It's the year everybody and their pet poodle started raving, and it's also the year that ended with a musical backlash to the commercialism and exploitation of the movement, ending with the birth of the darkside sub-genre.
With the huge influx of new producers coming through also came new ideas and new sounds. The year was literally awash with 12" singles of every description, from heads down 'ardkore tekno to piano anthems to dub fuelled jungle prototypes.
There is so much hype out there about this choon it's unreal. Listen very closely and you'll see why.
We first heard DJ Phantasy play this on Green Apple Radio which used to be available via SKY TV. We couldn't believe what we were hearing. Throughout the 90's there are arguably several tracks that changed the course of the movement.
This, the first release on 3rd Party, an artist offshoot of Ibiza Records who we met in 1991, sets the tone for this most inventive of years.
'92 was a year of extreme commercialism as the media and teenaged Britain at large learned more and more about the raving way of life. As ever, we're focussing mainly on the early sounds of jungle and drum and bass and not 'the best of '92'.
During the 90s Doc Scot was never anything less than at the absolute forefront of the boundary pushing end of the drum and bass movement.
An early drum and bass classic from that guy Floyd Dyce and Acen, this thing is just monumental, particularly at 3.34 when those beautiful pads give way to the mighty Bob Marley vocal.
Half hardcore screamer and half jungle bassbin destructor, this thing needs no introduction on account of it still getting smashed out regularly over 30 years later.
That stepping bass was probably one of the first to really step away from the traditional reggae bassline that occupied all eight beats over two bars, instead occupying just four, leaving the last four beats vacant just to spin your head out.
Much like Bukem with Demon's Theme, Trace was on a completely different level with this one. There is no hint of the hardcore madness that littered the UK's record shop in 1992 on this sublime creation.
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