Cultural exchange across the Baltic sea has been happening for centuries, and it still is today… in the form of Jungle Drum & Bass
Tucked away in Northern Europe, Estonia is an unassuming home for the UK sound. We get the lowdown on Estonia JD&B from some of the sound’s proponents in this Baltic outpost for the sound.
L Eazy
Please tell our All Crews audience about the Jungle Drum & Bass scene in Estonia:
The Drum & Bass scene in Estonia is currently quite solid. There’s a good variety of events happening across different venues and clubs where this music is being played. We have a solid community of active producers and DJ’s, not only from the older generation, but also a new wave of young talents emerging.
At the same time, there’s been a slight decline in the success of smaller events, the more intimate 300–400 capacity venues and parties that also often host international artists and cater to a less mainstream crowd. These kinds of events don’t seem to be working as well anymore, unfortunately. One reason is economic, inflation is high, and people need to be more selective with their spending. Another important reason is that people’s habits have changed, especially among the younger generation. There are simply many more events happening now, so attendees have a wider choice and don’t go to as many parties as before. This trend isn’t unique to Tallinn or Estonia, similar tendencies can be observed in other cities across Europe as well.
What do you listen for in tunes to play in your DJ sets?
When I put together a DJ set, I usually approach it from two different angles. One is for radio, I co-host a weekly show called Tjuun In every Friday on Raadio 2, together with To-Sha and QBA and the other is for club sets.
On the radio, I have the freedom to play tracks that are more for listening, deeper, more emotional, or experimental sounds. In club settings, I tend to gravitate towards tracks that are more danceable, not necessarily “dance tracks” in the conventional sense, but tunes that work well in a dancefloor context.
In general, I focus on the composition and structure of the track, the harmony, the arrangement, and definitely the quality of the production. If there’s something unique or creatively done, a clever production detail or a distinctive sound, that always stands out to me. Since I play a lot of liquid drum and bass, the emotional content and harmonic richness are especially important. With other subgenres, I’m more drawn to the energy a track brings, how it fills the space and resonates with the crowd.
What are some elements that you think make a great DJ?
In my opinion, the number one thing is that a DJ must love music. Secondly, they need to be musical. That combination is essential.
Maybe I’m a bit of an old-school DJ, but I really value sets where the DJ tells a story. Where they take the listener on a journey. I’m not so into sets that are just high-energy bangers from start to finish. I understand that style, and it can definitely have its place, but for me, a truly great set has a narrative, a structure, and dynamic variation.
When you hear a really well-constructed set with a sense of flow and development, you can feel the difference. It reaches people in a different way. I think that’s what makes a great DJ, someone who loves music, understands it deeply, and can create a meaningful and varied experience through their selection and mixing.
Find L Eazy on: Facebook, Instagram, Radio
MIA
Tell us about Cabaret Volta:
Cabaret Volta is a creative space located in an old warehouse in this old industrial part of Tallinn called the Volta factory that has been around since the year 1900. When my father originally rented it as a space to renovate a military car in 2020 it was apparent that gentrification would soon take over the area. We were already in love with the place and couldn’t bear to let it go so we bought it. Fast forward 5 years, everything else around us has been demolished and there are fancy apartment buildings everywhere. My dad has rescued as many of the old factory machines as we can fit. As a creative space Cabaret Volta provides a place for artists who don’t really fit in to perform elsewhere (hence the name, inspired by Cabaret Voltaire). We mostly hold experimental electronic music concerts but also art residencies, punk shows, workshops and so on. It is a really organic process, I am the one running it but I feel like actually I’m just doing the communications part and some other boring things, the biggest part of Cabaret Volta just kind of happens thanks to the combination of cool people and an inspiring space.
How did you get into DJing?
My first DJ set was on my 17th birthday in 2021. I dug out some dance tracks, partly from my dad’s ancient laptop that had Astral Projection and other trance-ey CD rips on it from when he threw parties with his friends in the late 90s. I recorded the set and decided to send the recording to an open call for playing at a quite prominent party here called “Labürint” (Labyrinth). I didn’t think I would get accepted but I was. At the time of the party I was even supposed to actually be on a family trip to Spain but decided to not go and play instead. It caused a temporary family disagreement but it is safe to say this decision changed my life. And so I played at club 9/11 (named after the address of the club), prime time at 17 and it went super well. Fanu was headlining that night on the main stage but my parents didn’t allow me to go partying so I just did my set and left. The organizers of Labürint, Arvid and Elvis, became very close friends of mine and they were the ones who introduced me to the Estonian underground scene where I found Jungle music. We have now discussed many times why I was chosen to play that first time and they always say that it was audible that I had never been to a club, I wasn’t affected by what was trendy or what DJs “had to do”, it was just me and music. So send that demo!.. You never know what will happen, the people in the music scene are so passionate that it really is magic.
How has Jungle Drum & Bass enhanced your life and love for music?
Greatly. Sometimes when I hear a good jungle tune I almost start crying of happiness over the fact that this genre exists and that there is such a community of people that care. In 2024 I moved to The Netherlands for three months with little to no prior connections to the country. It was mainly because my boyfriend at the time got an internship at PRSPCT and I got an internship at Radio WORM. Through PRSPCT I met the kindest Armando aka Lightningcore, the photographer of Cheeky Monday, who took me there and introduced me to Multiplex and Ingo, who booked me to play some of the pre-parties. I also played at the main party in Melkweg once where I wasn’t even in the lineup but Multiplex invited me to do a b2b, it was a blast. What I witnessed in the Cheeky family really can’t be put into words, the warmth and playfulness I instantly received was crazy. I ended up going there pretty much every Monday during those three months, I couldn’t get enough. Being involved there really made it clear that I will listen to Jungle and feel that special feeling forever.
Find MIA on: Instagram, Facebook, Website
Thing
Any valuable lessons you’ve learned that have helped you evolve as a producer?
Yeah, I started to release about 2011 and now I have over 600 released tracks. Most valuable lesson is do not listen to anybody and do what you like. I have done basically all electronic genres and I liked them all. People who listen to them also feel most of my stuff so, WIN / WIN.
Which other producers serve as inspirations for the music you create?
I think my favourite producer ever is Burial, he lives like on another planet or something. I really dig his music. Life mostly inspires me, heartbreak and falling in love and that stuff….”real stuff with emotions”
What can listeners expect to hear from you for the balance of 2025 and into 2026?
You can expect the unexpected. As I told you before I have done almost all electronic genres and at the moment I’m feeling Jungle, I also have an Ambient EP coming out soon. So yeah, I’m doing what I’m feeling at the moment, I’m not thinking much ahead. I’m releasing every Friday so I need to be in the moment and trust my gut.
Find Thing on: Linktree
Planeet
What have been some of your proudest moments as a producer and why?
One of my earliest proud moments was definitely back in the year 2000, when my track (a remix, link below) was played on a local radio station.I remember listening to Raadio 2’s legendary underground music show that evening, Raul Saaremets’ Vibratsioon, and when I heard the first second of my tune, every hair on my body stood up. I yelled across the apartment and called my mom, dad, and brothers to come to my room and told them, “This is my f*cking track!”. I was 15 years old by then and had already been self-learning music production for about 2 years, using a program called Fast Tracker II.
Bricklayer – Towntempo (Drone Remix)
I’ve received quite a few awards over the years and produced a wide range of genres, but one of the proudest moments came a few years ago, in 2021, when I received the Best Electronic Album award at the Estonian Music Awards. Moments like these remind me that I’m on the right path and getting recognized for the thousands of hours I’ve spent behind screens and machines.
This might be difficult but pick 3 other Drum & Bass producers you hold in high esteem and would love to work on tracks with and why you’d like to create tunes with them.
It is very difficult but I really like everything that Circadian is doing right now, his skills and sound design are next level. Even when he was part of The Prototypes, I felt the sonic energy in every track they released. Other D&B producers worth mentioning are Dossa and Delta Heavy. Both would make for interesting collaborations. I will add another producer duo to the list, they have been influencing the whole D&B scene, pioneers Ed Rush & Optical.
Which tunes are you caning heavily in your DJ sets at the moment.
Aside from my own tracks, remixes, and bootlegs (which make up about 30-40% of my set), I play a wide variety of D&B. It depends on the event, if it’s a festival, I lean more toward dancefloor vibes. In a club, I include some deeper, rolling stuff too.
Here are some tunes I’m digging right now:
An-Marlen – Külm (Planeet Remix) > My newest remix for a local singer An-Marlen and also gets requested a lot right now. The original track placed 3rd in Eesti Laul, Estonia’s national selection for Eurovision.
Circadian/Nu-La – ReBirth
Camo & Krooked/Tiga/Zyntherius – Sunglasses at night
Trex – Aardvark
Pola & Bryson – Magic
Amoss & Objectiv – Sauna Season
