In our new blog series we’re chatting to some crews around the world about their favourite tracks, events and what makes their crews tick.
It’s Jungle down under! Next up we’re chatting to a few Jungle Drum & Bass heads from Australia. Read on for the full Aussie D&B debrief..
C:1
You’re a top flight DJ with impeccable selection, tell all readers your top 3 jungle tunes of all-time.
OOoh this is a tough one.. Tim Reaper’s Give Me More is still in high rotation, Splash’s Babylon and Krome n Time’s Ganja Man will always have a special place in my heart.
What other music besides Drum n’ Bass and Jungle do you listen to and love?
Anything that originates from Detroit is close to my heart, my all-time heroes are Underground Resistance, DJ Bone, DJ Stingray, and I have a deep love for Ghettotech by Godfather, Starski and 313 Bass Mechanics.
How have your selection and skills evolved from when you first started djing up to now?
The main thing that has evolved throughout my career from ’96 till today has been my confidence. The techniques and standards I aspire to have remained consistent, but the risks and rewards during my sets have increased exponentially over the years.
Find C:1 on: Instagram, Soundcloud
Bronx
Please tell our readers what producers tunes in Drum n’ Bass/Jungle that you’re rinsin in your sets.
I love to play many different styles of jungle during my sets, I am especially drawn to the sounds of Tim Reaper, Kid Lib, Lavery, Settle Down, Bizzy B, Kloke, LQ, Ricky Force, Dead Man’s Chest, DJ Crystl and Tango.
Please tell our readers about your most memorable DJing experience to date.
It was only very recently at the Melbourne launch party of Kloke and LQ’s new release ‘2049’, on Future Retro. Tea Money and I did a 2 hr b2b to open the night, playing (mostly) from the Future Retro back catalogue. It was so good to have the opportunity to include many of the beautiful atmospheric tunes on the label, because my sets tend to be more straight up Jungle, Hardcore and Jungle Tekno orientated.
What are some things that are important to you outside of Drum n’ Bass/Jungle?
The most important thing is being a present and connected parent to my kids. I’m also really into keeping myself balanced and active with running/bushwalking/yoga, love growing my own fruit/veg, and investing energy into creating a beautiful home garden for my family/friends to enjoy.
Find Bronx on: Instagram, Soundcloud
Mishka
Who are the DJs in your area that you love to play parties with and why?
Ethos Collective Crew, System Unknown Crew, GC, Bevin Campbell, C:1, DJ Undies, Deliquescent, SK, Sam Stacka, Shikung, Luke Luice, Lickweed just to name a few. Because they are a bunch of talented good humans who always lift me and inspire me.
Why did you start DJing?
After spending 25 years on dance floors, I decided it was time to get behind the controls to play what I wanted to hear on the sound system! Covid lockdowns gave me some time to really practice my DJ skills and friends like Nat who believed in me and booked me for my first gig.
Tell our All Crews readers some things they should know about the Drum n’ Bass/ Jungle scene in Melbourne.
Heavy! We are pretty spoiled, every weekend there are so many good parties to go to. It’s a solid community, everyone working together to make every party really special.
Find Mishka on: Instagram, Mixcloud
Tactical Aspect
Which do you prefer, DJing or producing and why?
They both have their merits, I love the instant connection and vibes you get with a crowd and dance floor with DJing, but the limitless scope of producing is what really satisfies my creative side the most.
You also produce Hip Hop too, tell us about some of the similarities and differences between making Hip Hop tunes and Jungle Drum & Bass.
Fundamentally my process when I’m producing both is pretty similar, I’ll start with an idea, a melody or a sample and build from that, but I do find producing D&B/Jungle far more labour intensive, layered and challenging. I think if you can competently produce D&B, transitioning to other genres will seem far easier afterwards, so it’s a great place to start your production education.
Sometimes the music an artist creates holds a special place in their hearts, pick one of your tracks and tell our readers why it’s so special to you.
My favourite Tactical Aspect track is probably one of the first we made together called Paranoia . It’s a real blend of both of our styles that helped shape the TA sound. It’s 10 years old now but it’s still one of our most requested tracks to play at gigs. We went on to make a Part 2 and have done a few different remixes of it also so it’s grown a bit of a life of it’s own as a track over the years.
Find Tactical aspect on: Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Instagram
12bit Jungle Out There
Tell us about the gear you use to create tunes.
For breaks and bass I usually use the Akai S950 and then vocals and sfx in the Akai S2000. I use those machines in mono, then stereo information comes from the EMU ESI32, Roland JV1080 & Roland MC307. I have an Amiga500 and Octamed V4 as my sequencer. I also have Ableton Live, Maschine and some analog bass synths.
Take us through the process of how you put together a track.
Everything starts by gathering samples in Ableton then they are pitched up before I sample into the hardware.
Once it’s in the hardware I get my breaks in time and my basic vibe happening, then I start chopping and using the tools in the samplers to mash things up and create new sounds from there it’s arrangement, then finishing touches with sfx and fills etc.
Tell our readers what your proudest moment as an artist is to date.
I didn’t have any expectations when I started this project, I had just signed my first major label contract with another project but was loving the freedom of making jungle and playing with old gear.
The only goal I had was to hear a track played on one of the pirate stations from back in the day, so hearing great DJs and producers like Decibella and Alex Eveson (Dead Man’s Chest) announcing my tracks on Kool FM has to be up there.
Find 12bit Jungle Out there on: Instagram,
Stream 12bit Jungle Out There music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
LQ
Please tell our All Crews audience about your label, Echo Chamber Sound.
Echo Chamber Sound is a vinyl and digital label, as well as a soundsystem. We release Jungle and dub on limited run 10 inch dub plates as well as full releases on 12 inch vinyl and digitally. Jungle-wise we make music that respects the foundation sound of the 90s as well as pushing the sound forward with modern production techniques with a mix of analogue and digital studio gear.
The side label Run it Red releases strictly Jungle on both vinyl and digital. This is also the name of our long running club event playing the full spectrum of Jungle where we showcase forthcoming releases on the labels, classic Jungle/D&B and the latest releases.
What prompted you to start throwing Drum n’ Bass/Jungle events?
I first started putting on Jungle/D&B events around 2001, at the time there weren’t many jungle events with the scene being dominated by modern D&B. I wanted to hear that raw jungle sound and breakbeat science on a soundsystem and play the music I was most passionate about. We started out on RDU 98.5 FM and then started playing in local clubs and warehouses in Christchurch, New Zealand and are now based in Melbourne, Australia.
As a DJ and producer, tell our readers about similarities and differences between the two.
DJing you have to be in the moment and keep the rhythm and bassline flowing to keep the crowd moving. Producing tunes designed for sound systems and gigs I like to keep that live experience in the back of my mind. I like to imagine how the bassline will drop on our soundsystem, make sure the beats have a proper groove, and make sure all the sonics are sounding on point. I make music for sound systems so DJing and producing are interconnected for me.
Find LQ & Echo Chamber Sound on: Soundcloud, Bandcamp
