion Pt4 at just eight years old and now returns at 25. The EP also features a remix of 'Eggtrip' by renowned Belgian producer Outlander who you will likely remember from his iconic cut 'Vamp.'
Review: Whether or not Lennie D'Ice's 'We Are I.E' was the tune that inspired the birth of jungle has long been a matter of debate. Regardless, it was certainly highly influential - a booming, sub-heavy breakbeat hardcore anthem that undoubtedly shifted the musical dial on its initial release in 1991. Here the freshly remastered original - sounding weightier and sharper than ever - is joined by a trio of 21st century interpretations. Solo and Blade kick things off with a crisply chopped and pleasingly rolling re-edit before Horsepower Productions brilliantly re-imagine it as a punchy and powerful breakstep smasher. Arguably best of all though is the take from Bristol's Borai, who brilliantly joins the dots between bassline, 4/4 UKG and saucer-eyed turn-of-the-90s house. Let me hear you scream!
Review: Get to know Mekatune, a brand new label from one of jungle music's most influential but enigmatic pioneers - Marlon M Beat. Prior to this, most of the releases of his music have been without his wish and wrought with complications (to the point he left the industry for over 25 years) But Mekatune is a place for his own material on his own terms. Much of which has been unreleased or never been reissued in years. This EP is a great example; 'Booyaka' was his first breakthrough while '247' is a cult classic. Meka moves.
Review: Trust us: we know when a reissue has been done lovingly and not in a meritless way. Vinyl Fanatiks fall into the former category, evidencing their ability to turn us to fanatical vinyl proselytes in turn, with this new edition of Nexus & Blowback's 'The Cat's Whiskas'. First released on the UK label Stranger Recordings in 1992, this 12" was just one of two records to ever grace the outlet's decked-out halls; label owner Sam Tierney was also behind the short-lived fixator alias, Obsession, the other releasee on the imprint. As if to put into words the emotions and affects attached to certain lingo native to the early breakbeat hardcore scene, track titles like 'Totally Cabbaged', 'Dinosaurus' and 'Law Of The Jungle' suggest a viviparous vive, their brisk breaks, colic choirs and explosive pianos making explicit the aliveness of a ravebound youth. Also pairing the music with allusions to animalia and the jungle wilderness, the EP grows increasingly experimental as it progresses both through the thicket and back in time, with 'Dinosaurus' serving up a triassic extinction event by the hand of catastrophic synth-struments, such as buzzing square waves and nuclear breaks.
Review: Those interested in the roots of UK bass music have been well-served of late, with a number of books and compilations focusing on the first wave of British dance music in the late 80s and early 90s. Soul Jazz's latest compilation is a superb addition to this growing list. It showcases music made in the post-bleep and early breakbeat hardcore period, where basslines got bigger, drum breaks faster, and ragga influences started to come to the fore. The selections are on-point throughout from the dub-wise rave rush of Babylon Timewarp's "Durban Poison" and the bleep-and-breaks-meets-proto-jungle shuffle of DJ Dubplate's "Tings A Go On", to the rave-rap goodness of The Freaky's "Time & Age" and the heavily edited darkcore/early jungle insanity that is Krome & Time's terrific "Ganja Man". In a word: essential.
Review: UK Hardcore will never die, especially with labels like Remix continually kicking out the jams. Their latest high grade weaponry comes from Kingside who does indeed super-size the beats here. 'The Right Time' is pure piano-laced euphoria with big breakbeats and a heart-tugging vocal. 'Coming On Strong' then gets more physical as it ups the speed of the drums, works in yelping vocal snatches, kills things dead with filters and generally causes utter carnage. 'Happy Hardcore Track' is an archetypal version of just that. Pure vibes that cannot fail to explode any party with big smiles and hands-in-the-air energy.
Review: UK hardcore masters Kniteforce keep the rave alive with another excellent throwback EP, this time from Nookie. It has all the authentic hallmarks of a proper old school offering but with great modern production. 'Give A Little Love' is a pain banger with bristling breakbeats and no shortage of energy, then 'Love Is The Message' douses you in fizzy chords and dusty drum breaks that dart up and down and are run through with yelping vocal stabs. 'Pedro Visits Romford' shuts down with bright chords refracting about the mix next to more chopped-up vocals.
Review: Andrew Bowen, formerly of AnD and Shadows, debuts a fresh EP for a fresh alias: Slave To Society. An entirely unique exploration of breakneck jungle and bass, 'Abstract Venom' explores the extremities of the harshest facets of darkside electronica, with a self-proclaimed disregard "for BPMs, rules, regulations, or trends". While that claim might be somewhat hyperbolic, there is some truth to it. We hear vestiges of punk, industrial, noise, and experimental music in this overarchingly drum & bass project; while at the same time, cuts like the title track and 'Tribulations Of An Alien' indulge everything from rule-ribbing polyrhythms to mega-tight, neuromantic breakcore.
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