Despite It’s close(ish) proximity to the UK France hasn’t always been the first country that springs to mind when talking about Jungle Drum & Bass.
But it’s no surprise that a country that has a rich history in both Electronic Music and Hip-Hop could also get into Jungle Drum & Bass, so we got the lowdown from some of our favourite French Jungle Drum & Bass heads.
Saji Tari
Tell us about your crew: Forever DNB.
I joined Forever DNB when I was about 19 years old, in 2015. At the time the DNB offered in Paris was very much centred around Dutch/Belgian Neurofunk and Jump-Up, which was great for nights out but not really what I was deeply into, as I was born in the UK and grew up with British music. Once, I walked into the Rex Club for a Forever DNB night with dBridge and Jubei on the bill, met Elisa Do Brasil shortly after and was immediately put in charge of artist handling because I spoke good English and knew my Drum & Bass history.
I spent around 8 years evolving with Elisa and the crew. We booked all the acts I could ever dream of, Marcus Intalex, LTJ Bukem, DJ Hype, MC GQ, Fixate, Breakage, Coco Bryce and the list goes on. We travelled together a lot, to festivals, gigs, and London events, it really was a beautiful family, with its share of drama and formative experiences.
We pushed Forever DNB to its 10 years anniversary and took a break from there; everybody was evolving into different directions, both musically and professionally. One part of the crew now runs a soundsystem, some others created a fitness/bass music course, Elisa and I went on to launch Tides, another night more focused on Jungle music. I founded a free party collective, Basalte, with some other Parisian bass music activists, notably Agôn from Few Tips to Heal / Trajectoire, and Fluidmatter from SeekSickSound. I grew up after the big jungle rave days, so this experience really made me reconnect with the roots of the music; the thrill of putting on these events, doing everything ourselves without dealing with the rules and fees of the industry, playing tunes that wouldn’t really fit in the club space, and building a community that doesn’t pay a ticket to see this or that act, but to be part of a community.
What have been your three most memorable DJing moments?
I’ve always been digging A LOT. I think my favourite thing as a DJ is to cook a set around a genre that isn’t necessarily known or expected by the crowd, and to manage to take them on the journey. My first experience doing this was with Relief in Toulouse, ages ago, for Outlines. We did a House / Breakbeat warmup, at like 2PM on a day event, and everybody around us, us included, was deep and strictly into DNB at the time. I managed to roll out a set of straight 120/130bpm, getting people in the vibe, digging tunes specifically for this one off idea, it really shaped the way I think about DJing.
Fast forward to 2024/2025, I played 3 gigs that will probably stay with me for a long time.
The first one was in August, 2024 for Spirits Festival in the Alps, run by Darkside Events. They’re good friends, and they run events that focus more on Hardtek / Techno sounds, but the organisers really love their bass music. They booked me and my best mate Noam for an afternoon set on a massive soundsystem near the festival’s car park. We drove about 10 hours each way to play the gig, and played the most stupid festival bangers from UKG to Jungletekno in the burning sun. It was great fun, packed and you could really tell the crowd had never heard any of it and loved it!
Early April, we did our biggest Tides night to date, with Sully and Von D on the lineup. I was playing B2B with Cinna, a long-time activist of the Paris scene, and we decided to play a 140bpm set. Selection went from garage to dubstep with added bits of acid techno-y stuff. It was at Badaboum, which is a really, really nice venue in Paris. I hadn’t experienced playing energetic 140 stuff before, but it’s something I love when I go to parties. Being on that end of the booth felt unreal. The lights, the sound, the crowd reaction, everything felt like a dream.
Last but not least, our last Basalte happened in an abandoned tunnel in Paris. Super dusty place. I was closing, which I usually never do, and went for a very trippy set. I’ve always dreamt of playing some psychedelic jungle bits from labels such as Western Lore. I was working at the bar, and as the night went on I could see people starting to go home as it was getting late. I got a little anxious that my weird set wouldn’t fit the vibe / that the dancefloor would be empty, turns out it went great. I played tunes I never thought I could roll out anywhere, the audience reacted amazingly, and I finished the night on Lenny Dee Ice’s We Are IE (Caspa & Rusko Remix). I think selection wise it’s the best set I ever played.
What drew you to play Jungle Drum & Bass?
I got into Bass music when I was a young teen, mostly dubstep, basically influenced by a mix between Skins, UKF/DNBArena and a taste for percussions and jazz. When I started going out to raves, it was around the time where brostep / US dubstep took over, and I didn’t really identify with the music I was hearing in clubs. So bit by bit I shifted towards DNB. Through some digging with high school friends, I got into the more old school / soulful Drum’n’Bass side, everything from Metalheadz to V Recordings, and some more niche stuff like Ingredients Records, Defunked Records, Soul:R, or on a more experimental end Exit Records, and Astrophonica, the deeper, progressive, and soulful stuff. With Elisa, we pushed this as much as we could, that and the more recent deep/minimal Drum’n’Bass, but we got to a point where the music stagnated a little in our opinion. I somehow ended up at Rupture in London, honestly the best jungle night I could ever recommend. Shifted my life again; I got deep into Jungle and Jungletekno, and it happened quite simultaneously with the popularity and boom of names such as Mantra and Double O, Coco Bryce, and Tim Reaper. I think my attraction to the genre always comes down to a specific tune, a vibe, that I felt on some dancefloors and it carried on for a few years after. My last big musical shock was seeing Chris Liberator last summer in Rachdingue, a crazy venue in Catalonia, and it definitely flavoured my sets with much more Hardcore / Acid techno influences. Ultimately, these experiences made me realise how all those genres connect at some point in samples, synths and history. It’s a fun journey.
Find Saji Tari on: Instagram
ELISA DO BRASIL
Give us the debrief on your label, Vahana Records:
I grew up in a house full of vinyl. There is something fascinating about the object, the care for it, the smell, taking it out of the cover. The search for the visual identity to express visually the musical emotion. Independent labels have always been the foundation of alternative music. A label is a statement, a commitment for a culture. As an artist, getting music released is a reward for hard work. Drum & Bass labels and label owners are the messengers, the guardians of a culture, the talent diggers.
They advise, choose and create their own mark in the huge diversity of our music. There is something very stimulating and beautiful, between a family, a team.
I have a great admiration for people like Dbridge and Bryan Gee for their vision, identity, and loyalty. Being able to make an imprint supporting artists with harmony where every individuality is recognisable.
I dedicated my life to this music. After touring and promoting for so many years it was time to carry my own vision of our music, helping and advising producers that have the same tastes, loyalty and vision. As a family, in the studio, on stage, on the dance floor.
Vahana is a sanskrit word that means carriage. Because Drum & Bass is what carries us. Almost 10 years ago, I met Bobby, a french producer. We decided to join forces to shape a common sound. We have very different tastes and musical universes. Our idea is being able to push all kinds of DNB, from his neuro to my rollers and amens.
Tell us about Tides Paris:
Promoting has always been a huge part of my life. I started raving and DJ’ing in the late 90’s, almost 30 years ago. At that time, Drum’n’Bass was not very popular in France. I am part of the do it yourself generation. In my teenage days it was all about making illegal raves and being the only one to play Drum & Bass.
I quickly started the Massive nights at Rex Club, creating a space in the electronic music horizon. With the D.B.UNIT nights I learned to work with a crew, mixing Hip Hop and Drum’n’Bass. After a few years break from promoting I came back to the Rex club with the FOREVER DNB nights, the most passionate moment in my music journey. With a whole crew, and a different identity, we promoted music we believed in, influenced by pioneers and deeper sounds. We took a lot of risks and danced to music we believed in.
After 10 years I felt the need to create something new, with Saji Tari. In times like this, where DNB is becoming very popular, very metallic, and commercial, we felt the need to come back to smaller venues, with no need of raising arms for a video or playing an act. We wanted to listen to what we liked. We wanted something closer to the roots of the movement, to the sound system culture, dedicated to Jungle. It is also a transmission moment, educating and giving the younger generation a chance to experience the same sensibilities.
I have two radio shows, on Rinse France ( Follow the tides) and Tsugi radio (Low tides). Young collectives and producers with the same artistic sensibility get a little platform to express themselves.. TIDES… IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SOUND!
What are some goals or dreams that you haven’t accomplished yet, but would like to?
I have so many. I have different kinds of goals. The first one would be to be constant, be able to work enough while keeping my creativity on the decks and keep on falling in love with music. I want to be more confident and make the right choices to be where I feel happy and aligned with my values and tastes. Like every Drum & Bass DJ I would like to play in the UK, my ultimate dream is to play in Australia, see koalas and try to take waves.
I want to keep on playing next to the sun and ocean all over the world, bringing my sound everywhere till I’m too old to do it.
Of course, be able to produce the perfect track, or many. I want to join all my influences with my own touch, learn to go through all the process balancing the ups and downs and the energy. Being supported to be able to focus on the priorities.
It is a long journey, it’s not always easy, but definitely worth it!
Find Vahana Records on: Instagram, Linktree
Redeyes
Tell us about Five Alley Records.
Five Alley was launched in September 2021, the label is co-managed by Tom, Eva, Queenie and myself. Before being a label, it is above all a collective experience where unity, teamwork, skills, and the passion of each person come together to build something collectively. It is not a question of success or victory that counts, but of journeys, struggles, and collective creations. Our slogan is “soulful music for social justice”, we donate 20% of the profits to an association chosen by us or the artist involved in the release. We have been fortunate to have renowned artists such as DRS, Lenzman, Fox, Monty, Trail and Tokyo Prose on the label, we try to find emerging artists who share our values, and try to offer musical releases with varied tempos while keeping the soulful spirit and tone.
What are 3 moments that have been the most pivotal in your musical career?
It’s hard to choose 3, but I would think first of all being signed to DJ Zinc’s label, Bingo Records in 2006. At that time, the label was prolific, with releases from Shy Fx, Total Science, Calibre, Zinc, etc. I had a lot of artistic freedom and the Pusherman release was played by everyone from Laurent Garnier to Roni Size, Bonobo, Gilles Peterson, Fabio or DJ Marky. I had a lot of other good releases at that time, like Creative Source or Innerground, but being able to work with Zinc helped me grow as an artist. Then I think about my collaboration with Lenzman. He was the first to approach me and motivate me after taking a step back from music following the birth of my children in 2010. Following this break, I worked for two or three years on the Vandal Records label with my friend SKS. I really enjoyed it, but I felt that musically I wasn’t quite in my place. Lenzman’s launch of The North Quarter allowed me to find the home I’d never had before with my music, and our close collaboration has helped me progress enormously musically.
Finally, I would say creating a label, Five Alley. I started as a DJ, in clubs, on the radio, then I became a producer, with dozens and dozens of releases. Creating a label is like finding the last piece of the puzzle; it perfectly and complemented everything I love to do with music.
Tell us about some of your passions outside of music.
Music is much more than a passion in my eyes; it’s as essential as the air we breathe, or eating or drinking water. It’s always there with me. Different styles depend on my mood, desires, and needs. Music is magical and can move you, change your mood, give you chills, or make you cry, scream, and dance, so there isn’t much space in my life that doesn’t revolve around music, but there are still two or three other things.
I like team sports, like football or basketball, which bring together certain values, like in Five Alley, where individuals add up to form a whole, and where there are artists, like in music, who make things beautiful and unreal. I am also passionate about cinema, I grew up in my father’s video store and spent my Wednesdays and Saturdays watching tons of movies in the 80s, 90s, and especially movies that were definitely not my age. I also like cooking, it’s as creative as music, with a more organic side because you directly touch the materials, and the process is similar to composing a song, you take several different elements, you mix them, and with one or two hours of work you get something unique, and if possible good.
Find Redeyes on: Instagram, Soundcloud, Bandcamp
Visages
How did all of you come together to create Visages?
It’s just a story of friendship, we’ve known each other for a few years now, and during an afterparty we thought it would be fun to make music together and start a project together.
Has French culture influenced your production?
Let’s be honest, we were much more influenced by UK culture, but when it comes to French culture, the art of sampling in hip hop and electronic music really inspired us, DJ Mehdi, Daft Punk, Justice, and 113.
What we can expect from Visages in 2025/2026?
Nothing is planned yet, but we’re working on upcoming projects with 1985 Music, we can’t say more for now.
Find Visages on Instagram, Linktree
Trail
What drew you Jungle Drum & Bass?
I’ve been producing Drum & Bass for about 10 years now. I started releasing music under the alias Trail in 2014. Like many people from my generation, I first discovered bass music through the American dubstep wave around 2012, artists like Skrillex, Kill The Noise, and Feed Me, back when I was in high school. I was drawn to the raw, extreme energy of that sound, especially since I was mostly listening to metal and hard rock at the time
A little later, while digging through some CDs at the local media library in Toulouse to rip onto my iTunes, I came across the FabricLive mixes by Kasra and Calibre. I instantly fell in love with that deeper, more refined vibe. To this day, I still feel a strong connection to the minimal Drum & Bass sound from the early 2010’s.
How did your EP on 1985 come together?
I’ve been a huge fan of Alix Perez’s music for a long time. Some of his tracks have had a deep influence on the way I approach Drum & Bass. When he launched 1985 Music, I immediately knew it was a label I wanted to be part of.
Eventually, my good friend Monty started releasing his music on 1985 and he introduced both me and my work to Alix. I began sending him demos on a regular basis, and after a while, Alix picked up a couple of tracks for some VA projects. Later on, he asked if I’d be interested in doing a 4-track EP, of course, I said yes without hesitation.
Now I’m about to release my third EP on the label, and I couldn’t be happier to be part of such a talented and inspiring team.
If you could collaborate with any 3 Jungle Drum & Bass producers, who would they be and why?
It’s really hard to pick just three, there are so many outstanding producers out there!
First, I’d say Skeptical. He’s been one of my favorite producers ever since I started making Drum & Bass. His sense of groove and the unique atmosphere he creates in his tracks have always fascinated me. He’s definitely a big influence on my sound and on top of that, he’s just a lovely, joyful, and humble person.
Then, I’d love to do a collab with Machinedrum. He’s such a versatile and creative artist. I really enjoyed some of his recent Drum & Bass tracks, they blend soulful hip-hop vibes with a lot of other influences in a really fresh and interesting way.
Finally, I’d say Molecular. In my opinion, he has some of the best drums in the game right now, along with some seriously nasty bass design. We’ve actually been talking about making something together for a while, so hopefully it’ll happen soon!
Find Trail on Instagram, Linktree
FTL
Tell us about your first vinyl release.
It was pretty exciting! Back in 2020, I was contacted by a label called Further Electronix (runned by Anil Lal). I only had a few tracks on my soundcloud and was just discovering the jungle scene. He said he was interested in releasing one of my tracks on his sublabel, Beyond Electronix. I was really happy back then, I was not expecting a label to be interested in my tracks, even less in putting it on vinyl.
From a mixing perspective, I think purists would not like the tracks haha, they sound harsh, have muddy bass, and are not well balanced. They still sound heavy to me to this day, I achieved a vibe despite having little knowledge in sound engineering.
Take us through your process of putting together a track.
I like to get inspired by sounds from other artists, and then try to develop ideas to create a track. Some days it feels like fishing, to rephrase David Lynch’s process of getting ideas, you spend hours trying to catch something, and you end up stuck in the same loop. Sometimes you get lucky and get inspired enough to put together most of a track in a day.
I usually start with a melody and then I try to build things around it. Other times, I try to get the bass and drums as good as I can and then I start to make an arrangement. Recently I’ve been trying to reproduce the production process from tracks that I’m proud of. It’s important to get the groove and the tension well, it’s what makes people dance. Also the arrangement is crucial.
What’s next for FTL in terms of releases, gigs, etc?
In terms of releases, I have an EP in preparation on Andy Foundation’s label called Foundation Series, which focuses on the darkside/hardcore jungle style. I also have a 4 track unreleased EP that was canceled because the label went broke, so I was planning to release it on my Bandcamp pretty soon.
Otherwise, I’ve been digging more 140 BPM stuff recently, like UKG, speed garage, bass etc. I’ve already released a Speed Garage EP on my Bandcamp and might have other tracks that could be put together as an EP, so stay tuned!
Find FTL on Bandcamp
Skwig
Please tell our readers about your label, Trajectoire Music:
Trajectoire (French for Trajectory) is our Parisian label venture comprising some of the most talented yet slept-on people in our small but thriving Parisian Bass Music scene. The crew came along as a kind of side project to our different endeavours, shouts to Egregore Collective and Exploration Music for paving the way, but soon started to come into focus during the last year with the release of out first compilation “Trajectoire Volume 1”, with 8 tracks from the whole gang. We then released Jumboclat’s “April May June EP”, a 3-tracker exploring leftfield jungle vibes and FTL’s “Still Dreaming” in a more oldskool sci-fi mood. Our latest release is another 3-tracker from Qant and myself that we spent quite a long time on, exploring faster shades of Jungle & Drum’n’Bass and revealing our duo project: Dead Threads.
Our parties aim to be inclusive spaces, with custom made sound systems and a diverse line-up of quality music, but also more casual bar events that serve as crew meetups and dubplate auditing sessions!
Make sure to watch closely as we unveil our next release during the next year, with music from Mambo Kahn and stuckinwaveforms.
This will be a tough one, but give us 5 of your top tunes of all time:
Squarepusher – Venus No.17 [acid mix] [warp 2004]
Every time I’m laying down breaks for a new tune, I have some variation of Jenkinson’s frenetic chops in mind. This one’s a favorite of mine, exploring mental amen chops with slices of braindance acid, and a truly beautiful ending.
Amen Andrews – Intelligent [Rephlex 2006]
Luke Vibert’s output is as prolific as it is diverse, and his Jungle work is what introduced me to the joys of samplism. While the album is not pioneering work, it’s just straight up brutal jungle fun in the form that I enjoy the most. Any track from the album would work but this one’s my pick.
Nulpar – Can’t See [Exploration Music 2015]
This one’s a Paris DNB classic from my good friend Jumboclat, fka Nulpar, on a very emotional halftime tip, perfect for closing up an intense 170+ set. Pointillistic but bouncy, played it a million times to great effect!
Hrvatski – Routine Exercise [Reckankreuzungsklankewerkzeuge 2000]
This is the more breakcore-esque of my picks, but I swear you’ve never heard this kind of Amen Break obliteration on top of the most unhinged 1940’s orchestral badness. A personal classic for sure.
ASC – Hostile Intent [Samurai Music 2020]
The return to form of a modern king: ASC’s jungle run from 2020 since today has been absolutely stellar, any release would do but the bassline on this one just gets me. His latest output on Spatial has been extremely enjoyable in the 160 ambient realm!
How is the french Jungle & Drum & Bass scene at the moment?
Paris has always been a rough turf for Jungle, and UK Bass music in general, but these days I see more and more Parisian DJs throwing the odd jungle tune into the end of more 4×4 centric sets. With Drum & Bass having a field day in charts everywhere lately, and younger generations generally enjoying faster music than the previous ones, I have seen clubs pop off to massive amen rollers with great pleasure in the last few months!
Also I must shout out the handful of crews that have built their own systems with the aim of playing Bass Music: TaBass Sound System, Rhizome Sound System, and Tweak Sound System.
Find Skwig on Instagram, Linktree
Qant
Tell us about Dead Threads:
Dead Threads is our duo project with fellow Parisian musician and engineer Skwig. It started with us collaborating on what became our first EP together, released on our label Trajectoire, and quickly we started discussing a possible live act which is now the main focus of the project. We currently play a set of about an hour length which, while being heavily focused on breakbeat centric music, explores the whole spectrum of bass music from grime and dubstep to jungle and techstep. Our goal is to record some of the tracks from the current version of the set, and also expand on it with newer tracks for our future performances. We’re using synths, drum samplers and analog effects which allows us to have a bit of leeway when it comes to jamming while still having a backbone and a proper tracklist to follow during the set.
Give us some insight into the Egregore Collective:
The idea between Egregore Collective stems from the need for a platform for the alternative music scenes in Toulouse, which is a city with a very rich history when it comes to its underground subcultures, but lacks clubs and proper venues for artists to showcase their talents. It all started with a webradio, that still runs today, with both residencies and one-off shows, broadcasted from our studio in the heart of the city, which serves as a gathering point for many DJs and crews. Two years after the inception of the project we expanded with a label, which I curate with Kaval and Stacktrace, mainly focused on our love for UK bass music, and we also organize events when we get the opportunity.
From a production standpoint, what can listeners expect to hear from you in 2025, going into 2026:
My main focus has been audio engineering and also working on the live set for Dead Threads, hence a bit of a slower year when it comes to releases, I am currently putting the finishing touches to a D’n’B EP which I’m planning to self release later this summer, and I’m currently writing some lower tempo music, mostly UK Garage and some wonkier type of 130 bpm bass music. A jungle track which I produced 3 years ago and was in limbo with a label that I love has finally been greenlit to be put on a record, so I am super excited for this, no date confirmed as of yet. Finally, I’ve been slowly building a collection of rare drum breaks from obscure funk records to try and make some jungle with them, I reckon these tracks will probably see the light of day in 2026 though.
