The 20 best jungle mixes spanning 3 decades you can listen to online
Jungle list, massive
The fast-paced junglist sound is currently surging through clubs with increasing popularity. More and more DJs from outside the d’n’b world are throwing rude percussive beats into their set, or embarking on ferocious jungle rinse outs to close out club nights.
We’re delighted with the trend, and it’s inspired us to put together this list of the finest straight jungle fire mixes you can stream. Due to its early 90s origins, some of the greatest jungle sets exist only in pirate radio history, on dusty cassette tapes, or in the minds of old skool ravers. But jungle lives on strong, and thanks to digital archivists and modern day flag flyers there’s heaps of first-rate jungle mixes floating around the world wide web.
Lock in to our favourites below.
1. LTJ BUKEM & OMNI TRIO ‘RADIO 1, AUGUST 9, 1996’
Jah bless the archivists. This vintage LTJ Bukem and Omni Trio Radio 1 session from 1996 was captured on cassette and has now been digitised for the world to stream. Flexing back-to-back, the two titans are in full throttle form, taking listeners through head warping sounds. There’s also a jazzy trumpet solo for good measure. This mix has got it all!
2. BEN UFO FT. SP:MC & GQ ‘BLOWING UP THE WORKSHOP 66’
Master of versatility Ben UFO took control of the 66th instalment in the renowned Blowing Up The Workshop and delivered a head-spinning hour. Starting on a funky roots reggae tip, the Hessle Audio honcho soon ups the ante and moves through an electrifying selection of jungle records. Recorded live on the Sunday at the Bloc Weekender in 2015, you can feel that loose final-day-at-a-festival energy pervading through the mix. SP:MC and GQ on hosting duties also keep the vibes at premium with bold bars throughout. Sundaze have rarely been so raucous.
3. GOLDIE ‘ESSENTIAL MIX 1996’
Goldie is not only recognised as royalty in the world of fast-paced drum programming - the actual British royals are well aware of his don status, awarding him an MBE two years ago. Mixes likes this are a clear indication of one reason he’s so well respected. It’s a hair-raising trip through a range of textures, from the off-kilter to the emotive. Five gold stars from us.
4. NICKY BLACKMARKET & STEVIE HYPER D ‘ONE IN THE JUNGLE’ 29TH NOVEMBER 1996
Back in the 90s BBC Radio 1’s ‘One In The Jungle’ series showcased the finest junglist talents in a primetime Friday night slot. In late November of 1996 Nicky Blackmarket stepped up with Stevie Hyper D on the mic to send a truly classic instalment out across the airwaves. After easing in, it rolls through pure screwface intensity, and Stevie’s shouts are nothing short of legendary. Proper!
5. PEVERELIST ‘OLD SCHOOL JUNGLE MIXTAPE VOLUME 2’
Over the past decade Peverelist has been a seminal figure forging a new UK style of broken techno that’s packed full of bass, significantly informed by his roots in the jungle scene. He got into DJing through jungle, and his moniker is an abridged version of the title Hatfield Peverel Junglist Massive. In late 2015 he took it back to the old skool and uploaded an old jungle mixtape from the early days. Straight fire.
6. DJ STORM ‘FIELD MANEUVERS OLD SKOOL MIX’
Storm’s contribution to the old skool sound can’t be overstated, and the Metalheadz co-founder’s instalment in the Field Maneuvers mix series is a clear statement of her pedigree. Mixed on vinyl, it’s a historic odyssey through rude beats.
7. DJ RON & DJ BROCKIE ‘JUNGLE FEVER’
Where were thee in ‘93? If it wasn’t in Coventry’s Edge club going wild to these furious DJ Ron & DJ Brockie sets then take yourself there with the above recording. You’ll soon be sweating out from this Jungle Fever. Badness from start to finish; hold tight the provincial club scene.
8. SPECIAL REQUEST ‘ESSENTIAL MIX’
Paul Woolford’s Special Request alias has been a leading proponent of the junglist sound since launching in 2012 with a rowdy Lana Del Rey-sampling excursion. His Essential Mix asserted his form as one of the best in the business. Bass-loaded wobbles compete with robust percussive lines, forging an absolute thrill ride of a mix.
9. SLIMZEE ‘TRUANCY VOLUME 111’
A former pirate radio bossman (prior to Rinse’s legitimisation on the FM airwaves), Slimzee knows his way around a jungle riddim. For Truants, he rolled out a hot ‘n’ heavy hoour of kool cuts. Raw sounds abound.
10. CIEL ‘ILIAN TAPE PODCAST SERIES 026’
Rising Toronto DJ Ciel is making a name for herself as a curator of incendiary sets and mixes. She caught the ear of the Zenker Brothers, who are big fans of throwing breaks and d’n’b in with the techno they spin, at a party in the Canadian city, who tapped her for this instalment in their podcast series. She’s no doubt impressed significantly more ears since this landed - a fiery triumph throughout.
11. SHY FX ‘OLD SKOOL JUNGLE’
“40 MASSIVE ROLLIN’ DRUM ‘N’ BASS ANTHEMS” declares the bold sell line on the cover of Shy FX’s double-disc ‘Old Skool Jungle’. There’s no lie; this mix is definitively all killer, no filler. Coursing through scratches, wobbles, transcendent shimmering and more, it’s a flawlessly executed musical journey.
12. DJ RANDALL ‘HISTORY OF JUNGLE SET IN THE LAB LDN’
Allow us to toot our own horn here because trust us, when the don DJ Randall promised a history of jungle set for The Lab LDN he did not hold back.. Exclusively ‘92 to ‘95 records, it still sounds like it’s beamed straight from the future. There’s no question - Randall’s a genius.
13. LEE GAMBLE ‘OCT 1996 TAPE’
Lee Gamble regularly rolls out full jungle sets at his club bookings. They’re always killer, which is little surprise considering this mix from over 20 years ago, recorded in the Birmingham in the Autumn on’96, is a timeless masterpiece.
14. ZOMBY ‘DAZED MIX’
Zomby makes no secret of bigging up his old skool rave background. Take tweets like: “I grew up wearing Nike trainers, I'm wearing Nike trainers it isn't nostalgic. I grew up listening to jungle, I make jungle it isn't nostalgic” and his penchant for an “Airhorn”. He’s got the mixing chops to back up Twitter flurries though, as this banging Dazed mix underlines.
15. DJ RAP ‘FANTAZIA TAKES YOU INTO THE JUNGLE’
Euphoria abound in this blider of a mix from DJ Rap. Awash with ecstatic vocals, soaring pads and head-jerking rhythms, it’s an infectious delight. Gun fingers at the ready, press play and raise ‘em.
16. TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS ‘BOILER ROOM’
TEED showed his eclectic chops in 2012 when he took this opportunity in the Boiler Room to power through an incredible set of jungle records. In just 35 minutes the variety and quality of music played is first-rate; especially that dreamy breakdown halfway through.
17. DJ HYPE & PESHAY ‘YAMAN STUDIO MIX’
File under: goosebump inducing. DJ Hype and Peshay’s ‘Yaman Studio Mix’ is emblematic of the fact that even with all its pacey rhythms and rowdy vocal associations, jungle can be total bliss to listen to. Bury us in those pads.
18. FIEDEL ‘RUFF IN DA JUNGLE’
Who says Germans only like it linear? Here’s a circa 2002 mix from Ostgut Ton mainstay Fiedel that barrels through rough-edged jungle beats with wicked abandon. We expect even the hardiest Berghain regular would feel the pressure from this one.
19. RAIME ‘FACT MIX 292’
Double danger. Through their collaborative Raime project, Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead have established themselves as two of the finest purveyors of the UK hardcore sound. Look no further than their instalment in the FACT Mix series to see why. A commenter on Mixcloud called ‘Junglistdon’ sums it up perfectly, writing “Deep, Dark & Deadly”. No further co-signs needed.
20. MILANESE ‘069 - ELECTRONIC EXPLORATIONS (OLD SKOOL JUNGLE MIX)’
Milanese’s Electronic Explorations mix is comprised of records he collected while growing up in London, complete with record skips so you know it’s real. Those authentic blemishes tie into the beauty of this mix, it’s a true digger’s delight. There’s no fancy mixing techniques or effects applied, just a bunch of killer records segueing into each other and speaking their quality for themselves.