Back catalogue: Drum And Bass/Jungle

Review: NY breakbeat craftsman 88 Katanas gets explorative on Silent Force with four outstanding jungle adventures. The brilliantly titled 'The Standard Of The Archipelago' ignites the EP with a brisk drumfunk type of flavour that's comparable to Seba. From there we move inland to brutalist terrains... 'Radiant Energy' is a halftime march through thick swamps and woodland, and 'Bit Rot' takes us onto elevated fields where the air is fresher but the ground is very slippery underfoot. 'Subconscious Emotions', meanwhile, takes us back to a much calmer shore where a good looking ship awaits for voyage home.

Review: Last spotted raising hell and taking names with Jon 1st on Defrostatica, Arcane (who is also known as one half of the more mainstream-sounding d&b act Kleu) goes full nelson on the breaks with these two choppy choppy bangers on Foxy Jangle. Both cuts focussing on the drums, subs, samples and FX, these are fully timeless trips and sculpted strictly for the heads. Great for losing yourself inside at 3am and even better to mix. Just like concrete.

Review: Warsaw producer Kampinos delivers a knockout trio of tunes for GAMM here that collide soulful drum & bass with deep musical roots. The standout opener is 'Good Looking Pepe,' which flips Pepe Bradock's seminal house love-in 'Deep Burnt' into a lush, jazzy roller a la LTJ Bukem. On the B-side, 'Joi' explodes with gospel fervour and raw amen breaks to make for an irresistible jungle anthem built for dancefloor uplift. Rounding things off, Kampinos offers a rich, emotive refix of Little Simz's 'See You Glow' which is both warm and intense. This is rather unexpected yet effective outing for GAMM with a fine mix of soul and roughness.

Review: Priori's 'Pareidolia' EP proved a big hit so it makes sense that the Midgar label now drops a selection of remixes of it. The hi-fidelity master Forest Drive West delivers two remixes, including one mesmerising half-time twist up of 'Hazard' and a more slow, wonderfully murky techno workout. Montreal's Maara transforms 'Memory Palace' into a dub techno delight that will have you floating above the floor while Notte Infinita adds a seductive drum & bass vibe to the title track. Last but not least, Amsterdam's Upsammy brings a typically innovative and playful touch that makes 'Glass Shards' a lively rhythmic workout.

Review: Zinc was a busy busy boy in the 90s. Especially those foundation years. His work with Hype and Bizzy B around this time was legendary but besides his UKG moniker Jammin' years later, less is spoken of his various aliases. Jack Ruby had a cool run of cuts in 94 and 96 including this almighty slab of breakbeat drama 'Ophelia'. Big pads and a breath-taking arrangement. It's your quintessential deep or atmospheric jungle cut that has all the hallmarks of a Good Lookin jam. 'Beyond Reality' (which came out in 95 under his Tyranny alias) follows a similar sweeping sense of triumph but a little jazzier and cooler in its roll-out. Timeless.

Review: Shadow Child mints his new label TBC with a rave-ready release that taps into playful jungle influences with driving club rhythms that are likely to go down a storm over summer and beyond. Early support from heavyweights like Scuba, Horse Meat Disco and Gerd Janson mean you may have already heard some of these jams and also hint at the EP's broad appeal. Standout tracks are, well, all of them. 'The Street' is a nimble stepper with pruning basslines, 'In My Dreams' is a percussive fenny with another brilliantly old school low end, and an untitled gem brings rave-ready pianos and old school energy. 'Bubble' flips the script with a rugged bass-driven house workout.

Review: Rave friends Shadow Child and DJ Haus link up for more Rhythm Forces and the results are double edged sword; 'Mystik Vortex' is a straight up 3am junglistic nug that's more cosmic than the contents of a wizard's pocket after a night out on the astrals. '3030 In The Mist' brings us back down to earth with slow and stately breaks and atmospheric washes so startling and refreshing you'll feel like you'll never get dry again. Maybe you won't? The force is that strong on these ones!

Review: South Korea junglists representing! Following a series of more house / beatsy focused missives, Sambo up the tempo for this Seoul breakbeat showdown. Local donnies Slowpoe and Kim Han get busy on 'Soju Skanking'. Big reggae licks and a sing-along chorus (even if you can't speak Korean), this is a warm-as-toast weapon ready for the summer. Setting the energy for the EP, the rest of the 12" stretches its legs in all directions; 'Groover Han' takes a deeper twist before more associate breakers join the fray... Noah1luv deconstructs the funky beat on the rock-inspired/early 90s inspired 'Def Leppard', SGSY remixes his jungle band Kom Agens into a super warm lick while DJ Funny lays down the real head-turner of the EP in the form of the heavily emotional 'Hot N Cold' before Yetsuby brings the EP to a dreamy-but-skatty close. Sweet.

Review: NRG 4 is the latest instalment in drummer and producer Chiminyo's boundary-pushing series and it captures the raw improvisational spirit of London's jazz-adjacent underground.The album is a communal outpouring of pure energy that was recorded live at the iconic Ronnie Scott's with no rules, no scripts, just spontaneous creativity and featuring a powerhouse ensemble including James Akers, Marysia Osu, Daniel Casimir, Lyle Barton and Tile Gichigi-Lipere. The set moves between frenzied burners like 'Levitate' and serene pieces like 'Sonder.' With surprise guests like BAELY and Regis Molina, NRG 4 is a genre-defying celebration of live collaboration and musical intuition that's electric, ephemeral and deeply alive.

Review: The late great Cosmic AC's vast catalogue again yields some posthumous treasure with part two of the For Now album. It's another record that is as sophisticated as it is adventures with plenty of painstakingly crafted but effortless smooth breakbeats on 'Larvy' topped with pensive synths. Elsewhere there are logic-defying rhythm structures on 'Snood', hooky synth shimmers and more raw textures on 'Wisconsin Desert' and jazzy, cosmic motifs on the wonderful 'Setting Sun'. This is a high-class mini-album full of next-level sound designs and turbo-brain drum patterns. It makes for a compelling listen wherever you may be.

Review: Bristol's Technical Itch returns with a long-awaited full-length on Over/Shadow and it serves up a relentless dose of darkside energy hot on the heels of the 2024 prelude single 'Fear & Fantasy. Here, Mark Caro dives deep into his signature sound which is a blend of moody steppers, cinematic dread and brutal amen workouts. It's everything fans have come to expect from the master of atmospheric darkness, all wrapped in precision engineering and raw intensity. With nods to techstep and futuristic jungle alike, this is Technical Itch at his uncompromising best and a heavy, immersive odyssey through the darker corners of drum & bass.

Review: There are basically two types of anniversary compilations: the humble retrospective, packed with classics and significant musical moments from the past, and collections of all-new music that showcase where an imprint is at right now. Predictably, Planet My founder Mike Paradinas AKA U-Ziq has chosen the latter option to mark the occasion of his legendary experimental label's 30th birthday. There's naturally plenty to get the blood pumping and the synapses snapping across the 25 tracks on show, from the skittish IDM of Jlin ('B12'), mutant future-boogie of Venetian Snares ('Drums') and hard-to-pigeonhole excellence of Falty DL ('Usually I'm Cautious'), to the chopped-and-screwed r&b of Bae Bae ('Living In The Memory'), Nik Colk Void's industrial gunk ('A Tough Design (demo)'), the glassy-eyed D&B/ambient techno of Xylitol ('Nevada') and the sample-rich instrumental hip-hop hedonism of Luke Vibert ('Bullet Drop').

Review:  Halogenix's label levels up in a major way here as he invites a whole troupe of talents over to Gemini Gemini for some heavyweight underground bubblers, bangers and bliss-outs. Those on the hunt for dreamy deep cuts should head for Fonts introspective stepper 'L.U.V', Azotix's 'Back Seat' and 'Monty & Indira May's 'The Motion' while those looking for something a lot darker and meaner will be all over the pure growlage of Koherent's 'Mercurial' and Quartz's thundering 'Strike Anywhere'. Complete with tracks from the likes of Zar and Verbz, Satl & Styke and En:vy, this is a very promising series from one of d&b's most authentic and consistent operatives. Resplendent in its white splattered vinyl. Join the club.

Review: Soul Jazz Records marks the 18th anniversary of this seminal album with a stunning limited-edition red vinyl reissue for Record Store Day 2025. Fully remastered and expanded with new tracks, the compilation dives deep into the early '90s roots of jungle, ragga and drum & bass and coms on strong from the off with enre-defining anthems like General Levy's 'Incredible,' Cutty Ranks' 'Limb By Limb' and Congo Natty's take on 'Under Me Sensi'. They all make it a high-energy trip through a revolutionary moment in UK music and this version comes with extensive liner notes, interviews and rare photos making it both a crucial historical document and an essential listen.