Review: It's a Bristol thing: Deep In The Jungle mainstay Audiomission rallies up the crew for four skank-packed jungle workouts. Together they lay down "Live & Let Live" and "Yeah Man" - the former hits with bouncy mid 90s jungle mischief, hurts with modern production and massages with a conscious vocal line while the latter whisks us back to the rushiest of rave meltdowns. Elsewhere Pull Up Collective go solo with the siren wailing jungle blazer "Big Up" a track that's transformed into a ragged edge amen war cry by Kartoon. Proper.
Review: With upwards of 20 releases this year, it's been a crazy busy 2018 for rising new-gen breaksmith Conrad Subs. He's not showing any signs of slowing down either as this return to DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle imprint proves... There's a wry nod to speed garage on the Rip Groove saluting "Special Request" and the 187 Lockdown referencing "Come Selecta" while elsewhere we have rapid ragga chats on "XXL", deeper sci fi funk on "Sound Killa", absolutely savage breakbeat shattery on "Lions Dub" and stone cold jungle finale "Run The Track". Pure drum craftsmanship, watch out for the sweet bluesy sample on the intro because it's the only respite Conrad's going to give you. Just the way it should be.
Review: With releases on STAT, Inna Rhythm and Soul Deep Digital already under his cap this year, Conrad Subs makes his debut on DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle with five more rowdy workouts. "Rampin" tickles a pungent whiff of Bristol thanks to its harmonic bassline riff, "Dubrock" is all trippy drums and gunshots, "Spit Shine" takes us deep into the rave with a Binga-style jitteriness while "Let Me Go" turns us inside out with its turbo bass shots, sirens and rampant drumwork. Finally "Basic Replay" closes on a slick sick steppy fix. Easily Conrad's most comprehensive and hardest hitting collection so far.
Review: Put this release on, close your eyes and you can almost see Boomtown: the sprawling crowds, the bucket hats and the fat stacks of speakers undoubtedly blaring out something that sounds a lot like Conrad Sub's Boombox EP. A combination of ragga jungle and harder flavours, this release epitomizes the feel-good yet moody take on music so common to this side of the scene. 'Batty Rider' rolls and rolls, with Break-esque sub-bass dives and growling sine wobbles that beautifully transform into rowdy jungle. 'Flood Out' features some more chilled out jungle atmospherics that still pack a punch, once more containing a mid-way switch into naughty breaks. The other three also all absolutely slam - sick release.
Review: Choose Conrad Subs. Choose Deep In The Jungle. Choose a lifetime of being happy-slapped by amens and tickled in the gut by long rumbling subs the size of elephants. Choose collaborations with DJ Hybrid like the swaggering "Rinse It". Choose absolutely slamming Urban Takeover-style 96 era jump-up "Rough Beats" and skank so hard you give yourself a hernia. Choose sexy vocals like the ones on "Through My Eyes". Choose the insanely brutal slammage of "Imperial Roots" and feel like you need to take a long hot shower afterwards and still feel like you're covered in engine oil. Choose this EP and double dropping every track tune fi tune. Choose bludclart jungle. It's the ravers choice...
Review: Conrad Subs is one of the best talents in the current smorgasbord that is the D&B scene, his rough and ready sound blends jump up currents with jungle stutters and it's ideal for any situation. He's been putting in the graf for years and Larger carries on that trend on Deep In The Jungle and blimey, it's pretty damn good. 'Larger' is our favourite, with a hypnotic sample that grounds its cracking percussive knocks within a framework of bassy shudders and groaning sweeps. It's a proper Manchester-esque sound, yes boys!
Review: It's WAR: Deep In The Jungle charge forth with another battle set that features some of the label's heaviest prize fighters. Shells across the spectrum: duck and cover as Epicentre's supersized warped bass jungle slapper "BIG" comes flying upside your noggin, Veak's awesome samplecraft on "Heavy Load" sends you into a hazy spin and the total drum hurricane on Sound Shifter's "Urban Style Formation" knocks every puff of wind out of you. Elsewhere Soul Defiance's "Pariah" coats you in sticky napalm bass before drying you off with soul-stirring pads, Crinnion traps you with a drone sub pincer movement and Sikka provides the final blow with some of the eeriest bass textures ever heard on DITJ by way of his Kumarachi remix. These are the dubs you are looking for.
Review: Raggamuffin jungle flexery of the highest order: Crisis & Ikon B's Cutty Ranking skanker from 2015 gets four turbo treatments for the summer: DJ Hybrid really twists up the drums while adding bellowing chubby sines, Section adds more of a rolling groove with very close attention to the drums while Kosine throws the kitchen sink at it with a chaotic bassline and clattering percussion. Finally the duo throw down their own VIP with a classic late 90s Moving Fusion style womp-factor. Danger indeed.
Review: Murderation station number one for all junglist pugilists, Deep In The Jungle drop a brand new package and the clue's in the title: Sound Killerz. Soundclash Sessions' Demented Frequency rips up with a balls-out shredder laden with classic sample, Toronto's Hungry T cooks up a strong brew that sits somewhere between BC and Dreadzone and RMS hits up with a strong fix of pure dub jungle with heady FC and dubby textures. Finally Galvatron slaps upside your face with the gulliest cut of the set. All shattered drums and turbo skanks, this will blindside the darkest of floors.
Review: Veteran junglist DJ Cautious lays down some gully gold on the ever-dependable Deep In The Jungle. "Rough Love" says it all; a smooth R&B vocal sets the tone before the breaks and Cutty Ranks flow whistle into the mix. "Fat Booty" takes us on a dancehall twist with full vocal coverage and well balanced synths while "Kung Fu Horse" brings us right back to the source with sample-heavy jungle ruffage. Serious sonic fighting talk. Finally the inimitable DJ Hybrid gets his hairy paws mucky on "Rough Love", taking it even deeper into the jungle. Proper.
Review: One for the new school heads and the Jungle purists alike here as scholar of the jungle spectrum DJ Cautious takes timeless dancehall vocals and shifts them up a gear. Four riddims that sound like they were made with the Fortress stage at Beat Herder festival in mind. From the legendary vocals of Cham to the cross, angry bars of Bounty Killer; Cautious layers and reinforces to construct a furious jungle flex. Fellow west midlander and jungle veteran Jinx is on the remix to offer his own perspective on the "Ghetto Story". This one has got us itching for summer now, not long left!
Review: FACT: DJ Cautious isn't actually cautious at all. He has 'devil may care attitude' on both his CV and Linkedin profile. You'll find it under 'bad boy producer' and 'rudeboy'. Don't believe us? Believe these hairy sessions. Proper concentrated breakbeat pressure and bloodclart bassline ruffage, every moment of this EP throws caution to the wind. The stuttering breaks and flabby subs of "Jungle Organiser", the bulbous siren blazing shock out "Marked For Death", the classic Bristol style bounce on "The Undertaker" and the concentrated hype of "Reeseclash"... Each cut hitting the spot harder than the last. Soundboy get crushed tonight!
Review: Signing out '16 with two killer remixes, Deep In The Jungle have scorched the entire year with fire and these are no exceptions: K Jah takes DJ Cautious's summer smasher, shreds the soul and adds a rough Bristol scuff to the groove while retaining that heavenly sample on the break. Elsewhere Hybrid reshapes Riffz & Jahnglist Bwoy's 94 homage "Bad Luck" with tougher drums, some of his now signature head-melting Dread Bass drops and full focus on the spine-shuddering pianos. Essential jungle business.
Review: The phantom badman menace returns... Coventry vibe king Hybrid hands over the parts of last year's Jungle War track "What Else" to a host of label mates and newcomers and the results are so sick you'll need a shower once you've heard them. Those after hard-hitting early 2000s style sci-fi savagery should look no further than RMS while those in need of a heads-down soul roll-out will be pleased with Swerve's twist. Elsewhere we have Epicentre and MSdoS junglising your life inside out, Audiomission sandpapering your baby-soft face and the absolutely stinking VIP from the man himself. Proper jungle dynamite. What else is there to say?
Review: The unstoppable DJ Hybrid is doing something really special here. Rather than releasing his album on just one of his labels, he's sharing the wealth across both imprints. As well as "Addicted To Audio" on Audio Addict comes this equally slamming five-piece on Deep In The Jungle. Naturally it covers his break-bashing ragga style to perfection with some seriously show-stopping highlights such as the stuttering dancehall of "Raised In The Jungle", the gang-banging bass badness of "Deeper Into The Jungle" and the total drum heaven of "Original Junglist". And this is just the half of it.
Review: Batten down your hatches, lock down your aerials, keep your pets inside: Deep In The Jungle are about to slap 2018 silly with another massive album. And it kicks off here with some of the label's finest. Bossman DJ Hybrid and currently unstoppable RMS take the lead with "Now That Your Gone" which hits and slices with a Charge-style hoover riff, Welsh artist Substrate follows with his DITJ debut, the amen-shattering, Remarc-style slammer "Crayfish" while the bulletproof banger wizard Kumararchi gets all grizzly and ruffneck on "Buss A Ting". Finally Opius & Dapz leave us hanging for more with a powerful brock-out that nods slyly at the mid 90s Urban Takeover sound with added splashes of gospel. Bring on the album!
Review: A key radar fixture since emerging on Euphonique's Sub-Woofah a few years back, Epicentre makes a return to Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle with five more jaw-dropping jungle jams. There's a strong sticky-icky theme as we spark up - "Dem Vibez" is a soundsystem shaker with notorious lyrical levels while "I Like Dope" wobbles with a bassline so authentically jungle it still needs to pay its Poll Tax. "Featherweight" belies its name with heavyweight drums and rolling breaks where a grunting sub provides the main hook. Stepping closer to the light, "Sweet Dreams" is a more cosmic roll-out with subtle psychedelic flourishes while "Watch Your Back" is an all-out lesson in jungle theatre - toxic bass, operatic vocals, sheer dance hedonism. 100% vibes.
Review: We'll cut to the chase on this one: If you're not shouting 'EPICENTRE YOU BADMAN' at the top of your lungs when the bulbous fatman bassline on "Fresh" drops then we suspect your soul might be damaged beyond repair. Other physical kneejerk reactions you might experience when vibing to this seriously sharp release include leaning back as far as you can to the east coast keys of "Infamous", hard-stepping like a mad bugger to the ghetto-grooving Astrophonica-style workout "Run It Back", leaping around like a total idiot to the ragga-tinged roller "Lion A Lion" and getting pranged beyond the cosmos on the darkstyle damager on "Jedi". As for the additional VIP of "Duppied Inna Dance", if you should expect around 20 gunfinger rounds a second. Any less and consult your physician.
Review: Epicentre is back on Deep In The Jungle and he's packing a clutch of gully workouts so absurd and wild you'll need at least ten or twenty pairs shoes to throw at him every time you see him. In vein with his "Run It" EP on the label this time last year, this is Epicentre at his most militant and full force; the marching snares and eastern instrumentation of "Big Bloodclart Sound", the blistering breaks of "Bruk Up" and "Buss Di Gat" (with his longstanding mate and Sub Woofah bossgyal Euphonique) and the nose chiselling two-step of "Anxious" and the purring sub VIP flip of last year's "Infamous". Patience is no longer a virtue, it's downright essential.
Review: Oh gosh... Epicentre is on the attack an no amount of armour or bomb proofing is going to protect you from these relentless batterings. Picking up where he left us on Deep In The Jungle with his trademark 'big bloodclart sound', once again we find him digging deep into the craft with four firing foundational slayers. The raw funk of "Badman Sound", the flabby subs and general rolling stench of "Hold Me", the near orgasmic pad ripples and ghostly roominess of "Influence" and the steam roller style damagement and classic samplecraft of "Respect Your Roots"... Every track doffs its cap to the original source with authenticity, weight, style and realness. Revive yourselves...
Review: Deep In The Jungle have been making some serious waves the past year or so with coverage in UKF and a growing recognition that they're one of the best labels releasing a consistent slew of newly emboldened, moody jungle. Epicentre is on things for them this time around with a six-tracker of frightening proportions, packed full of solid percussive strikes and gravelling basslines. 'Come With It' has a seriously funky rhythmic pattern and a slick array of basslines, whilst 'Dread' takes things in a funkier direction with ragga sampling and a fluid concoction of reese bass magic. Top.
Review: BANG! Rising artists take note... This is exactly how you should end your best year to date: with a five track stack of proper jungle ruffage. Coming courtesy of DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle, Subwoofah boss woman Euphonique delivers fire on fire on fire we're bashed and bumped from ragamuffin pillar to amen post. Every track slams your soul but essential brock outs include the jellied bass wobbles on "Get Busy", Killamanjaro's commanding dancehall vocals on "Junglist Style" and her thunderous shredder collaboration with the boss man DJ Hybrid on "Oi". Pure arson...
Review: Yorkshire's Galvatron returns to DJ Hybrid's Deep In The Jungle with his most generous EP in a long time. Six tracks, all sitting happily at the blistered, frazzled edge of jungle, each cut kicks hard with his signature ruffled edge. Highlights include the Vamp-style techno detuned synth hook and spatially-stretched drums of "System Test", the sunkissed skanks and the brutal tin-pan smacking drum tones of "Shack Out" and the classic house vox subversion of the lead track on "Never Enough". Pure jungle power jams.
Review: Last spotted dazzling us with UKG science on Occupy Sound, Imprint returns to Deep In The Jungle with one of his biggest EPs to date. Broad in tempo and stylistic range, highlights include the glitchy, slightly wonky bruks and hip-hop vibe on "Haste", the sultry Halogenix style blues and sweeping breaks of "Introspect" and the sci-fi soul of the title track "Urbia". Loaded up with plenty more, including a colossal remix from Colossus, this is a very accomplished release from the rising talent.
Review: Animated amen wrestling of the highest order: Kartoon return to Deep In The Jungle with six stone cold slammers that flex back to their earliest releases. "Fire Inna Jungle" takes a classic vocal and brings it kicking into 17 while the VIP of their first single in 2014 "Soundboy Surrender" knocks spots off the original with pure roller power. Deeper into the jungle we swathe for the stop/start snare-rattler "Check It", the surging synth hook hedonism of "Big N Bad" and a cheeky blast back to 16 for the breath-taking brock out "Reece Piece". Not enough bangerism for you greedy junglists? Jump straight on the label boss's rub of hazy hellraiser "Wake & Bake". Spark up!
Review: The beats are big and the vibes are plentiful in this massive remix release from the Deep In The Jungle crew. Already releasing a massive anthology of anthems earlier on in 2015, they return with refixes of some of the more devastating tracks. Bringing in the likes of Kartoon, Brian Brainstorm, SR and Digbee to bring new life into these tunes has made this EP one of the tuffest jungle releases in a long time. If junglism is your thing and you're tired of pale imitations, you need an injection of this in your system. Turn it up and feel that dub!
Review: His first substantial body of work since his agenda-setting debut album on DJ Hybrid's other label Audio Addict, Kumarachi jumps over to Deep In The Jungle with four bundles of absolute breakbeat bliss. "45" sets the scene with bashy amen cuts, a smoky ragga sample and basslines so rude you'll need new trousers. "Move Up Your Body" continues the lewd factor thanks to its Blackmarket-style bassline that rumbles with ankle-slapping lowness while "Buss It Up" plays the consummate end boss with its rough and rusty amen slaps and punches. "So Listen" closes the show with even nuttier drums, this time on more of a Dread bass timestretched flex. Impeccable and true to the craft.
Review: The man, the myth, the monster... Kumarachi returns to one of his strongest stomping grounds Deep In The Jungle for a furious four piece of amen addled action. "Sound Boi" sets the hair raising tone and pace before we're treated to a whole cavalcade of collabs.... Newcomer Veak joins the fray for two stinking space gazing work outs while the similarly unavoidable Sl8r brings the badness on the finale "Freeze" where low slung subs worm, wriggle and melt beneath evocative rave pads and head turning pitched drums. Phenomenal scenes as always.
Review: Kumarachi is one of the best recent talents to emerge from the current smorgasbord that is the D&B scene, his rough and ready sound blends jump up currents with jungle stutters and it's ideal for any situation. Time Is Now carries on that trend on Deep In The Jungle and blimey, it's pretty damn good. 'Rebel Man' is our favourite, with a hypnotic sample that grounds its cracking percussive knocks within a framework of bassy shudders and groaning sweeps. It's a proper Manchester-esque sound, especially with resident don SL8R sneaking in a feature on the title track. Yes boys!
Review: Kumarachi is one of the best recent talents to emerge from the current smorgasbord that is the D&B scene, his rough and ready sound blends jump up currents with jungle stutters and it's ideal for any situation. Basement carries on that trend on Deep In The Jungle and blimey, it's pretty damn good. 'Jungle Tingz' featuring RMS is our favourite, with a hypnotic sample that grounds its cracking percussive knocks within a framework of bassy shudders and groaning sweeps. It's a proper sound, and the thiriving nature of the scene right now drips from this release.
Review: Both of these artists and Deep In The Jungle have been excelling this past year and in some ways they've helped each other, the pairing of Kumarachi and Epicentre is a match made in heaven with their barebones jungle sound fitting the label perfectly. Patterns is no different with 'Murda' getting things off to a wonderfully wobbly start, with diving sub basses and funky, nonchalant drums. 'Evolve' touches on more classic jungle notes, a riotous break slams down the middle whilst ever-present bass stabs punctuate the arrangement and inject that junglist force every good breaksy track needs. The title tune is in the same vein, whilst 'Last Time' is a lovely little roller. More top work from this crew.
Review: Ahead of their epic 22-track compilation, foundation revivalists Deep In The Jungle tease us with two of the many album highlights. Kumarachi leads with the vocal-heavy "Sun Bomber". Led by an unchecked toaster (who sounds a lot like Blackout J.A) it's a heady throwback to jungle's ragga phase during the mid 90s but delivered with modern muscle. Kartoon follows with a powerful slab of jungle soul; the ideal balance of sugar sweet vocals and neck snapping drum edits, if you can find a better contemporary twist on classic rave we'd love to hear it.
Review: Let us see your war face!! Just in case the "Ravey Misbehavey" collection on his Audio Addict imprint wasn't enough this week, DJ Hybrid has also blessed us with this killer "Jungle Wars" series edition. As always the vibes are high with each track rolling like a 10-strong trip to Holland. Highlights include the dancehall damage of Euphonique & Kelvin 373's sticky icky "Hot Spliff", Veak's rusty break gut-puncher "Nuff Respect" and the classic rave stabs and thundering drum work on DJ Hybrid's "Stand Up".
