Thrive in '95 - Jungle's zenith

droid

droid

Well-known member
Herein we make the case for the enduring beauty of 95 jungle, the year that the genre was shorn of overt external influences and grew into an utterly unique multi faceted musical artifact.

We begin with some slightly obscure ethereal soulfulness from Override/AKA Klute:



Feel free to chime in or heckle.

Edit - replaced dead link.
 
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droid

droid

Well-known member
Source Direct - A Made up Sound

This tune always reminds me of summer. Scattered fragments of 2nd gen apache rolling over and coalescing into new shapes, time itself hesitating then tripping over itself... precise deployment of abstract minimal melody.

A made up sound indeed.

 
droid

droid

Well-known member
Babylon - Trace remix

Probably the best tune of '95, perhaps the greatest tune in all of jungle. A synthesis of all that came before. Ecstatic artcore pad intro with just a hint of unease, and then the drop! Dogs, sirens - a dense twilight dialogue of disorientation leading to that moment at 4 minutes when it effortlessly ramps into a higher dimension of brutality. A masterpiece.



Honorable mention must go to the original version. Sagas could be written about the moment at 1 minute when the entire tune drops out for that split second chime. An instant of whimsical genius. And then 2:49 when the bouncing bass comes in alongside Splash's trademark call and response snares... it could roll on forever as far as I'm concerned.

 
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Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I like that Trace remix, esp the 4 minute mark escalation, but I have to say I prefer the original. Not one but two nevertobeforgotten basslines. Stripped down, punk and elegant in one C4 brick.

Surprised you think it's a candidate for greatest jungle tune ever!

This will be a highly controversial thread, let's hope. :cool:
 
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droid

droid

Well-known member
Gang Related + Mask + Mc Dynamite - Oh My Gosh! (The SS Remix)

Bristol and Leicester collide in a ruffneck frenzy to produce a ragga tinged jump up bass led tune. Tempered by brilliant interlocking break sequencing featuring intricate deployment of a crusty think break and judicious exploitation of the amen.

Maybe my favourite tune on Dope Dragon.

 
C

craner

Beast of Burden
I still recall Droid's outrage and disbelief when Luke refused to admit having ever heard Babylon. It was a very funny episode.
 
droid

droid

Well-known member
Corpsey said:
I like that Trace remix, esp the 4 minute mark escalation, but I have to say I prefer the original. Not one but two nevertobeforgotten basslines. Stripped down, punk and elegant in one package.

Surprised you think it's a candidate for greatest jungle tune ever!

This will be a highly controversial thread, let's hope. :cool:
Click to expand...

Ive seen its aftermath too many times. Utterly devastating on a dancefloor. Too much almost. Scorched earth.
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I don't want to muscle in on your thread here but this one



I accidentally heard this on John Peel's radio 1 show when I was 10 years old. I had it in my head for years and years and didn't find out what it was until the advent of the internet, and of my infatuation with drum n bass - so I must have been at least 22. It became instantly less special when I found out what it was. Nah mean?

For a time there I was convinced that



the Origin Unknown RMX of Dead Dred was the greatest jungle choon ever. Probably cos I found it for cheap in a record shop in Nottingham and couldn't believe how banging it was.
 
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C

craner

Beast of Burden
droid said:
Herein we make the case for the enduring beauty of 95 jungle, the year that the genre was shorn of overt external influences and grew into an utterly unique multi faceted musical artifact.

We begin with some slightly obscure ethereal soulfulness from Override/AKA Klute:



Feel free to chime in or heckle.
Click to expand...


I've never heard this before. It's fussy, but quite gorgeous.
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Although, paradoxically, my favourite of Luka's tricks is to absolutely shit on a piece of music or book that he's never even heard or read.
 
droid

droid

Well-known member
Trinity ‎– Gangsta

...step inna the bank and him no fraid... brandish the gun and get paid.... flash lef police pon parade... ride park up inna di shade...

Dillinja with his OG credentials on full display in this Terror Fabulous sampling maelstrom. Raw, crunchy break work with some big hardocre pads that sound like theyve been through a washing machine. Not a replicant in sight

 
droid

droid

Well-known member
Goldie - Kemistry VIP

Kemistry had been through at least three iterations before this insane version appeared on the vinyl version of Timeless. This is the music I imagine the immortal cyborg Miles Davis producing as the orbit of his ship decays in the accretion disc of a supermassive black hole at the end of the universe. I know what all the elements in this tune are and roughly what they're doing - I can picture them all running in the sequencer - but when I try and understand exactly what's going on my mind fails to comprehend it, like gazing at a lovecraftian horror or some fiendish optical illusion.

 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I want this to be a manifesto of sorts

Why was jungle best in 95, why wasn't it best in 96 or 94?

And - with reference to your recent 130 hatred - what can we in 2019 learn from 1995 jungle?
 
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