Review: The summer might be coming to an end, but raving season is only just heating up and is set to stay at this refreshingly positive high for the foreseeable. Together is a great example of why as a crack team of new generation talents and serious OGs collide for this special Moondance collection. Updates and new retro flavours galore as the likes of Danny Byrd goes stunningly loco on Acen's 'Trip To The Moon', Benny Page tears Shades Of Rhythm a new one on 'Sound Of Eden' and Dope Ammo, DJ Rap and Jasmine Knight team up for the rush-inducing 'Together'. Elsewhere Ray Keith takes us back to his 96 'Dark Soldier' era with his recent breakbeat assault 'Back In The Day', hardcore heroes Liquid and Billy Bunter lock horns on the euphoric 'Dove Removal Machine' while rising ravesmiths Origin8 & Propa close the EP with an update on their swaggering, stabby breakbeat banger 'Massive'. Come together now.
Review: Jungle Cakes shake us and bake us once again as label owners Deekline and Ed Solo lure long time friend Benny Page into their lair for this incredible 58 track collection. Created as a mix but all tunes available for your own persy armouries, as always with the 'Welcome To The Jungle' series, we're treated to sounds and styles across the entire dnb spectrum. Expected everything ranging from Benny's own bubblers to more dancefloor styles such as Blaine Stranger's 'Dragon' and Octo-Pi's 'This Sound' via rugged jump-up uppercuts such as Lockerz 'The Funk', crucial jungle licks like Exposure's remix of DeJay's 'St Paul's Jammin' and pure futurism like Filip Motovunski's 'Ninja'. And this isn't even the tip of the jungle iceberg here, there's so much to digest here. Huge.
Review: Benny Page and MC Spyda have the first single out on Spyda's brand new label and with this single they take you on a rough and ready journey through rolling D&B, one that's characterised by its reliance on the best elements of the older school of 170 sonics: big drum hits, reggae-infused MC work and a complete lack of pretentiousness or over-engineering. 'Serious Time' is exactly that and we love the spoken vibe that rolls out over the whole tune, a proper piece of mic duty from one off the stalwarts of the scene.
Review: Jungle Cakes always tend to put out music that rests on the foundations of UK underground, the cross-over influences of soul, reggae, jungle and D&B. it's always a fresh sound and it always brings up connotations of Boomtown, free parties and sunny afternoons. This is a monster album curated by Aries and Kelvin 373, who have taken tracks both old and new to form a banging compilation. Bou nails it on 'Music Takes Me Higher', a rustic revisit to classic jungle sounds; Aries and Nicky Blackmarket roll things out in a tight way on 'Champion'; and Chimpo slams the brakes on 'DidDieDoThat'. We don't know the answer to that, but we do know this is fat. Big ups.
Review: Following the likes of Ray Keith, Nicky Blackmarket, General Levy and many artists of high don calibre, Dope Ammo and DJ Hybrid are the next to take the controls as Jungle Cakes' Welcome To The Jungle series. As always, the selection digs deep across the board to include classics, absolute bangers that have been criminally forgotten and no less than 10 exclusives made strictly for this album. From the sun-kissed soul and key-tickling evangelist jam "Salvation" to the absolute rave carnage of "What's Going Down", the boys have gone in on this collection maintaining its still spotless reputation as one of the most consistent and prolific mix series available in the genre. Pay close attention to the Jukebox Jungle track, too. This needs your loving.
Review: Can we get a 'wicked?' Jungle Cakes continue to team up with some of the biggest donnies in the game with this latest Welcome To The Jungle collection. This time curated and fronted by the General himself, as you'd expect this is a full-on jungle assault that covers every single angle and every single era. 47 tracks and one killer mix, hosted and toasted by Levy himself, this is one of Jungle Cakes most comprehensive collections to date: From the foundation-setting, historic vibes of "Incredible" through to contemporary bangers from the likes of Kursiva, DJ Hybrid, Jam Thieves, Benny Page and all things in between, everyone involved has delivered something special. Massive.
Review: Jungle don Benny Page returns to last year's P.U.R.P.L.E album and shares out the parts to some of the many stand-out tracks for some timely remix justice. First up Kursiva plugs "Power" up to the mains and flips it into a high voltage tech-edge shock-out. Zero G follows with his switch-up on "Bless". One of the album's lower tempo dub joints, he supercharges it with skippy breaks, warm skanks and great use of both Sweetie and Eva's vocals. Finally the fast-rising Kleu takes "Should A Know" into brazen new pastures of badness with his absolute shredder of a remix. Boys and girls better know. Dutty!
Review: Liondub International's 10 year celebrations continue with a sense-shocking body slam into the future of the label and its ever-growing family of talented artists. Hitting hard like the label's ever-on-point Street Series, the rollcall reads like a who's who in gully talent: Dutta, Bou, Jayline, Vital, BlckHry and loads more. Whether you want to be completely twisted and spat back out by a brass section (Pharoah's "Fire In The Hole") you'd prefer to be hoovered by a jet engine then shot up into the stars (Jayline's "1408") or you're more into the idea of being rattled around in a big tin bassline can (Danny The WildChild's "Body Moves") this future shock has every physical experience contemporary (but heavily rooted) drum & bass can offer. And there's even more to come. Big up Liondub!
Review: Jungle Cakes regularly plow through the bangers and Benny Page is a long-time collaborator and friend of the label, as well as being an all-round, infamous badass in the world of jungle and jump-up D&B. His Shimmy EP is three tracks long and infinitely heavy, with a distinct sense of power and progression permeating every corner of this release. The title track is the highlight and exemplifies this perfectly, with a set of stabbing bass notes arranged into a wicked formula of dancefloor pressure. There's also a sick VIP and a final track to look forward to, so check it out.
Review: Back to 2006! Originally released on Shy FX's seminal Digital Soundboy, Benny Page's timeless soulful jungle piece "Turn Down The Lights" gets a relick from none other than Brookes Brothers and Rene Lavice. Taking things back to the mid/late 2000s vibe during which the original had its anthem status approved, there's a warm tubular sound the bassline and loads of cool disco glitches and stabs to keep things interesting. Next up is Benny's long, long LONG awaited VIP. Crunchier in the beats and laced with some really gully bass gurgles, it's what VIPs were invented for.
Review: Benny Page is a legend in the scene, and for this single he'd been joined by another legend: MC $pyda, who you'll probably know for his vocals on Pendulum's 'Tarantula'. This track is similar in a few respects: funky vibes, a big old rolling bassline and $pyda's vocals floating just above, with wicked effect. This is one of those arms-in-the-air tunes that taps into the history of reggae influence and sampling in the scene, its reminiscent of the recent Chase & Status stuff and it's definitely a style everyone can get behind. Shoutout to Page and $pyda for this one!
