Review: Wake up and bake up, Jungle Cakes are back in the kitchen with their prize dish range 'Welcome To The Jungle'. This time the guest chefs are none other than Dub Pistols who've been flexing all styles and sizes of breakbeat since the very beginning. Currently coming correct with 50 tracks, they cover the full range of D&B through their dubwise, reggae-roasted selection. From the steam engine skank-ups like Isaac Maya and Daddy Freddy's thundering 'Bring Dem' to Deekline & Ed Solo's instant sing-along smash-out 'Bam Bam' to the dancehall bashment of Selecta J Man's 'My Style', this isn't so much of a jungle welcoming but more of a full jungle takeover... And you'll never want to leave.
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: This album represents a collision of worlds: on the one hand, the fact-paced and furious drum & bass tradition of Jungle Cakes; the other, the seminally classic reggae, dub and ska tones of Trojan Records. These worlds are connected, of course, as the latter was a key part in the evolution of the former, and this album celebrates that connection by giving a fresh, 170 spin on a load of Trojan classics. The Serial Killaz and Deekline remix of 'Reggae From the Ghetto' by John Holt, the recipient of Benny L's infamous 'Police in Helicopter' remix, is a fantastic blend of hard-hitting sub bass and funky reggae sampling, as the pair concoct a superb number with an infectious heart. Ben Snow adds jump up grit to 'Uptown Top Ranking', whilst the Ed Solo remix of '007 (Shanty Town) is another top class highlight. Incredible stuff.
Review: The renowned label boss of Jungle Cakes - Deekline - a man with more releases under his belt than most people, is landing on the imprint with a brand-new album alongside Specimen A. The pair make a potent combo, and their devilish approach to dancefloor-friendly drum & bass makes this album full of jump -up bangers, junglist sounds and even stepping halftime badness. It's a proper rowdy album and 'Middle Finger' is the best example, as a stupidly cool angled bassline flutters into the distance with pitched-up angst and serious underground intent. The big bassline steps of the halftime monster that is 'Kill That Sound' blend the techy with the angry, and the legendary MC Det features on 'This Way'. Get Lucky stretches to a might 18 tracks, and all of them are absolute hoofers. Big, big stuff.
Review: Deekline, of the guys behind the prolific Jungle Cakes, is back on his own imprint with Brian Brainstorm, Specimen A, Sweetie Irie and KIlla P, an all-star lineup that have produced a ferocious blend of crashing jungle and menacing vocals. The structure they've concocted makes this tune so sick, with stepping halftime sections that utilize Sweetie Irie and Killa P's wicked vocal talent to build suspense, creating rhythmic diversity that then falls away on the drop into punishing breaks and warped out basslines. Proper club friendly weapon from the Jungle Cakes crew.
Review: Dance Concept donnies Benny and K link-up with legendary vocalist Deemas J on Jungle Cakes once again for "Jungle Rebel". Two versions, one authentic strain of classic UK soundsystem damage; Benny and K's original bumps with just the right amount of light and shade to fit in any sets from soulful and deep to something much heavier and techier while Jungle Cakes co-bossman Ed Solo brings much more of a classic wobble to the mix. Stripped-back and deadly, it's impossible not to skank to this.
Review: Jungle Cakes are one of those really cool labels that has an endearing amateur vibe that lends so much legitimacy to their music. It's not polished and marketed professionally, but exactly for that reason you know their music will always be straight up vibes. Faysha is carrying that banner now and he's doing so with four roughshod tumblers that pack in old-school and new-school vibes in equal measure. 'There's a wobbling feeling of heaviness across all of these tracks which smacks of sound system culture and urban living, especially on the lovely breaks of 'Gucci Belt' and the sonically sound sub-bass squelches of 'Big Sound'.
Review: Jungle Cakes are one of those really cool labels that has an endearing DIY vibe that lends so much legitimacy to their music. It's not polished and marketed professionally, but exactly for that reason you know their music will always be straight up vibes. Brian Brainstorm is carrying that banner now and he's doing so with two roughshod tumblers that pack in old-school and new-school vibes in equal measure. 'Soldier Man' is our favourite, where Speaker Louis and Brian have laid out the funk in the vocal ranges over a fiery, punishing bottom line that stretches out below in lovely style. Top stuff from the Cakes crew.
Review: Jungle Cakes tear up our lockdowns with a crucial game of two halves. Teaming up with rising UK reggae and soul singer Zen Lewis, they show both sides of the soundsystem continuum. First up is a bubbly festival blazer as Jungle Cakes mainstays Isaac Maya and Ricky Tuff give Zen Lewis a full skank thrust while the original is a full rootsical dubwise episode led by the Zenster alone. Strong in all directions from lyrics to groove. Warrior charge.
Review: After a slew of 2020 releases on the likes of Zombie, Grid and Informal, D&B's favourite petty pilferer Nick The Lot comes a knocking on Jungle Cakes door with two scrumptious creations. "Concentrated" flips between a sweet soul skank sample and a jigsaw bassline that scratches back and forth over the drums while leaving enough space for the vocal (think "Shot Down" vibes but with NTL's own swaggering signature) "Rastafari" follows the vibe but with much more drain-like bassline. An audacious gurgling, farty sound, it's the sonic equivalent of putting a can on your bike's back wheel and revving around sounding, looking and feeling like a the baddest hells angel there ever was. Feel good flavours as always with the Jungle Cakes bakers.
Review: Jam Thieves are the Brazilian duo who thrive in the murky ecosystem of minimal drum & bass with serious attitude, music that's slick in its production but nonetheless full of anger under the surface. This time around they're on Jungle Cakes for a top-notch single that's in their trademark style of solid sub bass and snapping snare drums. Their sample game is back on point too and it shows on 'Mista Lava Lava', where they bring a well-known vocal hook into action above a penetratingly minimal back end, a pattern recreated on the flip, 'Bad Chargie'. Top work.
Review: Positive vibes! Jungle Cakes head bakers Ed Solo and Deekline link-up once again with original don General Levy for some feel-good, sun-splashed system-primed fun. Springy, loaded with a crisp sawing bassline and driven by Levy's rapid flow, you can picture the exact festivals the three of them had in mind with a vibe like this. Especially Levy's precision double time rap mid way. For added vibe value, the mighty Aries has also provided a killer remix. A little darker in dynamic and stripped back, it leaves even more space for the General's voice to lead the way. Uplift central; we need music like this right now.
Review: Jungle Cakes are one of those really cool labels that has an endearing amateur vibe that lends so much legitimacy to their music. It's not polished and marketed professionally, but exactly for that reason you know their music will always be straight up vibes. Mikkim is carrying that banner now and he's doing so with two roughshod tumblers that pack in old-school and new-school vibes in equal measure. 'Positive Vibrations' is our favourite, with MC Turner on mic duties laying out the funk in the vocal ranges, whilst Mikkim has built a fiery, punishing bottom line that stretches out below in lovely style. Top stuff from the Cakes crew.
Review: OG soldiers Benny V and K-Warren on Deekline and Ed Solo's Jungle Cakes? Oh our collective gosh! Premium party business wrapped around a very well-known sample source, there's a twist in the "Apache Scat" tale... While it's usually the apache break that everyone utilises in their tracks, this one uses the full horn-blazing, guitar-twanging hook and couples it with some beautiful rapid-fire lyrical lava from Deemas J. Loaded with a heavier, driving remix from bossman Deekline, this one reaches out to the full crew and beyond.
Review: T-Phonic, Sense and Yush bring us exactly what we need right now... "Good Vibes". Big horns, maximum skanks and a hooky vocal from Yush, all three versions hit the spot in different ways. The Vibes mix comes with more daytime warmth, the Tribe mix goes all-out with the much darker, purring bassline and label co-boss Ed Solo seals the highly vibed deal on a remix tip. Tailored for soundsystems and warmer times thanks to its fine-tuned bassline bounce, stash this one for the summer.
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: Having fed us bowls and bowls of hearty "Chicken Soup" already this year, Chopstick Dubplate returns with another feast. Just a two course meal this time; "My Sound Ah Murda" gets to the point as quickly as the title suggests. Warm, soulful authenticity from Jay Mikey on the vocals and a bubbling bassline rolling beneath. The bigger the scoops, the more this shoots. And scores. Need a little extra bounce for your ounce? Chow down on King Yoof's relick. A maze of sirens, horns and midrangey bass twangs, they don't call him the king for nothing. Sweet murderation!
Review: In a reggae laden expression of the stylistic backing behind Jungle Cakes, the label is coming with an awesome two-sided single that shows off both elements of their output: the loping reggae side and the powerful jungle side. The original is funky, brash and doesn't take any prisoners with its vocal excellence, a tune to please all of the Boomtown heads out there. The remix from Benny Page rolls out with all the intent of an artists who knows exactly how to blend dub-infused tones with a rolling 170 beat, as they have done many times the past. This time is well-trodden ground for them, but the shimmering brass notes and funky vocal lines don't sound any less wicked this time around. What a sick release.
