Splash Collective, also known as Daz Ellis, Splash, Kid Jay and Undercover Agent released ‘Rebels’ in 1998.
The intro is simplistic, in a way, quite similar to 45 Roller’s ‘Stomp!’ with it’s bright ping samples and pitched up snare rolls. The main snare in the drum pattern sounds like the one used in the remix of ‘Shadow Boxing’ although, to be fair I think that about a lot of tunes released around ‘97 and ‘98.
“Engage the Rebels” vocal sample breaks from the intro and straight away you’re taken into a wild crashing drop. The drum edits allow the track to breath and stuttered slicing works well. My only criticism would be the primitive filtering effects don’t add much to the track. Granted the bassline patten is simplistic and is just switched up mid way before reverting to its original pattern, however, this isn’t a distraction from an amazing piece of jungle production.
Fans of the era may well remember this tune featuring on DJ Hype’s ‘The Dogs’ CD which was released by Mixmag under DMC Publishing.
Failing that, the Kenny Ken mix on the Dreamscape Millenium Collection CD might ring a few bells. I remember playing this CD on loop traveling up to an event at The Sanctuary back in the 90’s.
A Splash Collective remix of ‘Rebels’ also appeared on Splash Recordings in 1999. It was more of a VIP in todays terms and didn’t really offer too much on the original formula. In some respects the remix grows into more of a rolling Drum & Bass tune in comparison to the hard hitting original. It’s certainly a worthwhile slab of vinyl to add to your collection and definitely much cheaper to pick up than the original these days. Pick it up for the price of a portion of chips (just!) on Discogs.