All of these tracks can be found on YouTube, often with record label links should you wish to purchase hi resolution copies. Do the right thing. Support independent record labels and their artists!
Ah! 1993. What a fabulous year for drum and bass. The summer of 1992 was a peak year for the rave scene, with massive raves garnering massive crowds and massive tunes tearing down sound systems all over the UK, but by the winter of that same year the mood had changed.
The influence of Belgium and it’s screeching synths slowly faded away, alongside those huge piano riffs that seemed to dominate every other tune, and in their place came something deeper and darker. The was a greater focus on drum programming and layering, and the combination of bass and drums came to the forefront.
None of this happened over night of course, and ’93 was also where the very first seeds of the happy hardcore movement were sown, but as ever, we’re looking at the roots of jungle (that is, the style of music from ’94/’95 – not the overriding descriptor for the entire movement. To us, the production style of true jungle was the sound that emerged in those two key years. Not everyone will agree, but each to their own. We’re heading towards our interpretation of that sound as we progress through these lists).
This intentional move by producers to veer towards something with depth and integrity helped develop the jungle sound of the following year. As always, cramming 30 tracks into one list covering 12 months is one heck of a challenge, so yes, there are some stone cold classics in here, but also some less obvious choices picked to help give a rounded view of the changes taking place during this important but often overlooked year in our musical history,
