Category Archives: Old Skool

2023, Ear & Drum Session, Jump Up, Jungle, Old Skool

Ear & Drum: Session 253 – Neon Jungle

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Who say rewind on all the classic Jungle dub plates and VIPs finally seeing the light of day some 30 years later? Thanks to labels like Aphrodite’s – Urban Shakedown, DJ Rap’s – Proper Talent, Deep Jungle and Suburban Base digging out their DATs and releasing a swag of tunes that only ever cut to dub plate and played by a very select few DJs back in the 90s. That is until today.

A lot of the tunes in here I only ever hear on tapes from pirate radio or recorded from UK raves back in the day. If I was lucky I may have heard one or two mixed live at some of the local parties I went to. It feels fitting that D’Cruze bookends this mix with tunes from his Hidden Tracks EP only recently release on Suburban Base. Sandwiched in between D’Cruze’s Hardstep and Sublime State are some of the ruffest Jungle cuts I’ve had the pleasure to play. Enjoy.

Neon Jungle – 1hr of Dubplate & VIP Jungle

D’Cruze – Hardstep
Jaz Klash – BQE
Pascal – Just Rollin A Fat B
Krome & Time – Original Juggling
M.T.S. – Brothers & Sisters
M.T.S. – Bad Boy Sound (95 VIP)
Undercover Agent – Oh Gosh! – (Daz ’95 Dubplate)
Splash – Babylon (DJ Trace Mix Part 2)
Dexterous feat. Beverley Gage – Moments of Pleasure
DJ Rap – Spiritual Aura (94 Mix)
DJ Rap & Outlaw Candy – Intelligent Woman (On A Positive Vibe)
Dilinja – The Angels Fell
DJ Swift & DJ Zinc – It’s Time (feat. Stevie B)
Future Assassins – Future Sound (Dead Dred Remix)
Urban Shakedown – Burning Passion ’94 (Original Dubplate Mix)
Urban Shakedown – Some Justice ’94 (Original Dubplate Mix)
Undercover Agent – Bass Kick Mix 2 (96 Exclusive Unreleased Version)
D’Cruze – Sublime State

2021, Ear & Drum Session, Jazz & Bass, Melodic, Old Skool

Ear & Drum Session: 198 – Four Stroke

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First mix of 2021 is is the final in my 2-Step / Tech Step series looking back at 90s D&B Steppers. This one focuses on Jazz Step from the mid to late 90s featuring some amazing tunes from the likes of T.Power, B.L.I.M. and of course Photek.

Jazz Step was an avant-garde take on the 2-step sound, featuring a lot of live instrument samples such as sax, percussion and double-bass. Starting with Alex Reece’s – Pulp Fiction and closing out with Roni Size’s – Brown Paper bag, the style didn’t really survive the turn of the millennium. But that didn’t stop Jazz Step from having some of the most forward thinking and innovative tunes of the 90s.

Four Stroke – 1hr of Classic Jazz Step

Flex Camp – Style Wars
T.Power – Police State (Native Bass Edit)
Unguided Lights – Deep Blue ‘C”
Minx – Take Me To Summer (N Jay Remix)
B.L.I.M. – Their Culture
Hydro – Tha’ Bomb Shit
Elizabeth Troy – Let Me Be (L Double Remix)
N-Jay – Enceptia
N-Jay – Jazz 163
T.Power – Refraction Edit
B.L.I.M. – Jeamland 96
Morf – Spell
Photek – The Rain (Photek Remix)
Hidden Agenda – Dispatches #1
Elementz of Noise – Astral

1996, 2020, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic, Old Skool

Ear & Drum Session: 170 – Flight Nine Six One

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Welcome to a new series of mixes based around lesser known tracks from the 1996 golden era of D&B.

Those that know me, know I love ’96 era of music. It was the time when I was first getting into D&B, and I have spent decades collecting D&B and other music from around this era. These tracks are mainly sourced from obscure CD compilations, with the odd recent re-release and original vinyl thrown in for good measure.

The aim of this series is to dig up tracks you’ve never heard before. So I’d love it of people could comment on what tracks are new to them. Mainly I’ve gone for rare and obscure remixes combined with a bunch of B-sides and CD only releases.

Being a series this is only part one of the journey, and if people are feeling it I might look into some other years from back in the day. Again let me know in the comments.

Flight Nine Six One – 1.5hrs of Rare & Obscure D&B from 1996

Drum and Bass – Intelligence (Inst Mix)
Hidden Agenda – Vindication
4 Hero – Universal Love
Cloud Nine – Teach Me To Fly
DJ Pulse – Planet Funk
Just Intelligence – Trip Out (Intelligent Mix)
The Dominion – London Nights (Ryder’s Dream No. 102 Mix)
Jonny L – Sam
Ryders Project 1 – Heidi’s Dream (Ryder’s Dream No. 100 Mix)
Alex Reece – Feel the Sunshine (Pulse Mix)
Dave Wallace – Expressions Part 1
Galliano – Slack Hands (Aquasky Remix)
Frame – Spirit of the Sun (Aquasky Remix)
Gangster Sound – What’s Going On (Jazz Mix)
Aquasky – Sea Monkey
Best Boy Electric – Dawning
David Holmes – Gone (PFM Mix)
Aphrodite – Q-Flutes
Tamsin – Innocence
Cloud Nine – The Ultimate Seduction
Abstract Truth – Get Another Plan (Rob Playford Remix)

2017, Ear & Drum Session, Old Skool

New Tricks – Ear & Drum Session 138

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Remastering of old tunes has become a thing and so I’ve been steadily building up a collection of favourites to put into a mix. To hear new life breathed into these classic tunes really is a sublime pleasure for me. A lot of these are either original Metalheadz releases or from T-Power’s magnificent Self Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind album with Photek’s broken beat classic T’Raenon thrown in for good measure.

Hear these brilliant tunes as you’ve never heard them before and enjoy. 🙂

New Tricks – 1.5hrs of Remastered D&B Classics

T.Power – Indigo
T.Power & MK Ultra – Mutant Jazz
Sci-Clone – O.D.
Source Direct – Web of Sin
Ed Rush – Skylab
Digital – Down Under
Ed Rush – Destiny
T.Power – Amber
Sci-Clone – Melt
T.Power – Triangle
Goldie – Inner City Life (Roni Size & Krust Remix)
Doc Scott – Far Away
Doc Scott – Blue Skies
Doc Scott – Drumz ’95 (Nasty Habits Remix)
Source Direct – Stonekiller
Source Direct – Black Rose
Dillinja – The Angels Fell
Ed Rush – The Raven
Codename John – The Warning
Photek – T’Raenon

2017, All Artist Mix, All Label Mix, Ear & Drum Session, Jump Up, Jungle, Old Skool, Rave

Tru Jungle & Phat Playaz – Ear & Drum Sessions 131 & 132

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Welcome to the Ear & Drum’s first double post representing the influential and legendary sound of DJ Hype’s and his seminal label Tru Playaz.

Few labels, if any, have had as many anthems and hits as Tru Playaz. With a roster of incredible production talent like Zinc, Pascal, Swift and DJ Hype himself Playaz owned jungle and jump up through the 90s.

Tru Jungle looks at Hype and Playaz Jungle output from 92-96 and Phat Playaz continues on from 97-00 and is more of a Jump Up selection. These are straight up good times tunes made to get your head nodding and your feet moving and if you don’t recognise any of these tunes then you probably missed the 90s altogether.

6 Million Ways to Die, Rrroll the Beats, The Chopper, We Must Unite, Going Out for the Loot – DJ Hype was on fire during the early days of Jungle not just as a producer but as one of the scenes best DJs as well. Add to that his teaming up with Pascal & Zinc to form the Ganja Kru and you get jungle hit after hit.

Tru Jungle – 1hr of Tru Playaz Jungle Classics

DJ Hype – Weird Energy (Hells Bells Mix)
Uncle 22 – 6 Million Ways to Die (DJ Hype Remix)
DJ Hype – Dreams
Fallen Angels – Hello Lover (DJ Hype Remix)
DJ Hype – Mash Up the Place
DJ Hype – Dawn of the Fever
Hardware – Lix
Hardware – Dreamin’ of You
DJ Hype – Rrroll the Beats
DJ Hype – Rrroll the Beats Remix
DJ Hype – The Chopper (Jonny Jungle Remix)
Ganja Kru – Going Out for the Loot
DJ Hype – We Must Unite
Rude Boy Monty – Steppa’s Anthem (Linerz Mix)
Pascal – Tru Grit
Ganja Kru – Computerised Cops (Pascal’s Mix)
Hmp – Runin’s (Origin Unknown Remix)
P-Funk – Skinz
P-Funk – P-Funk Era
DJ Zinc – The Source

These days Jump Up is a dirty word to most D&B lovers, but back in the day it was THE premier dance floor filler and Tru Playaz were the kings of the dance. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing tunes like Peace, Love and Unity, Super Sharp Shooter, Reach Out or the insanely catchy Fugees bootleg Fugees or Not.

This isn’t music to sit back and stroke your beard to. These are leave your beer on the bar as you tear through the crowd to jump around on the floor like a mad fish tunes. Straight up pure fun and phat bouncing b-lines.

Phat Playaz – 1hr of Tru Playaz Jump Up Anthems

DJ Hype – True Playa’z Anthem
Yankee B – Mucho Dinero (Ganja Kru Remix)
Dope Skills – 6 Million Ways (Remix 1)
DJ Zinc – Toothbrush
DJ Hype – Peace, Love and Unity (feat MC Fats)
Freestyles – Musically Dope (Ganja Kru Remix)
Pascal – Favours
Ganja Kru – Magic
Ganja Kru feat. Rude Boy Monty – Gone are the Days
P-Funk – P-Funk Era (Zinc Remix)
Ganja Kru – Plague that Never Ends
DJ Hype – Only One Life (Ganja Kru Remix)
DJ Zinc feat. MC GQ – Bring the Dancer
DJ Hype – Closer to God
DJ Swift – 2nd Strike
DJ Zinc – Fugees or Not
DJ Zinc – Reach Out (Remix)
DJ Zinc – Super Sharp Shooter (Short & Sharp Mix)
Tribe of Issachar (feat. Peter Bouncer) – Junglist (DJ Zinc Remix)

2017, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Jungle, Melodic, Old Skool

Jungle Jazz – Ear & Drum Session 129

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Back in 96′ I bought a compilation CD (remember them?) by Italian label, IRMA, called Jungle Jazz. It was the first of 5 compilations and contained some of the best selections of Intelligent jungle and D&B I’ve ever heard.

All the big names were there like Jonny L, Photek and Roni Size but what made these compilations so great were the lesser known artists and remixes like Bukem’s remix of The Shamen’s – Tranzmazonia and the Peshay After Hours Remix of Ingrid Schroeder’s Paint You Blue. These tracks didn’t appear anywhere else and possibly only ever got pressed as dub plates for a select few DJs.

The joy of modern DJing is I can now spin these exclusive tunes that have been lost to time. So I’ve revisited my old Jungle Jazz CDs and pulled together a set of my favorite tracks from the first few Jungle Jazz comps. This really is beautiful music and whether you like D&B or not, it is hard not to appreciate the skill and passion that sits behind these amazing tracks.

Jungle Jazz – 1hr of Intelligent Jungle

Dust – Donna Jane
Hidden Agenda – Is It Love?
Click’n’Cycle – Amerikas Problem
Blim – Jeamland
Namaste – Open Your Eyes
Clan Greco – Tilt
Nookie – The Blues
Jonny L – This Time
The Shamen – Tranzmazonia (LTJ Bukem Mix)
Skin 4 – Aura
Roni Size – It’s a Jazz Thing
Wax Doctor – Atmospheric Funk
Recycle – I Can’t Help It
Bubble Jet – Emotionalectric
Ingrid Schroeder – Paint You Blue (Peshay After Hours Remix)
St. Germain – Alabama Blues (Wax Doctor Mix)
MC Det – Freeform Reality

2009, Cross Genre, Down Low Session, Mash-up, Old Skool

The Down Low: Session 036

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I did this mix back in 2009 as a Christmas gift to all my friends in the UK and had completely forgotten about it until I stumbled over it last week. The idea was to mash up old and new tracks that shouldn’t go together.

Hence you have little pearls such as Missy Elliot – Best Best (Two Fingers Remix) and
2 Bad Mice – Drum Trip II or Santogold – Unstoppable into the rave classic Skanna – Heaven. In fact rave features pretty heavily at the front end of this mix with some absolute classics and lesser known tracks from back in the day. Who remembers The Prodigy – Claustrophobic Sting? No one that’s who, but just like every track on here it is a belter.

So enjoy a stroll through my eclectic memory lane and have a good weekend.

The Down Low 036 – 1hr Mash Up of Old and New School

Bass Boy & Techmaster P.E.B. – Activated
Blame – Music Take You
Soul Delay – My Shadow (138 Remix)
Missy Elliot – Best Best (Two Fingers Remix)
2 Bad Mice – Drum Trip II
Kaotic Chemistry – Illegal Subs
Tipper – Disolve (In)
Santogold – Unstoppable
Skanna – Heaven
Exile – Merlin
The Prodigy – Claustrophobic Sting
Universal Love – Deeply
Shapeshifter – Summer Haze
D-Bridge – Wonder Where
Ruxpin – Now I Turn To You
Panda – Leaving Amsterdam
Shapeshifter – The Ride

2017, All Label Mix, Ear & Drum Session, Old Skool

Partisan Support – Ear & Drum Session 125

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Partisan Recordings are one of the forgotten heroes of D&B labels. Only exisiting between 1998-99, the quality of their output and exceptional artist roster put them right up there with Metalheadz and Moving Shadow.

Artists such as Foul Play, Future Engineers, Perfect Combination, Justice, Total Science and Underwolves released some of their best work on the label. Plus remixes by the likes of Matrix, Omni Trio, Dom & Roland and Flytronix (to name a few), meant that Partisan had some of the hottest D&B talent at the time.

It’s taken me decades to track down enough of their releases to put together this mix, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did piecing it together.

Partisan Support – 1hr of Partisan Recordings

Foul Play – Destiny (feat. Shereen)
K.M.C. – Space Echo
Future Engineers – Life Support
Banaczech – Ipcress File
Foul Play – Risk (feat. Shereen)
Future Engineers – Life Support (Neil Trix Remix)
Justice – Mauve Flow (Matrix Remix)
Jazz Cartel – Contact
Future Engineers – Simulations
Foul Play – Synthetic Bitch (Omni Tri Remix)
Future Engineers – Cerulean Seas
System 4 – Black Cell
Free4orm – D-Fusion Pt.3
Future Engineers – Closed Circuit
Underwolves – Redeemer

2015, Amen, Chill Out, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic, Old Skool

Signs of Intelligence – Ear & Drum Session 108

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Ah the 90s – electronic music’s golden era and definitely D&B’s original hey-day. Around ’96 D&B was everywhere and everyone wanted a piece, from movie soundtracks to TV advertising to mainstream music labels, they all wanted what D&B had. And what D&B had was some of the planet’s hottest production talent exploring electronic musics most diverse musical genre.

Photek was in his prime, dropping must have tune after must have tune. LTJ Bukem and his label, Good Looking, were killing it with an incredible artist roster including legends such as Blame and PFM. And Jonny L was on the verge of greatness and flexing some seriously beautiful music.

It was a gentler time, when D&B didn’t feel like it had to be dark or underground and it was an era I still love coming back to so I can lay down sets like this.

Signs of Intelligence – 1.5hrs of 90s Intelligent D&B

Photek – Into the 90s
Madalay – Flowers Bloom (Secret Lovers Mix)
Therapy – Loose (Photek Remix)
Fallen Angels – Frequency (Tango Remix)
Big Youth – Jim Screechy (Smith & Mighty Remix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Adam F Remix)
Lil Louis & The Party – Clap Your Hands (PFM Remix)
Arkatuba – Josimar (Fila Brazillia Remix)
JMJ & Ritchie – Universal Horn
Jonny L – This Time (Cool Dub)
LTJ Bukem – Music
Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground (In The Jungle Mix)
Everything But The Girl – Before Today (Dave Wallace Remix)
Photek – The Rain
Blame – Overhead Projections
PFM – One & Only
Everything But The Girl – Blame (Fabio Remix)
Neil Trix & Danny Mills – Pearls
PFM – Western (Words 2 B Heard Vocal Mix)
Jonny L – Nightlife
LTJ Bukem – Horizons
Eugenix – Sunshine

Amen, Chill Out, Deep D&B, Ear & Drum Session, Intelligent, Melodic, Old Skool

Shadow Wax 8: 1997 Chilled Intelligence Part 1 – Ear & Drum Session 84

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Back to the golden era of Drum & Bass with this tidy selection from the god father of D&B labels Moving Shadow. This rolls and flows majestically through intelligent amen driven beats and bass from start to finish.

Omni Trio, JMJ & Ritchie, Flytronix, EZ Rollers, Hoax – all the big names are in here and so are some of their biggest tunes. Anyone who can remember far back enough to when The Rhode Tune, Sanctuary and Free La Funk first hit will remember they changed everything.

If these tunes are new to you, you are in for a real treat. If you were luckily enough to be listening to drum & bass back in 97, enjoy this roll down memory lane.

Shadow Wax 8 – 1hr of 1997 Chilled Intelligence

Hoax – Temple Bell
Omni Trio – Sanctuary
Omni Trio – Sancturay (Funky Technicians Remix)
Essence of Aura – So This Is Love
Flytronix – The Rhode Tune
Dead Calm – Searchin’
EZ Rollers – Subtropic
JMJ & Ritchie – Free La Funk
Kudos – Soul Searching
Hoax – The More I See You
JMJ & Ritchie – Beyond Therapy
Mastermind – The Morning After
Hoax – Pipe Dreams (Flytronix Remix)
Hoax – The Mission