The evolution of jungle and ambient jungle music
Originated in the UK, Jungle (or Jungle DnB) is a dance music genre that hit the rave scene and sound system culture in the 1990s. Emerging from breakbeat hardcore, the style is characterized by rapid breakbeats, heavily syncopated percussive loops, samples, and synthesized effects combined with the deep basslines, melodies, and vocal samples found in dub, reggae, dancehall, hip hop, and funk.
Jungle was one of the spin-off sub-genres resulting from the split of acid house music into two camps: house and techno. A Red Bull Academy article stated, "By 1992, two directions were forming: the pitched-up vocals and big pianos of happy hardcore and the heavier, darker, more uncompromising and future-focused sounds of what would eventually become known as jungle drum & bass."
Having previously been confined to pirate radio, legal stations woke up to jungle from 1994. London's Kiss 100 launched its Givin' It Up show in early 1994 and featured DJs such as Kenny Ken, Jumpin Jack Frost, DJ Rap, and Mickey Finn. A year later, the UK's nationwide broadcaster BBC Radio 1 finally gave jungle a platform on its One in the Jungle weekly show.
1996 and 1997 saw a less reggae influenced sound and a darker, grittier, and more sinister soundscape. Hip hop and jazz-influenced tracks dominated the clubs in this period. Dillinja, Roni Size, and Krust 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.
Simultaneously through the 1990s, artists such as LTJ Bukem and his record label Good Looking were exploring an entirely different side of DnB in response to the "almost paranoid hyperkinesis" of breakbeat-based house music, an innovation dubbed as atmospheric or intelligent DnB. Bukem's style pays homage to the Detroit-based sound of early techno while incorporating even earlier influences like the mellow, melodic sonorities of 1970s era jazz fusion as heard in the music of Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers. He was also identified for his reservations regarding the overbearing force of the hardcore mentality.
Bukem's music from the early 1990s onward represents his efforts to map out an alternative future for DnB by incorporating softer-edged influences culled from London's 1980s rare groove and acid jazz scenes. Music on Logical Progression reveals these influences, as does his approach on 1993's Music / Enchanted, which features string arrangements and sounds from nature. His use of keyboards, live vocals, and slow- motion breaks on these and future releases earned Bukem's music the tag intelligent drum and bass. While this designation caused controversy within the drum and bass community, it also influenced the popularization of hardcore music in the UK during the mid-1990s.
Artists like Photek helped popularize atmospheric or ambient DnB. Photek's sound is characterized by his incredibly detailed drum programming and augmented by his sophisticated sense for combining abstract sounds with jazz and classic techno influences. Swedish artist Seba also began creating sweet, pure, tuneful, and atmospheric DnB.
As with all genres, the introduction of digital production and releases in the early 2000s changed everything. Some thought it erased the personal touch so important to the core of jungle and DnB music. Others were excited at the new accessibility and global adoption of jungle music and its ability to extend the lifespan of the genre on charts and in clubs. The result of this extension? More sub-genres, more styles. Emerging artists and fixtures in the jungle scene alike began exploring different corners of jungle music's possibilities. And now you can too with these Serum presets presented by Test Press.
