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the Jungle Experience, Part I April 13, 1996 - Havre de Grace, Maryland |
"Funk phar-ma-lo-gi-cal", the sample repeated in different ways.
The jungle cabin at Bassrush III literally shook to the sounds
of the DJ Dieselboy. A nice rolling bassline along with a steady
drum break moved the masses, and then ..... all hell breaks loose
when forceful chopped up drums make their way into the track,
bringing it and the crowd to another level. People are absolutely
going nuts, and horns and hollers demand the rewind. A backspin,
and then silence. The distinctive voice of the MC Dub2 cuts
through the silence with exhortations to hype up the crowd. Horns
and hollers are still going strong; the junglists are eagerly
awaiting another taste of the track being started again from the
start by the Dieselboy. Jungle vibe in full effect. (This event was also special because it was the first time I heard and danced to happy hardcore. DJ Dougal rocked the 5am massive.) |
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the Jungle Experience, Part II August 14, 1996 - New York City |
There he was, standing off to the side of the stage with a few others to get a good, close look at the one and only LTJ Bukem spinning onstage alongside his smooth sidekick, MC Conrad. The floor below was beyond packed, and the masses were moving to every track, even though there was zero room to do so. Our junglist grooved a little onstage, but maintained a sense of decorum because he was within 20 feet of the great LTJ, soaking in the aura of the man and his plates. But then a boom track is dropped, and our junglist can't stand still any longer - he starts "throwing down" like there is no tomorrow - right on stage, in full view of the NYC junglist massive. Edging away from the side, he energetically dances/flails toward the decks, the music clearly having taken over his whole being. Meanwhile, his companion half-heartedly tries to restrain him (lest he makes the turntables skip) from behind with taps on the shoulder .... but our junglist manically dances on, a picture-perfect display of jungle vibe. |
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the Jungle Experience, Part III (November 13, 1997/January 29, 1998/May 28, 1998) - New York City |
The massive house club that is Twilo acknowledges jungle's emergence by hosting several monthlies featuring British luminaries associated with the V Recordings record label. DJs like Roni Size, Brian G, Jumpin' Jack Frost, Ray Keith, Grooverider, Andy C, and Randall were accompanied by MCs like GQ, Moose, and Dynamite. They brought the UK sound to Twilo's powerful sound system, and the NYC jungle massive responded with an incredible dancing vibe all over the cavernous floor. It was like Jungle Nation (now defunct NYC weekly party highly regarded for its great vibe) except in a much larger space. Never before have I seen so many people move to the sounds of the drum and bass - easily the largest jungle room New York has ever brocked out to. Maybe that's what a World Dance (England's legendary series of huge jungle raves) is like. |
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6 Favorite Jungle DJ Sets (in no particular order) |
Why most all these sets are older: I prefer jump-up
and hardstep, two styles from the golden age of jungle.
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| mix tapes to listen to |
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| Favorite MCs |
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