Is Jungle Music Still A Secret?

How many times over the years have you heard a tune on the radio, in a club or on a prehistoric tape pack and thought “I know that tune but I have no idea what it’s called”. In some respects, that was the beauty of the 90’s underground scene, the thrill of the chase, the unexpected classic that should have never been a B side and the remix of something so obscure it wasn’t remotely possible it was going to be great – but it was.

Looking at the music scene in 2015 you can certainly embrace the multitude of genres and offerings from the long overdue explosion of grime to the ever popular US hip hop scene. One thing that will remain though is the ever growing availability of choice which in turn makes the once popular anthem like status of tracks a thing of the past.

Today, 10,000 new drum & bass tracks have probably been produced, bounced and shared but back in the 1990’s it was a totally different way of life.

What’s interesting though is that so many tunes went under the popular radar and retired in purists record collections only to be rediscovered later on in life. That tune you heard on a DJ Ron set back in ‘94 that became untraceable still exists, it’s just a bit of a secret that’s probably waiting on Discogs right now for a small fee of 99p (plus £50 postage!)

It’s also worth mentioning DrumTrip’s bargain jungle section for all those die hard fans of a cheap slab of vinyl.

The Drum&BassArena forum have once again kindly donated their wisdom and put together a fantastic list of what they class as ‘secret jungle’. Check them out below and be prepared to add a whole load of new beats to your wantlist.

Massive big up to: GavinX, Shure, BrainBadonde, original Nuttah, Dubplatederek, Mr. EQ, Overlay, Eddie ‘Wolf’ Bale, Smokey McPot, Travisbickle, Snakey, Wiseacre, Moot, Mr Sketch, Snakey, Freexta & Law

DJ Ren & MC Gunsmoke
The Clash
Avex Trax (CD only)
1995