Just to muddy the waters further:
I think the T Power disk is a good example of where junglish sounds can
go. I've been slobbering over this one for a long time, long enough
to bore you all, so say no more!
Jungle has so many sub-genres that stand out for me that I can't see
anyone seriously saying 'I hate jungle.' as a blanket statement.
There's old stuff (hardcore and breakbeat before 93), there's drums and
bass (sparse arrangements with minimal vocals), there's Ragga (all that
Dancehall Gangsta rapping), and there's whatever you call Goldie's stuff,
which sounds a lot like 70's soul with cut up beats, and there's
'intelligent' jungle, which is what the white boys from the UK do
(AFX, Luke Vibert, Autechre, etc).
I really don't like the Ragga stuff. I like the stuff the white
boys do, when they really get inside it, instead of saying "right then, I
can do a bit of that." I like the minimal Drum and Bass stuff. I find
the CD Compilation "Jungle Tekno 4" (Jumpin' and Pumpin' CD TOT 15)
something I go back to a lot.
The thing that jungle CAN be in the hands of those who DON'T just
cut up the same old breaks over and over is a way that dance music
can break away from 4x4. Listen to old jazz records sometime, or better
yet find a jazz club and listen. When they play something with a samba
feel and then cut into double time -- THAT's where jungle can be.
I used to work in a bar where they had the same band every saturday night.
(Paul Smoker Trio -- big rep today, plays in Europe all the time. I can say
I knew him back in the day...) When the drummer took a solo, it was always
an amazing trip -- making the drums give the impression of a conversation,
a dance, and a melody all at once. Just with a 5 piece trap set.
That's what Jungle can do at it's best -- build castles of intricate
rhythms.
Dream Jungle Show: Art Blakey sits in with T Power.
I've even tried making some junglish tracks -- they end up sounding
more like Autechre. They don't sound junglish except in the broadest
outlines.
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