Jungle and drum and bass
How UK rave culture, sampled funk breakbeats, reggae sound systems and pirate radio produced jungle in the early 1990s, and how it evolved into drum and bass.
Out of the rave
In the early 1990s, UK rave music known as breakbeat hardcore mixed house and techno synths with sped-up breakbeats sampled from old funk and soul records. Producers kept pushing the tempo higher and chopping the drums more intricately. Around 1992 and 1993, a new sound emerged: jungle.
Jungle combined:
- Fast, chopped breakbeats, often around 160 to 170 BPM.
- Deep, rolling bass taken from reggae and dub sound system culture.
- Samples from reggae, dancehall, hip-hop and film soundtracks.
- MC vocals chatting over the top.
Many of its pioneers were young Black British producers and DJs from London and other cities, drawing on their Caribbean heritage.
The Amen break
The most famous drum loop in jungle is the Amen break, a few seconds of drumming by Gregory C. Coleman from "Amen, Brother," a 1969 B-side by the soul group The Winstons. Producers cut the loop into individual hits and rearranged them at high speed. It became one of the most sampled pieces of audio in music history.
Other popular breaks came from funk records by James Brown's bands and others. Rearranging breaks was easier thanks to affordable samplers such as those made by Akai.
Pirate radio and dubplates
Jungle grew on pirate radio stations broadcasting from tower blocks around London, and through dubplates, one-off acetate discs cut for DJs so they could play new tracks before release. Owning an exclusive dubplate was a status symbol, and this culture came straight from reggae sound systems.
From jungle to drum and bass
By the mid 1990s, some producers moved toward a cleaner, more spacious sound that became known as drum and bass. Key moments:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Jungle reaches the mainstream in the UK |
| 1995 | Goldie releases the album Timeless, a landmark of the genre |
| 1997 | Roni Size and Reprazent win the Mercury Prize for New Forms |
Labels such as Metalheadz (founded by Goldie and others) and LTJ Bukem's Good Looking shaped different moods, from dark and techy to smooth and atmospheric.
Subgenres
- Liquid: soulful, melodic, with vocals and jazz chords.
- Neurofunk: dark, technical, heavily processed basslines.
- Jump-up: bouncy, wobbling bass aimed at big crowds.
- Jungle revival: modern producers returning to chopped breaks and reggae samples.
Most modern drum and bass sits around 170 to 175 BPM. See the BPM chart.
Mixing tips
Drum and bass DJs often mix quickly and use the bass EQ heavily, because two rolling basslines at once turn to mud. Common techniques include:
- Swapping basslines with the low EQ at the start of a new phrase. See EQ mixing.
- Double drops, lining up two tracks so their drops hit at the same moment.
- Mixing in halftime-feeling tracks for contrast.
Jungle's influence shows up in UK garage, grime, dubstep and even pop production, all built on the same pirate-radio culture.
