Music
11 photos that tell the story of drum 'n' bass in the UK
Jungle pioneers, dub soundsystems, and dancers tearing it up on the floor.
Jungle was born in the UK when the breakbeat hardcore rave sound popular in the early '90s began to cross-pollinate with the influence of dub reggae and Jamaican soundsystem culture. From there on, the music underwent a rapid period of evolution, transitioning into the sleeker, more technical drum 'n' bass sound – which in turn spawned a dizzying number of sub-genres, from jump-up to halftime to neurofunk.
DJ Fabio at an early jungle rave, London, 1990s
© Michael G Williams
One of the godfathers of drum'n'bass music, Fabio honed his sound at clubs including the infamous Rage, alongside other pioneers like Goldie and Grooverider.
Two girls dancing at Voodoo Magic, The Empire, London, 1995
© Michael G Williams
Leading jungle raves of the era included Voodoo Magic, One Nation, Helter Skelter, Telepathy and Hysteria.
Man wearing Junglist Movement T-shirt
© Courtney Hamilton
Junglist Movement was one of the brands of the moment – later immortalised in '90s rave film Human Traffic.
Goldie DJing in London, 1990s
© Naki
The master at work.
Drum 'n' bass flyers
© Red Bull Music Academy
A wall of flyers from the golden era of UK d'n'b.
Roni Size
© Naki
The leading light of Bristol drum 'n' bass – Roni Size, who scooped the Mercury Music Prize in 1997 for his and Reprazent's debut LP New Forms.
DJ Storm
© Press
Alongside her late partner Kemistry, DJ Storm was one of a small but influential group of women pushing forward the drum 'n' bass sound.
Bad Company in Hampstead, 2002
© Georgina Cook
Drum 'n' bass collective Bad Company – aka dBridge, Fresh, Maldini and Vegas.
People dancing at I Kamanchi, The Academy, Bristol, 2003
© Matthew Smith
The crowd get down at a set by I Kamanchi – aka legendary Bristol selectors DJ Krust and DJ Die.
Mikey Dread and Ras Kayleb pose with a soundsystem
© Campbell Allan
Jungle's connections to dub reggae culture have been well documented. In 2011, Channel One Soundsystem's Mikey Dread and Ras Kayleb set out on the Dub To Jungle tour, taking the sound back to its roots.
Kyrist, captain of Red Bull Music Odyssey boat The Roller
© Press
One from the new wave. Meet Kyrist – producer, DJ, co-owner of Dispatch Recordings and captain of Red Bull Music Odyssey boat The Roller.
Thanks to Youth Club Archive, a not-for-profit organisation working to preserve, share, educate and celebrate youth culture history. Find out more about what they do here.
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