Mixmag Live Volume 15 – Jungle Jumping Jack Frost + Randall – 1994, DMC Publishing
Mixmag Live Volume 15 – Jungle is a mix album produced by Mixmag and distributed by DMC Publishing.
It’s the first such jungle/dnb mix in the Mixmag Live series and features mixes by two of the most pivotal pioneers in the game, Jumpin Jack Frost on side A, and the late, great DJ Randall on side B.
The original version was released in cassette format back in 1994, around the time of Mixmag’s Summer of Jungle article.
Mixmag Live 15 arrived at just the right time, introducing me to a number of classic tunes and top producers who remain favourites of mine to this day.
Growing up we used to swap mix tapes of various styles. Some were techno, others belonged to scenes which would eventually morph into jungle.
It happened slowly and gradually. Someone’s older brother, for example, would send back a tape he recorded in London with the words “Kiss FM” scribbled on it and we’d run off copies multiple hissy copies. (This is how I heard Valley of the Shadows, for example.)
As time passed we began learning the names of DJs and the various raves and styles of music they played, like DJ Sy, Kenny Ken, Fabio & Grooverider, Judge Dredd at Vengance II, Mickey Finn Fantasia, and, my personal favourite, LTJ Bukem and DJ Phantasy @ Dreamscape IV.
My mates and I were already junglists without even realising it. And when we later found a newsagents that sold Mixmag it was like we’d discovered the Rosetta Stone.
Mixmag Live 15 was the next logical progression (oops unintentional LTJ Bukem reference) representing another further step deeper under the dense canopy of jungle.
And because this was early 90s, when the internet was practically brand new and ecommerce still the scifi dreams of a madman, procuring a tape was a long, drawn-out hassle.
As memory serves I had to send away for it first with an enclosed postal order. Wait for it to get to England, then wait for the money to be sorted and then wait even longer for the tape to begin its agonisingly slow return via the Irish postal service. That’s if it ever arrived at all.
As I recall the whole process took months, or what felt like months in any event.
But man was it worth it!
A couple of top mixes by two of the scene’s greatest exponents, packed with some of the best jungle bangers of all time.
So before we get started just want to say thank you to the two men who helped me on the next phase of my musical journey. Big respect to Jumpin Jack Frost and, of course, to DJ Randall, rest in peace.
Mixmag Live 15 – Jumpin Jack Frost
We begin side A with Jumpin Jack Frost dropping one of the biggest jungle anthems ever, R-Type from Jo. I very nearly included this track in my previous article on jungle anthems but it got cut to make way for some of the more commercially successful tracks. So I’m really glad I’ve got the opportunity to include it here instead.
R-Type is a dark and deceptively simple piece of music that combines 8 bit video game tones with rough breaks, deep sub bass and a sci-fi sounding vocal hook, “holographic recognition active, holographic recognition – complete.”
Like many top jungle tunes, this one was no doubt doing the rounds for months before getting a proper release. It came out on Slipmatt and Lime’s (aka SL2) Awesome Records in 1993. The flipside, Imagine The Future, samples an early track by The Black Dog.
I actually heard this B side track before I heard R-Type, as it appeared on a very early mixtape from one of Ireland’s finest drum and bass exports, DJ Dara.
As for the main track, if you’re as old as me, no doubt you remember the game from which this track gets its name. If not, R-Type was one of the finest examples of side-scrolling “shoot ‘em up” games ever devised.
Back in the 80s, Japan had a long-standing tradition of sending lone spaceships against entire armada of aliens for some reason. Fly around, don’t get hit and never stop blasting. No plot of further exposition required.
R-Type was particularly brutal, a tough-as-nails, coin-guzzling bitch that none the less enthralled us. And subsequently spawned a slew of sequels and spin-off releases, as well as home computer and console ports.
Given the track’s confluence of video games and music production, you can imagine there’s much nerdly debate as to what the original sample source is.
Some believe it’s the Atari ST version, which makes sense given how popular the ST was with early music producers. But the Atari ST was a 16 bit computer and this track sounds decidedly 8 bit. Which is why many more believe Jo samples the Gameboy version.
But if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on the Sega Master System version, an 8 bit console with just the right tonal qualities, though obviously the original sample was then pitched down considerably to lend it that deep, resonant menace.
As for the “holographic” vocal sample, that’s from an early (and underrated) Sam Raimi movie called Darkman starring Liam Neeson.
Anyways, that’s enough nerding off about the background details, here’s the actual track.
Tango– Project 1 (Remix) is a perfect example of a classic soundsystem riddim making its way into the jungle scene.
It’s based on Stalag 17 by Kingston’s Ansel Collins, an evergreen riddim which has been borrowed countless times from artists including Tenor Saw, Sister Nancy, Damian Marley, Beats International and Badmarsh and Shri.
Love how the sub bass and breaks are then built around it to give this, well-worn riddim a whole new lease of life. You also get those classic ravy vamps in the middle before the main rolling break returns – lovvit! Get your lighters ready for this one!
Now I know I already had Leviticus The Burial in my previous top jungle choons post but fuck it, I’m putting it here again, because it’s such a fucking chooooon. Need I say more?
My next pick from side A is Music Box from Roni Size & DJ Die.
Already we can see the genesis of so-called “ambient jungle” and what would later be called “intelligent drum and bass”, plus a shitload of equally ridiculous designations thereafter.
Tracks like this served as a counterpoint to the more lairy raggamuffin, hold up ya lighta-type tunes jungle was best known for, not only helping to regulate dancefloor temperatures but also increasing the genre’s fanbase.
Though previously dismissed as just “hardcore”, from 1994 onward, people quickly began to realise that jungle was a far more malleable genre than previously thought.
As a result, ravers and producers of various stripes soon discovered that this seemingly simple formula of sub bass and rapidly chopped up breaks actually allowed for quite a broad canvas with which to experiment. Tracks like this helped to change people’s perspective of what jungle could be.
As with Leviticus, I also included this track on my previous list of top jungle tunes. But I’m including this one because, (a) it’s so fucking good and (b) because Mixmag Live 15 was actually my first introduction to this track, and to Roni Size too, for that matter. So it’s appropriate I mention it here once more.
Absolutely adore this tune. The percussion on this is still some of the best I’ve ever heard.
And so before we get to Randall, here’s the full Side A mix from Jumpin Jack Frost in its entirety for your listening pleasure.
Mixmag Live 15 – DJ Randall
And so we get to side B, mixed by jungle pioneer DJ Randall (RIP).
Randall kicks things off on a relatively subdued note with the track Sovereign Melody from Dillinja (mislabelled on the tape as Sovereign Melodies by Dillinja.)
This is then deftly mixed into another chilled jazzy jungle classic, Maximum Style by Tom and Jerry. And it’s such a smooth blend too.
Junglists often tend to mix rough, with sets often characterised by swift cuts chops and obligatory rewinds native too soundsystem culture. And like many of his contemporaries, Randall cut his teeth as a hiphop DJ before graduating to acid house, rave and finally jungle.
But, in a bold move, Randall opts to go for a much more subtle approach in his first transition by mixing from one track to the next not only in time but in tune.
Pitch perfect mixing in key is a simple button press away these days, thanks to digital technology, but achieving it on vinyl takes a hellova lot more practice and pre-planning to execute. Any change to the speed of the track to compensate also affects its pitch, causing a notable fluttering effect. Yet Randall achieves this seamless transition with ease.
The choice of track is also noteworthy. Maximum Style was yet another one of the biggest tunes of the era featuring stacks of samples as diverse as Jah Shaka, Bjork and the ubiquitous Loleatta Holloway, while the main strings and flute hook comes via the track Lover to Lover by Maxi Anderson.
Moreover, it was produced by Mac and Dego, better known as 4 Hero, who helped pioneer jungle music with seminal tracks like Mr Kirk’s Nightmare before turning their attention towards more experimental jazzy sounds later in their career.
In fact, with so many influential names on this mix I’m just going to give up on synonyms and turn this into this a drinking game – get your favourite beverage ready and have a shot every time I use the term “pioneer”.
From Maximum Style we get to Shimon’s Predator. This one’s not as big an anthem as some of the others on here but it’s a tune none the less.
Besides, it’s got a sample from Predator, aka the most badass fucking movie ever made, so what more do you want?
As you can well imagine, Predator samples were quite common in jungle, and early 90s hardcore in general, particularly in the aftermath of 1990’s Predator 2, with its endlessly-quotable Jamaican gangsters.
In fact, I could – and maybe I should – do an entire piece on Predator samples, featuring a ton of early jungle/dnb alongside everyone from Genaside II to Future Sound of London, Ice Cube to Luke Vibert.
But anyways, back to the topic; “She said the jungle, it just came alive and took him!”
Fuck yeah!
Jumping ahead to track 12, labelled as 12 O’Clock Natty by Ascendant & Ultra, but most of us know this one as Dead Dred’s Dead Bass.
Which, if you read my Summer of Jungle piece last month, you’ll know already this tune was my top pick and remains my favourite jungle tune of all time. Quite possibly even my favourite drum and bass tune of all time (because I’m old.)
Next up, another personal favourite of mine. In fact, as with R-Tyle, I was very very VERY tempted to put this on my last jungle post also so happy I got another opportunity to include it here cuz it’s a fucking CHOON!
The track’s mislabelled “Get Raw” on here but its official title is “Spiritual Aura”, not that anyone ever called it that, everyone called it Get Raw.
Another point, this tune seems to have more variants than an episode of Loki. On here we have the Engineers Without Fears version, other releases are attributed to Rap and Aston (i.e. DJ Rap and Aston Harvey) and on others still, I’ve seen this track labelled as DJ Rap only.
The version I have on vinyl is the Engineers Without Fears version. I was lucky to snap it up for a few quid while rummaging around London and it’s clear that the copy was once owned by a DJ, because the it’s clearly had a fair bit of play and the words “GET RAW” are written in large caps with black marker at the top of corner of the sleeve.
Aston Harvey’s a producer/engineer with a strong jungle/dnb and breakbeat pedigree, whose credits include Pendulum and Krafty Kuts. He’s also a member of the breakbeat duo The Freestylers alongside Matt Cantor. The Freestylers were one of the biggest names to come out of the late 90s/early 2000s new breaks scene.
DJ Rap is another drum and bass dynamo and early jungle innovator but often took flak from fellow DJs in, what was then, a predominantly male-orientated scene. Her skills behind the decks and in the studio soon put paid to all of that, however. Listen to this monster tune and you’ll soon discover why.
Skipping forward to the penultimate track on the mix which sees the man like DJ Randall teaming with Andy C with the jagged Amen splattering sonics of Sound Control.
Some serious drum programming on display here, with those big fat Amen break snares stretched to their absolute breaking point. Turn it up too loud and it’ll feel like having your face bashed in with a biscuit tin.
This release came out on Andy C’s own RAM Records in 1994, with another big tune, Feel It, on the flip.
Two absolute legends from the world of jungle and drum and bass teamed up for some serious breakbeat ruffage. 🌴 💪
Our final track of the album is Twilight Zone by Bay B Kane (mislabelled as Baby Kane).
This one’s an out and out jungle roller, on top of which sits Fred Steiner’s immortal theme to the Twilight Zone. Wanted to include this tune also cuz it’s got just the right ratio of atmosphere and cheese to create a compelling finale to this classic jungle mix album.
So those are my picks from side B, but if you want to get the full experience I recommend you listen to Randall’s full mix below:
The Jungle – It Just Came Alive And Took Him!
Mixmag Live Volume 15 – Jungle was one of my earliest introductions to the genre.
Sure, a lot of those tracks are mislabelled but nonetheless this mix tape delivers.
Having developed a love of all things breakbeat in the early 90s, I wanted to learn more about the scene and dig deeper and deeper. This tape was exactly what I needed at the time and from that respect it hasn’t lost any of its potency.
It remains a perfect introduction to 90s jungle, dropping just as the scene was taking off. It showcases a broad spectrum of vibes, with some bright jazzy cuts alongside dark jungle ruffness and, of course, the obligatory ragamuffin bizniss ahn ting.
More importantly, it includes some of the best tracks from that era, all mixed on vinyl (as it should be) by Jumpin Jack Frost and DJ Randall, two top ranking junglists at the peak of their powers.