Category Archives: Jungle

Lynch Kingsley & Block Mameli – Swinging Flavors #2 [Beat Machine]

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Beat Machine continue their Swinging Flavors 7″ series with a cracking new Jungle/Footwork crossover from Lynch Kingsley & Block Mameli. From the hypnotic eastern-tinged string lick to the strong ragga vocal from Mameli the tune just oozes character, and we’re big fans of the syncopated beat structure that Lynch has been honing across his releases over the last few years.

Over on the flip Hungarian-born but now US-based DJ MADD flips the tune around, keeping the central character but taking the riddim in a different direction with elements of dub, socca and trap working their way into the mix for a slightly more laid back vibe. Another wicked entry in what’s proving to be a really innovative series from Beat Machine; check out the clips below and hit up their store to grab it on vinyl or digital right now!

Sam Binga & Om Unit – TransPacific EP

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Messrs Binga & Unit are back with another cheeky slice of white label shenaniganery following the success of their Transatlantic EP. The pair have gone in on a selection of experimental beats for this one, with one eye on the dancefloor but probably another three eyes elsewhere.

Windmill Kick opens the salvo with a ruffneck slice of chopped up jungle sporting a distinctly grime-influenced synth melody. It’s a perfect example of the sort of genre-clashing production that makes their work so exciting, and it’s more than capable of moving a dancefloor to boot; wicked stuff.

Big Kev changes tack completely, bringing together footwork, hip-hop and a squelching acid line for an outing remeniscent of Fracture, Spinn & Taso’s recent Acid Claps; apparently great minds think alike! 1000 Cats keeps the riddims shuffling but airs things out with a fantastic psych-tinged melody, leaving it to Planetary Reboot to go full-mental and close the EP with a droning, beatless synth-noise wash.

We’re suckers for a good white label here at the Dojo and it’s fantastic to hear two producers as talented as Om Unit & Sam Binga flowing free with their sonic whims, unshackled by labels or genre pigeon-holes. Roll on the next instalment! Hit up the BUNIT Bandcamp to grab a copy now, but move fast; if this one sells as well as the first release did it won’t be on their shelves for long.

Wax Breaks [Paradox Music]

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One for the b-boys, turntablists and producers today as we take a quick look at Paradox Music’s latest release, Wax Breaks. Doing exactly what it says on the tin, the LP features 16 funky fresh breaks for scratching, sampling, rapping over, or just listening to while you eat your breakfast cereal if that’s your thing.

True to the name and true to the aesthetics of the classic break/scratch records this plate pays homage too, this one is available on vinyl only. It’s already sold out at the Paradox Music store but copies are still available at Samurai and Eastern Bloc…move fast if you want to lay hands on this!

Lynch Kingsley – Eden EP [Inperspective]

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Lynch Kingsley continues his impressive run of releases with three new tracks for long-running London imprint Inperspective. The results are outstanding, taking the musicality of Lynch’s work to a new level while retaining the tasty break chopping that has always characterised his beats.

Vision of Suffering kicks things off with a dark, moody take on old school jungle-tinged techstep; eerie pads, heavy breaks and massive sub hits drive this one along nicely. The track manages to maintain a threatening vibe without ever veering into more tearout territory and the crunchy drum work really makes it stand out.

Minutes of Silence continues in a similar vein, with a beautiful guitar lick intro giving way to frenetic break chopping business. Last but not least, Eden touches down with huge distorted bass hits and helter-skelter drums that veer in and out of the mix at breakneck pace. The second half sees the tune drop into a serene, ambient breakdown before switching things up into less angsty drumfunk riddims for a really tidy progression.

The drum programming on show here is top notch from start to finish; fans of Mako, Paradox and Photek should be all over this. You can pick the EP up right now via the Inperspective Bandcamp page so check out the clips and go grab a copy!

February Roundup Part Two

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Once again we’ve been inundated with quality music in the Dojo inbox and despite the bonus extra day February has vanished before we could write it all up! Here’s some coverage of the best of the rest including new music from Alix Perez & Ivy Lab, Calibre, Hanover, SCAR, Bone and more…

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Fracture – Hype Tracks EP [Exit]

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After the success of his much lauded Loving Touch EP Fracture returns to Exit with another top selection of raved up riddims which showcase his knack for melding dancefloor chops with intriguing stylistic experiments and varied the results are too.

Makin’ Hype Tracks kicks things off with another ravey smasher in the vein of Fracture’s excellent remix of DJ Monita’s Luv Ta Luv Ya, blending footwork influences with crisp jungle breaks and a tint of the old school. This one will absolutely be doing the damage in the clubs! Black Pearl immediately flips the script, keeping the crunchy jungle-style breaks but setting them to a more liquid-y set of pads and vocal cuts for a blend of the frantic and the serene.

The appropriately titled Acid Claps sees Teklife footwork originators Taso & Spinn on board for a track that lives up to it’s name with squelchy acid lines and tons of 808 clap action. Wonky business! Last up, I Just brings things full circle with another blend of breakneck syncopations and bassweight.

Personally I can’t get enough of Fracture’s work and that of similar producers like Moresounds and Fixate; this blend of the old and the new is absolutely infectious, and long may it last! Check out the clips below and hit up the Exit Store right now to grab a copy on vinyl or digital. Hype Hype!

Classic Track: Adam F – Circles

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This one shouldn’t need any introduction; today’s classic selection takes us back two decades to 1995 and the golden years of the jungle sound. Keeping those crispy breaks but swapping the darker vibe of many jungle tunes for a lighter tone based around floaty synth melodies, there’s no doubt that this served as the inspiration for many artists in the development of the intelligent and liquid D&B scenes in later years.

Interest in the track clearly hasn’t waned with the likes of LTJ Bukem dropping a new bootleg from dRamatic & dbAudio so maybe we’ll see a fresh mix hitting the stores soon, but meantime the original still does the business; check it out below and lose yourself in those synths…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obv477QfDI0

Paradox – Breaker / Kickdat [Paradox Music]

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I almost know before I even listen to it that I’ll enjoy a new 12″ from Paradox; so few of his releases have ever disappointed me, being imbued with such a distinctive style and singular focus on breakbeat culture. Looking back to my early explorations of all things Drum & Bass, the discovery of drumfunk via old albums like The Age of Outsiders was a formative moment, a moment of realisation that this music could be about more than just dancefloor chops, about speed but also subtlety.

Maybe that nostalgia tints my appreciation of Paradox’s music, but I like to think that any positive bias based on old favourites remains fairly insignificant in the face of the care and attention he puts into his tracks. Never has old fashioned break chopping been honed to such a fine art, and the combination of stripped back breaks, simple bass and b-boy sampling remains as infectious as it ever has been.

The latest release on Paradox Music sees him treading familiar ground on punchy, rapid A-side Breaker while flipside Kick Dat drops the tempo for a more hip-hop oriented track complete with some cheeky turntablism, and a damn funky outing it is too. This might be a well worn groove but those licks still sound mighty fine to this reviewer; check out the clips below and hit up the usual outlets to grab this on vinyl and digital now.

Classic Track: Jo – R-Type

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rtype

Today’s classic track selection takes us back to 1993 for a cheeky rewind on Jo’s jungle classic R-Type. Named after the legendary side scrolling shoot ’em up from Namco and imbued with a cheeky 8-bit style melody set to crisp breaks, this slightly unusual take on the jungle sound still resonates today. No wonder Shogun Audio picked it up for re-release for their very first 12″ back in 2004 (backed with a Friction remix which brings it up to modern speeds nicely without losing the original character of the tune). This one is a bit of an anthem and rightly so; yes selecta!

January Roundup

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2016 is already looking like a great year for drum & bass, so without further ado we’ll be taking a look at some of the worthy releases that have hit the Dojo inbox so far this year. Read on for new beats from Genotype, PIN, Sully and more… Continue reading →