Fashion & Apparel – Jungle Junkie (USA)
The thing that fascinates me about scenes, and this goes for any scene, anywhere and about anything, is the stuff that goes on in the background. In DNB the music is obviously the key element that propels everything around its orbit forward, but when you really look past that, at the myriad of off-shoots that keep the people in it active, you see (and hear) so much more than just the tunes.
From parties to labels to stations to Twitch to engineers to printers…………the list is almost infinite, and stuck in the middle of all of this creativity and activity are companies like Jungle Junkie D&B Co.
Born out of an idea to create Drum & Bass Threads for Drum & Bass Heads, this small but no less important apparel business sprang to life in 2010 and after a long time away, has been reborn in 2022 as a supplier of high quality enamel pin badges, with a view to extending the line of DNB based goodies as the year 2022 progresses.
You only have to read the company strap line to see they mean business. Originated with the ethos that Drum & Bass is just as diverse and unique as the individuals who immerse themselves in its compelling sound. Embodied for the culture with the same meticulous production values as the music it stands for. It screams passion and commitment to a scene that for the most part does not fail to leave an impression on the heart.
After some heartfelt communication with owner Jordan Meyer at the end of last year, INSIDE DNB now bring to your attention Jungle Junkie D&B Co. The work that is going into this stateside venture cannot be ignored. I for one am immensely proud to wear the man’s work.
Jordan, please accept a very, very warm welcome to INSIDE DNB. You are based in the USA, so please tell us a bit about yourself and where you live.
Thank you so much for the kind and generous words. I never thought I’d see Jungle Junkie reborn, let alone be featured in an interview. It’s an honour to be here.
**Just a side note before we get started… I sometimes use the term “WE” when referring to Jungle Junkie because, in my mind, although I’m the founder and working solo (for now), it’s not about “ME”. I try to keep myself separate from Jungle Junkie in terms of how the company and I interact with the general public. When you see me online or out in the world interacting as Jordan Meyer, you’ll get the person you’re interviewing today. Albeit the PG-13 version, out of respect for INSIDE DNB and it’s readers. When Jungle Junkie is interacting with the public, you’ll notice a different voice and personality.
This is gonna sound cliched, but I feel like the brand has an opportunity to be something truly greater than the sum of its parts, and it’s my responsibility uphold that ideal**
Ok, now that I’ve exposed how weird I am, here’s a bit about myself.
I’m 39 yrs old and currently operate out of Huntington Beach in Southern California. I’m a 1 hour drive from Los Angeles, and 30 minutes from Disneyland, to give you an idea.
I’ve been into DNB since I was 17 and started DJ’ing when I was 18. My first records were 2 copies of The Marshall Mathers LP by EMINEM, since I needed to learn how to beat-match and didn’t know where to buy DNB records yet. Ironically, I find Hip Hop more challenging to mix than DNB. I use TRAKTOR for all my DJ’ing and YES, I use the sync button. I earned it!
I listen to all kinds of music, but most days it’s a heavy rotation of punk, DNB, hip hop, and hard complextro. I’m always on the lookout for new music and lately that consists of instrumental trap, hard progressive house with heavy snares, and whatever genre SWARM (the artist) is.
My favourite vibe in music, no matter the genre, is comprised of heavy sombre and minor tones structured to energize and uplift in a way that’s normally reserved for major toned music.
Some of my favourite artists are: Donny, Aeph, Aphrodite, SPOR, Freqax, Overwerk, Eximinds, James Egbert, Midnight Conspiracy, Hybrid, Young Buck, Tee Grizzley, Tech N9ne, Eminem, Pixl, White Zoo, Fetoo, Dance With the Dead, Darth & Vader, Face to Face, The Story So Far, MXPX, Smoke or Fire, Trash Boat, Animadrop, etc… I could keep going but this interview would never end.
I’d love to see movie trailer music producers apply THAT same epic and formulaic sound to our side of the Electronic Music world. Go watch a marathon of movie trailers on Kinocheck (YouTube Channel) and you’ll see what I mean.
Random Fun Fact: Whenever I’m driving around I like to honk at pedestrians and, when they look up, smile and wave at them to see if they do it back. Most of ‘em do.
You’ve been into DNB for a good number of years now. Who is the one to blame for first exposing your ears to it?
His name was Chris and I remember that day… Distinctly. I was 17yrs old and living with my sister. At the time, I was just getting into the scene and had only been to a few underground parties. So, in terms of Electronic Music, I was just a baby.
**Honestly, when I rewind the tape and think about it, I didn’t even know the music was coming from a DJ during the first handful of raves I went to. Years before I met Chris, I was going to parties with a friend I grew up with on my street. I was only 15 when I started and when we’d go, I’d usually just wander around aimlessly in a sea of people, enamoured at all the crazy shit I was experiencing.
The Los Angeles rave scene back in the late 90’s was pretty lawless and kids my age were constantly being allowed into places and events we had no business occupying**
Between lying to our parents about who’s house we were sleeping over at, sneaking out, finding rides to and from the events, spending our only cash on strangers at the party for whatever they had on hand, dodging cops after curfew and just trying not to screw up so we could make it home, sneak back in, and act like we were asleep before anybody woke up to check on us… let’s just say, the music was the LEAST of my concerns.
**All I knew is that I loved the thrill and couldn’t wait to do it all over again**
So, Chris had picked me up in a car his parents just bought him for his birthday and he wanted to show it off. He had also just made friends with some DNB DJ’s and was super excited to listen to the new collection of mixtapes he got. I hopped in and we just drove around the city all day while the stereo blasted. I didn’t know what DNB or Jungle was and it definitely didn’t sound like anything I had ever heard at raves before.
We were driving around for HOURS, listening to tape after tape after tape… he had a whole shoebox of these mixes sitting in the back seat. I mean, this kid was FULLY LOADED!!! I couldn’t tell you what artists were in the mixes, or what the DJ’s names were, or even make out what the guy (who was apparently called an “MC”) was going on about. One thing I knew for sure, and I’m probably gonna lose a lot of credibility here, but…
I HATED IT.
I always thought I had been into music on a more open and receptive level just because my dad was a radio DJ and my sister was a CLUB DJ, but that day I was NOT feeling it. I just sat there in the passenger seat thinking “Dude, can we PLEASE listen to anything else?” Maybe it was the styles that were being played, or the lack of bass and fidelity in the stereo he had (at almost max volume) causing everything to distort and blend together, or the fact that the windows were rolled down (adding to what I already considered “noise”), or maybe it was just bad DJ’ing.
To this day, I couldn’t tell you exactly why, even though I remember other things so vividly about that experience. Eventually, I got dropped off at home and felt relieved that it was finally over. In hindsight, and all fairness, I don’t feel it was given a fair chance that day. Less than a year later, I turned 18 and was finally legal. I wasted NO TIME and went to as many raves as I could afford. One night, as I found myself in yet another warehouse rave in Los Angeles, everything changed.
I was having a bad night and just wanted to get away from the crowd. I left the main area, which in those days, were mainly full of trance or house DJ’s, and worked my way to a darker and much less occupied room in the basement where I knew nobody would go looking for me. Perfect…
So, as I sat in the corner sulking about something I’ll never remember. I turned my focus to this guy working on the decks named Rubix Cube. He was using vinyl and had a tiny mixer, but he was so animated and even though there was only a handful of people in the room, he was playing like it was catered to each one of us there. It felt very personal.
He was doing shit I’d never heard or seen before, like quickly cutting in drum breaks and vocal samples with the cross and upfaders and you could just FEEL him having such a good time with the music. He made it so exciting to watch and listen closely.
The dude was in COMPLETE control of his environment and craft. He was even Poppin’ & Lockin’ in sync to the music at one point. This was back in ‘99 so I don’t know what the tracks were, but I remember the vibe being very gangster, in an uplifting and fun way.
Very similar to the early Jump Up tracks I would eventually discover and fall in love with that were released on Urban Takeover, but actually LIVE.
That’s no easy task.
By the time he was finished with his set, I had completely forgotten about my bad attitude. I ended up meeting him and getting a demo CD of his and I still have it to this day. I should pull it out of storage and see what tracks are on there.
That was my reintroduction to drum & bass and I was HOOKED. Shortly after that, I picked up some records, taught myself how to beat match on my sister’s decks, and eventually bought my own gear. Through learning the craft of DJ’ing, I fell in love with drum & bass even more in a way that I could see and feel, not just hear. As a result, I gained a much higher respect for it.
We are a UK based site, so what can you tell us and the rest of the global DNB community about what’s happening in your corner of the DNB world right now?
Ah man, this is where my Impostor Syndrome rears it’s ugly head… I wish you hadn’t asked. Haha!
At the risk of losing more credibility, I don’t really go out to parties anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to. I LOVE watching and hearing my favourite artists and DJ’s RINSE IT THE FUCK OUT on a crazy sound system and, IF they come into town, of course I show up and support.
I’m trying to live a lifestyle now that requires me to get up early every day, build better habits, and stay accountable to my people and the brand. I can’t do that if I’m going out all the time.
The last party I went to was back in 2019 for an Eatbrain event in Los Angeles that was hosted by Killahurtz & Xcellerated Los Angeles (2 production crews here in California). With my limited knowledge of nightlife here on the west coast, I’d be remiss not to at least mention the following:
Bad Syntax (Owner of Abducted LTD and Best Drum and Bass Podcast) has been making big moves and helping jump start a lot of careers here in the states. This guy is a huge contributor to drum & bass in general. E-Sassin is still crushing it and has a show I love called The Danger Zone.
As far as clubs and parties go, RESPECT (LA’s longest running DNB club) featuring world class artists and DJ’s from the scene. Owned by Machete who’s also got a radio show, pretty sick scratching skills and is insanely consistent along with his crew Junglist Platoon.
Xcellerated throws some quality events featuring a lot of local and overseas talent.
Killahurtz is another crew that throws some sick events featuring local and overseas talent.
Dieselboy is my favorite DJ and is constantly dropping massive mixes.
The business’ first incarnation produced T-shirts. Is clothing and apparel something that you’re trained in, or is it more of a personal artistic expression?
It’s a bit of both. I’d say I’m “self-educated” in clothing and apparel through online sources, trade-shows, and my own personal experiences as a consumer. I’ve always been pretty discerning when it comes to apparel and I can tell you that everything in my closet is something I love and would buy again if I lost it tomorrow.
I’ve always leaned more towards clothes with a subtle artistic intent when shopping, but everything I wear has to have function and flow from head to toe. Sometimes something as basic and common as a T Shirt, for myself, can be pretty challenging. I’m very particular about the materials used, how it’s blended, the weight and density of the fabric, the length, the cut, the way it contours and stretches, the type of graphics or embellishments it has. Then I have to ask myself, “Is it gonna fade, crack or peel after just few washes?” “Is it a standalone piece that can be worn with anything, or will it only look good with a certain outfit?” “Does it also make ME look good and compliment MY shape?”
I have particular standards for myself when it comes to garments, gear, and anything I’m hoping to hold onto for years to come, so you can expect that same level of attention to detail when Jungle Junkie releases anything. We’d rather have a small number of high quality, complimentary items that are well thought out and executed as opposed to a ton of subpar products just to fluff up the brand’s catalogue.
I personally test everything out on myself or someone I trust before I add it to the catalogue of “possible” future items we plan on releasing. If it doesn’t look, feel, and function the way I expect, after a lengthy trial, I don’t bother.
How have you found breaking into the global DNB market generally. Is it a tough crowd?
We just relaunched the site in January of 2022 and only have one product right now, so it’s too early to tell.
However, through personal mistakes, observing other brands, and our most recent interactions with customers, I’ve learned a few things that have reshaped my perspective and, hopefully, will safely guide our actions moving forward.
I wouldn’t call it a “tough crowd”, but the scene is much more diverse than some give it credit for and is constantly evolving.
We’re not going to try and hack the algorithm with the intent of creating products that appeal to everyone in the global market. That would be a colossal waste of time and energy because it’s just not possible. Not to mention, when you appeal to everyone, you’re unique to no one.
Instead, we’ll be focusing our efforts on making high quality products that directly reflect our mission and cultivating a brand experience that is consistently aligned with our vision and core values.
That way, when our customers shop with us, they can rest easy knowing that they own the best possible version of what they were looking for and the next time they want to buy something new that we offer, they can trust that the experience will be the same.
You rebuilt the website recently and underwent a re-launch. What prompted that?
The Law of Diminishing Intent. Bear with me here. there’s a bit of backstory involved.
**As if I weren’t being dramatic enough.**
The idea of Jungle Junkie actually manifested when I was 18yrs old, but like any kid, I believed time was on my side, so we didn’t actually launch until 2010. I had a small, yet insanely talented, team of friends that deserve all the credit for that iteration.
Unfortunately, I had an “Art First, Business Second” mentality. I used to think that if I just created artwork all day and focused only on the things I was good at (or cared about), that no matter what, this would just sell itself. I knew very little about Art and even less about Business.
Convinced we could bootstrap the finances and do it all ourselves, we got educated, printed everything in a shop we built from scratch, curated a gorgeous vendor booth, landed a few exclusive spots in clubs that put us directly in front of potential customers, and even had a custom website.
In the end, none of that mattered. A year had gone by and sales were almost non-existent while new products stockpiled, collected dust, and eventually became part of the body count.
I didn’t know anything about advertising, social media, forums, groups or anything about running a brand. Still, I insisted on having “all the answers” while dragging everyone through the mud with poor and misguided decisions. At one point, I even convinced the team to help start a side-brand, thinking I could use the profits to fund new ideas for Jungle Junkie.
**I also have to mention, during that time, I was OUT OF CONTROL with toxic habits and debilitating vices. With THAT version of Jordan at the helm, we were bound to sink.**
I was blind to the fact that I had no idea what I was doing and since the team had no choice but to trust my supposed “knowledge of the DNB scene” as business acumen, we couldn’t see the forest for the trees. So much time, money and amazing talent was wasted on my hubris and blind ambition.
Eventually, the band broke up and Jungle Junkie was back to nothing more than an idea. I felt so stupid and didn’t know what to do next.
So, I did nothing. I stopped creating. Entirely.
Years went by before feeling inspired and “up to the task” again. I found myself in search of some much needed education (online). I understood the basics of graphic design, so I shifted my focus and energy to researching the actual business side of building a legit brand. It didn’t take long before realizing I needed to flip my whole perspective on things and adopt a new way of thinking if this was ever going to work.
“Business First, Art Second”.
This approach, to me, is fundamentally important in creating a solid brand, of any kind, that people will know, love, and trust.
Don’t get it twisted, Jungle Junkie is still in its developmental stages and I’ll always need more education. We have a very long road to travel, full of unknowns, before we can ever be considered “respectable” in this game. Even then, that will be up to our fans to decide.
I fell in love with the nuances of brand identity vs brand personality, marketing vs advertising, and building a unique, cohesive and positive customer journey vs shady customer acquisition tactics. I knew I couldn’t make the same mistakes again, but I’m a perfectionist and have trust issues.
So, instead of executing simple and immediately actionable steps based on what I was learning, I went looking for any and all obstacles that might arise from those steps in order to have a solution ready and waiting. If something felt overly simple and I couldn’t find a variable, then I’d create one and pat myself on the back for circumventing it.
I hadn’t even taken the first steps and was already complicating the process with my own unfounded experience again. I wasted so much time and energy coming up with very specific solutions to very theoretical problems under the guise of “building a solid business”. I thought all that research and refining of “the perfect plan” was the missing link to our initial attempts in 2010.
In hindsight, I was just building a stronger chain of mental setbacks that kept me locked to procrastination.
I did this for so long that I equated research with ACTUAL WORK, and since I wasn’t seeing results from all this “work”, then clearly, I was doing something wrong. So, maybe I should take a break from all this and start again some other time when I have things “figured out”.
I had massive stacks of notes, countless folders on my desktop and an endless supply of gathered information for a plan that never left my bedroom because “it’s not ready yet”. The truth is, I was too afraid of making decisions, looking like an idiot all over again and found comfort in the excuses.
Fast forward to 2020 and “The Law of Diminishing Intent” which means: The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.
I had no idea at the time, but this universal “law” was in full effect and had been KILLING my dream from the start. Jungle Junkie used to be my only purpose in life, the only thing I cared about, and the only thing I wanted to discuss. Growing up, I’d even go as far as to make sure I only worked jobs that didn’t require too much focus just so I could daydream more about the company.
After all the back steps and doing nothing for so long, it slowly became this baggage that I didn’t want to carry anymore.
When asked “How’s Jungle Junkie going?”, by friends or family, I’d give any answer as to why it was “still in progress” just to avoid conversation. I only felt fear, doubt and shame anymore when confronted with the topic so I did everything to avoid it. That behaviour turned habitual and, inevitably, the excuses became my “truth”.
Inadvertently, when people stopped asking and there was nothing more to talk about, I killed the conversation within.
I knew something was wrong when I’d randomly be reminded of Jungle Junkie, and I’d think things like…
“Whoa, that’s weird… When IS the last time you’ve thought about the company?”
“Why is this just NOW popping into your head?”
“Do you even care about the company if you don’t think about it as often as you used to?”
“Or are you just holding onto this because you made a commitment so long ago and it’s the only thing you’ve validated yourself with?”
“Maybe it’s time to let go…”
**I’m almost 40 now and, sadly, the torch I held for it had been burning solely in my mind and heart for so long that it became nothing more than a tiny ember in the palm of my hand… and it was starting to f*cking hurt. So, I had to make a choice… Either snuff it out or try and use what’s left to start a new fire.**
So, I said “Fuck it, I’m just gonna toss this in any direction and see what catches fire.”
That’s when I decided to give the pins away on Facebook. I didn’t care about the website not being finished, or the Facebook and Instagram pages being empty and outdated, I didn’t even care how I was gonna ship them. I just knew that I wanted to get the pins out there by any means necessary and find out if anyone would care.
The response from those posts started a fire I couldn’t put out. People started ordering, I had to start communicating, building response templates, gathering addresses, calculating currency conversions, convincing them to trust a stranger and actually pay me, update everyone with tracking info, building Trello boards with client info and notes containing a breadcrumb trail of how we came into contact.
The fire was spreading and I knew the only solution was to hurry the fuck up, finish the site and bring that fire to a controlled environment.
So here we are.
The pin badges make a real statement. I absolutely love mine and I wear it with pride. How did that idea originate?
Thank You!!! I’m so excited to hear that and I feel very fortunate that they made it this far.
Buying clothing online can be a gamble for most people especially if they haven’t shopped with a company before. So, alongside our first release of clothing, I wanted to make something that would be easily understood without actually having to “try it on”. I just didn’t know what that was gonna be yet.
Obviously it had to be high quality, but it needed to display that on its own. Something you could use all the time that is meant to be seen and enjoyed anywhere. Something that wouldn’t break easily or wear down quickly when used on a daily basis.
It needed to catch your eye from a short distance and be easily identified as something associated with DNB culture once you got close enough. Above all, it needed to represent the standards of the company and those who choose to wear it.
I sorted through a lot of viable options on Pinterest, Etsy and Instagram and maybe we’ll revisit those products later, but I landed on Enamel Pins, and I’m so glad I went that route. I’ve always been fascinated with enamel pins, but I’ve never actually owned one. I had no clue that there was an entire subculture dedicated to the craft.
I knew this was gonna check all the boxes for our first product, but I’ve never made something like this. Even then, I didn’t choose what the pin was going to be until AFTER I learned the manufacturing and designing process.
Once I understood what I was about to make, I knew it could only be one thing. JUNGLIST
How on earth does an artist even begin to create something tactile like this? Would you mind talking us through the process? I guess it starts with some CAD (computer aided design)??
The process of designing is simple as long as you understand the manufacturing process of the type of pin you want. There are rules and limitations to what you can do, but a true Enamel Pin Artist will make you believe otherwise.
Enamel Pins come in many forms and each one has a unique process tied to it and those processes get even more complex once you start to get into deep customization. I can’t speak on these things, as I’m not an expert. Also, I only designed the graphics used for the metal FACE of the pin which is literally just the rectangular box with letters inside, and the website added to the back.
I didn’t design the locks or the dimensions of all the parts in 3D for a machine. All of that stuff is done by the manufacturer. So, I’ll just stick to the process that went into creating the JUNGLIST V1.
The most common and popular styles of pins come in 2 flavours.
SOFT ENAMEL: Pins have raised metal edges that give them texture, offer more design flexibility, and generally are less expensive to make.
HARD ENAMEL: Pins are smooth and shiny, more durable, take longer to make, have less design flexibility and are generally more expensive to make.
I chose HARD ENAMEL because it fitted the profile of what I was trying to achieve. After that, I had to choose a shape and size. All 3 of these choices dictated the boundaries and limitations I had to work with in order to design something that would actually work for the final product.
Once I had my guidelines, I chose a Typeface that I loved and knew would work, used Photoshop to create the overall design, cleaned up the edges in Illustrator, exported the file for review and sent it off to the manufacturer. They sent back a proof (mock-up) of the final design and I approved.
A month later, the pins showed up and they exceeded my expectations.
And then finding a manufacturer must be another hard task?
Finding manufacturers is easy, but finding reliable and consistent ones is the “hard” task, at least with fully custom items that aren’t prefabricated. There’s nothing wrong with prefabricated stuff as long as you truly give a shit about the quality and have confidence in its future availability.
That’s always a gamble because you’re relying on another brand to build and sustain your own until you can afford to build your own products to spec. Most companies never make it that far, yet this is how most of us operate in the beginning.
If you’re worried about buying something in bulk from a manufacturer, fully custom or prefab.
Do your homework, order samples, ask as many questions as you can about those samples like consistency, quality control, materials used, etc… Anything it takes to get abundantly clear on what your level of expectations should be before placing an order.
If a company isn’t answering your questions or is being vague, short of giving away their trade secrets, then find another company.
I’ve ordered fully custom items I fell in love with, put in a duplicate order 6 months later, and the new batch was NOT the same as the original. Oddly enough, I love both items, but the company lost my business due to the inconsistency, lack of quality control, inability to explain why, and didn’t care to make it right.
On-line promotion is also a mine field!
It can definitely feel that way sometimes. We’ve only promoted the company in Facebook groups and were lucky enough to be shared by individuals or labels on their own Facebook pages and feeds.
At first, we were offering the pins to everyone in DNB groups for FREE as long as they covered shipping. Our posts were respectful of the groups and admins, not spammy, and we only posted once in each group.
The response was beyond our expectations and orders started to pour in.
After a while, we couldn’t keep up with all the individual messaging, addresses, tracking updates, etc, all this info was spread across too many platforms. We needed to centralize it and get it under control.
We knew we had to launch the site, but it wasn’t ready.
So, after rushing to put the final touches on it, I posted the site in a Facebook group for Shopify beginners. It’s a place where Shopify store owners can discuss various topics, but mostly get feedback on their websites. I needed feedback and QUICK.
One member in particular commented that “the pins look nice, too bad the name is already taken”.
After some back and forth conversation, I came to find out that the word JUNGLIST is actually trademarked here in the states. I didn’t believe it, and was convinced that even IF someone trademarked it, it had to be tied to something random and unrelated. I did a quick lookup online, traced a few links, and LOW AND BEHOLD, it was actually tied to another DNB brand!!!
I just sat there in disbelief thinking, “You gotta be fucking kidding me!!!”
I was so close to launching, was already invested, people were lining up for these pins. They were a hit! I couldn’t just stop, but I also couldn’t take things any further. I honestly didn’t wanna do what I knew had to be done.
I told myself “Fuck it, let’s handle this shit”.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew that if I didn’t come correct about this whole thing and just launched my brand and sold these pins, it would be massively disrespectful to everyone involved and the possible outcomes could be much worse.
So, I reached out with full transparency about our pins, our company, and scheduled a time to speak on the phone. The day finally came and after some honest and heartfelt conversation, I got the green light on the pins and Jungle Junkie was clear for take-off.
If online promotion is a minefield, then allow me to help some of my fellow JUNGLISTS, here in the states, with a bit of navigation…
**At the time of this writing, please know that “JUNGLIST” is TRADEMARKED IN THE UNITED STATES. If you’re a Stateside DnB brand and you wanna use it on anything related to apparel, do so at your own risk or go get permission.**
Just to be abundantly clear, that information is not a threat or some scare tactic so you don’t make any products with JUNGLIST on it. Trust me, I wanna see how dope this side of the DNB game can be.
I’m simply raising awareness so you have the opportunity to get ahead of this and not get blindsided later on with some legal nonsense that could’ve been avoided.
That’s it, that’s all I got. Respect.
Looking forward into 2022 and beyond then, what have you got lined up?
Well, everyone knows us for our pins at this point. So, we’re definitely going to keep them as a staple in our catalogue and create more. But we HAVE to live up to our tagline by creating “Drum & Bass Threads for Drum & Bass Heads™”. Otherwise, WTF are we doing here?
We plan on releasing simple designs with the usual bread and butter type apparel like shirts, hoodies, hats, etc, so, obviously we’ll make it a point that the world will know us for that. Our next release will be a T Shirt since spring is here, then we’d like to release a hoodie before the winter holidays.
Aside from clothing, we’d really like to have unique and elegant items for the home as well. Not everything has to be about making a statement or showing the world who you are publicly. Sometimes it’s nice to have things that are meant just for YOU. Personally, I like shopping at thrift stores and discovering things that are one of a kind or just rare for whatever reason. Specifically, wood boxes that are heavy and robust with little drawers and secret compartments.
There’s something inherently unique and personal about them that makes me happy and they add a bit of warmth to any room they occupy. That’s the idea behind anything we might make for the home. Whatever we decide to come out with, I just hope it’s something that’s nice enough to be passed down and stand the test of time.
We’d also like to explore the world of tactical gear. Not sure what that’s going to entail, but if we can help it, you can expect some highly durable and multifunctional items in the future. All of these things like pins, home goods and tactical gear seem very different from each other so we’ll have to be extra thoughtful when creating them in order to have a cohesive collection.
The website looks really slick. How did you find building that?
Thank you, that actually means a lot. The short answer, Shopify. But, if you’ve come this far, you know there’s a long answer!
Most of my previously mentioned research was done online so, I got a bit familiar with UI/UX as a result. These terms can cover a broad spectrum of products and services, which are just as important, but I’m referring to the world of digital media.
UI = User Interface: The aesthetic elements by which people interact with a website or app, such as typography, colours, menu bars, etc.
UX = User Experience: The experience a user has with a product or service focusing on the user and their journey throughout the website or App.
Navigating through all these websites and Apps on my laptop or phone created a laundry list of shit I hated. Even products I wanted to buy were buried deep within a terrible website I couldn’t wait to exit once I was finished.
There are a lot of great services (free or paid) that might be a great fit if I gave them the chance, but Shopify has everything I want and more than I need. Something about the way they marketed themselves and the pleasant experience I had while just “browsing”, eased me into signing up for a free trial.
I had no idea how to build a site, I still don’t, but I was able to customize a free theme that looked unique and had all the features I wanted. When testing it out, I was impressed by how smooth and simple everything was and it actually worked!!!
The trial ran out, and I had to start paying. I didn’t have an actual company yet or any products, but I knew Shopify was the clear winner when I read all their newsletters rich with educational materials geared towards helping you succeed. So, I had no problem paying for a subscription, which is discounted while you’re building your site.
That was something else I noticed. Most e-commerce sites weren’t teaching you anything other than how to best utilize their services. Shopify was teaching you how to be a successful brand and business, online or in-store, regardless of whether or not you used their products. As a service provider, they understand that if you’re not successful, neither are they.
All that aside, I spent a lot of time customizing the look and feel of the website. It’s dark, minimal and has a hint of elegance in its simplicity, which isn’t as easy as it seems. I didn’t want people to be bombarded with sensory overload, that’s not who we are. I wanted to strip away all the noise, clutter and distractions I found to be unnecessary in other sites.
Over time, the look and feel may evolve, but I’m happy with where it’s at and will keep it that way for however long it stays relevant.
Finally then, we think what you’re doing is amazing. As mentioned in the intro, there are so many unsung heroes in DNB that make such a strong contribution, mostly (like us) purely for the love. If DNB was a single entity and this was your chance to look it in the eye and express the way you feel about it, what would you say?
Jungle Junkie is my love letter to you.
Thank you for your time Jordan. We really do wish you all the best.
Thank YOU Daniel. This was an absolute gift of an opportunity to be featured. What you and your crew are doing for the Drum & Bass scene can’t be praised enough and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for INSIDE DNB. Respect!
Jungle Junkie Drum & Bass Company – JUNGLE JUNKIE
Jungle Junkie, Drum & Bass Co. (@junglejunkie.dnbco) • Instagram photos and videos
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