Jungle Masters: 20 Pioneers of Drum and Bass
VIBE already brought you the ridddddum with “Jungle Class: 12 Rising Drum n Bass DJs.” Then we gave you a drumstep ones and twos-torial with a little help from Bass Boss, Reid Speed.
Reeeeeewind for the next installment of your DnB headucation, which brings it back, honoring the trailblazers who dropped the needle on bass music for years before EDM was “a thing” and (many of whom) still spin their sh*t today.
These 20 DJs crate-carried and crossfaded their way from London pubs to NYC clubs, Miami festivals and beyond. Scroll through and tell us who you think we skipped – DJs ain’t the only ones who do it. ?
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Andy C
Nicknamed “the Executioner” for murdering on the dance floor, Andy C is one of the biggest names in DnB. He launched Ram Records at the pubescent age of 16, and 20 years later the label boasts names like Sub Focus and Chase & Status. Andy C has been making some moves lately, so keep an ear out.
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Aphrodite
Aphrodite’s moniker was adopted from the club he ran during the acid house explosion in the '80s. Through the ‘90s the DJ was a club staple across the globe, dropping his evolved jump-up jungle beats from Fabric in London to Sound Factory in NYC.
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Bailey
Props must be paid to one of the very few DJs to make it into the big bass leagues without producing his own tracks. A longtime resident DJ for Goldie’s (also on this list) label Metalheadz, Bailey’s dutty flow is adored by arguably all DnB heads.
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Ed Rush & Optical
Ed Rush created hardcore breakbeats and produced with several groups until partnering with Optical. Their label, Virus, maintained the highest respect from DnB enthusiasts by keeping true to its underground status
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Friction
The Brighton beatboy mixes tastefully with three decks, which is so badass it garnered Friction a plethora of awards. He keeps the DnB flavor in the air with his Shogun Audio imprint, which releases music for acts like Alix Perez, Spor and Noisia (also on this list).
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Goldie
Two decades in the game and Clifford Price (Goldie) is still the most respected name in DnB (just like VIBE magazine, ahem). This month marks his three-CD compilation drop, “The Alchemist: The Best of Goldie 1992-2012”, to commemorate a career that spread 20 years with 2.5 million records sold.
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Grooverider
The man that defines the term “A DJs’ DJ." Born Raymond Bingham, he was one the first jockeys to deliver DnB via airwaves in the England. Grooverider's label, Prototype has dropped hits from other jungle mainstays, such as Dillinja and Photek.
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Hazard
On the verge of becoming a thing of DnB legend, Hazard helped DJ Hype (also on this list) revitalize Playaz while staying true to the label’s roots. He’s released sinister beats under the aliases Dirty Harry and Vague, and the diverse producer’s own record company Radius Recordings drops myriad jump-up joints.
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Hype
Anyone who calls his or herself an OJ (Original Jungalist) drove around with Hype’s renowned mixtapes blasting in the car (maybe you still do!). From playing battle DJ in the ‘80s to becoming owner of Ganja Records, the hardcore homie is famous for blending rhythmic, hip-hop and jungle.
When I raise my trigger finger... (There is a great debate about whether this song is DJ Zinc or Hype, we remember on a Hype mixtape).
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LTJ Bukem
Considered to be one of the biggest innovators of drum and bass to this day, LTJ Bukem has roots in jazz, which gives his tunes an ethereal, more ambient bass feel. A true team player, LTJ downplayed his solo career in favor of mixes that highlighted artists from his labels, Good Looking Records and Looking Good Records. His “Progresion Sessions” series with MC Conrad are the stuff DnB dreams are made of.
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Marky
Marky made a huge name for himself in the early '90s as a DnB revolutionary for Brazil’s club scene with a jungalistic flavor and dazzling technical skills. By the turn of the century, he was shaking things up in the UK with radio mixes and residencies, playing a key role in a cultural drum n bass revival. Check this dope mixxx, just released.
DJ Marky Influences Set - March 2013 by Marco Antonio Marky on Mixcloud
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Majistrate
Refer to Majistrate as a noob and prepare to get your head lopped off. The DJ needn’t be a celebrity to be a certified beat boss for two decades. Listen to any of his tracks and hear some tight coiling synths, as well as merciless bells and zings that inspired such trendy genres of today such as TRAP.
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Nicky Blackmarket
Nicky Blackmarket will always bring you back to the ‘good ol’ jungle days. Think the De La Soul of his craft. As founder of London’s colossal Black Market (BM) Records, Nicky left a permanent stamp on drum and bass, and is now one of the most well known bass-deliverance DJs out there.
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Roni Size
If the '90s had a "mainstream" of jungle music, this is it. A Bristol boy with reggae roots, Roni founded Reprazent, a DnB collective that infused funk, soul and hip-hop into what became a legendary sound. When the crew got together in hooded sweatshirts in front of their consoles at live shows, people got so excited you could lose your breath. Breathe deeply into this brown paper bag and recognize...
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TeeBee
Hailing from Bergen, Norway, Torgeir Byrkines started spinning in 1990, working alongside his homies to throw Norway’s first all-night hardcore rave in 1993. The party served as an intro for the country's DnB scene to emerge. Trailblazer certified.
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Pendulum
The Australian threesome held their own through the 2000s, grabbing makor UK attention with a remix of the Prodigy’s “Voodoo People”, which hit the charts across the pond. More hits followed after they released their second album on Warner Music UK. For now they are on hiatus, however, two original members Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, make up the hyper-popular duo Knife Party.
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NOISIA
Hailing from a land of windmills and wooden shoes are three guys that are anything but delicate. The electronic music act consisting of Nik Roos, Thijs de Vlieger and Martijn van Souderen, NOISIA (or VISION upside down) are touring constantly to this day.
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Jumpin' Jack Frost
A pivotal game player/changer in the development of DnB, Frost had skills on the decks and co-fownded V Recordings, the label very much responsible for Roni Size (also on this list) albums. The U.K. jungle pioneer became a regular spinner all over the world after popping up on the super-acclaimed album Fine Tuning, Vol. 1.
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DJ Zinc
He the "super sharp" spinner who was one of the first British beatboys to combine hip-hop and jungle. Zinc in the hizzzouse... LISTEN:
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SS
As head of the Formation Records label, England's DJ SS - short for Scratchenstein - has released over 100 tracks under many aliases for The Prodigy and many other prestigious acts. His biggest hit "The Lighter" is still embedded onto the breakbeat scene's brains.
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Adam F
As the owner of U.K. label Breakbeat Kaos, Adam F has released Pendulum, DJ Fresh and his own "Elements" EP just last year. Keep it locked, because we hear this year Adam F has some big bass-droppin' plans.
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