Side C, 1995Back when the jungle scene was still in its relative infancy, it seemed like anything was possible as far as sub-genres were concerned, and this mix makes a really good case for the category known as “intelligent” or “jazz-step”; rather than the ragga-inspired party vibe inherent to many other jungle tunes from back then, this style put the focus on fluidity, super clean & crisp minimal breaks, and an overall trending towards sexiness rather than hardness. Snuggles & Slak were probably my all-time favorite DJ tag team, both hailing from Chicago and able to throw down any style of jungle beats; in fact, this tape was a double release (hence the “Side C”), with the first tape focusing on the heavier, “jump-up” stuff and this one keeping things more mellow and jazzy. Jungle continued to trend towards a harder and darker sound as time went along, but this approach was a nice detour along the way.
