3.Nasty Habits – Shadow Boxing.
Not released until the end of the year but included early in this list to show the progression the music has made with regards to the breaks dropping out. Coming in at 8 minutes, this absolute heavyweight destroyed everything in its path and is highly regarded as a classic in the genre. Only techno could get away with 8 minutes, and the journey ethos of purist techno carried through into the tech step movement with devastating effect. Baaad!
4.Adam F – Metropolis.
Yikes. Another absolutely stone cold classic from this iconic year for drum and bass. Ther anticipation this creates is second to none. Making us wait for more than half of the tune until the thing kicks is is bordering on cruelty. This thing is the epitome of tech step as a genre. And still kicks ass now.
5.Peshay – Predator
While as mentioned, the defining element of techstep was the breakbeats fading away, their was, is and always has been certain camps and producers within those camps that refused to let go of what became known as 'amen pressure', That is, the intense manipulation of sampled break ala golden era jungle. The tempo and elemntal style of tech step didn't really allow for the same feel or texture of jungle drums, and so tech step fostered its own unique style of breakbeat manipulation, and Peshay was undisputedly one of the worlds finest in this area. One can only guess at the amount of studio hours spent on this monstrous piece of work, but it must have been A LOT! OOSH!
6.Shimon & Andy C – Quest
Straddling the line between jungle and drum and bass, and with elements of both in full play, this shook raves apart with its undulating bassline. It was great fun to dance to as well. Excellent.
7.Mickey Finn And Aphrodite – Bad Ass !
I swear this was made with the sample of somebody bashing a steel dustbin lid. Anyway, while not particularly tech step in composition, it definitely wasn't jungle either, and that mental bassline transposing across just about all of the octaves possible really made it one of the most enjoyable tunes to dance to. Ever. An absolute must when talking about 1996 drum and bass.
8.DJ Hype Featuring MC Fats – Peace Love & Unity
Woooooooi. That bassline though. Still with one firmly in the jungle movement, this absolute belter from one of the scenes most influential and longest standing producers, not to mention the dulcet tones of the late, great MC Fats, makes this just awesome on every level. And that Reese bass just drawing you in too. Supreme.
9.DJ Zinc – Reach Out
Staying with the True Playaz label and still riding on the cusp of the jungle/tech step crossover. DJ Zinc was responsible for some of the biggest tunes of the late 90's and this is no exception. Absolutely rough, tough and dangerous.
10. DJ Zinc - On Fire Tonight
Another absolute masterpiece fro, Zinc. This was a definite pure jungle ('95) overhang, but got absolutely cained during 1996. And it was another one caught up in the US hip hop sampling craze, and carries the sound that Ganja Records became famous for. A BELTER!
11.Tribe Of Issachar Feat. Peter Bouncer – Junglist
We firt met the Rebel MC way back in 1988 where he was already at the forefront of breakbeat usage, and he's popped up several times sine, but THIS! This was and still is and likely always will be THE junglist anthem. If you identify as being a junglist (and we do), then this is the one. This is to junglists what the Skinhead Moonstomp is to golden era ('67-'69) Skinheads. There weren't many tunes that could get an entire crowd singing i unison at a rave, but this was one of them. OUR ANTHEM.
12.Shy FX - Funkindemup (DJ Krust RMX)
Yush! Jump up jungle absolutely tearing your guts out. As stated previously, jungle was still a massive part of 1996 and with bangers like this being cut to wax, there was no chance of it fading out completely. A superb example of that wonky bass so prevalent during '96.
13.DJ Krust - Angles. Krust
A pioneer with a different standpoint and a totally unique sound. This is an absolute standout track from '96 because while the drums are steppy junglism, the bassline is crafted in a way that runs through several octaves, alongside those jazzy brass toots. This is 20th century digital jazz funk. Nobody did it like Krust either.
14.Amazon II – King Of The Beats
Aphrodite in his many forms was one of the leading exponents of the hip hop/jungle fusion that epitomised the early part of the year. He also had a natural flair for ridiculously impactful basslines. This one tore raves apart and that twisted Reese still sounds amazing on a big rig. A pioneer of the movement.
15.Fugees - ?ugees Or Not?
Undoubtedly one of the BIGGEST tunes of 1996, this thing is just relentless. A true jungle/hip hop crossover classic and that bassline that you could seriously brock out to, there is no wonder this was played so relentlessly during this pinnacle year. The absolute definition of jump up jungle. Brilliant.
16.MA3 - Those DJ's.
DJ SS was one of the leading figures in jungle and drum and bass, working under many aliases and really creating tunes that not only defined those eras, but shaped them too. This absolute monster shows how much he'd moved on from the Limb By Limb sounds of the previous year, and how the entire scene had moved on too. The change was dramatic to say the least. BOOM!
17.Tekniq - The Riot
