Thrive in '95 - Jungle's zenith

thirdform

pass the sick bucket
Unknown Face - Step up

So many steps they could have put stairmasters in the rave... Its time to step up... again! Unknown face was Stacey Buche & Nico, and Nico's fingerprints are all over this one. Ive played this one out and the production is outstanding, beautifully simple, minimal and crisp, an air of menace building and building and then after nearly halfway through the tune that bassline drops in like the sharks fin parting the waters. There's a slight photek vibe here but the drums are just a bit too direct. One of the best things Nico was ever involved in, and a forerunner for some of the more high production value breakwork Paradox explored a little while later.




amazing list in general, but this one in particular, love this one, most underrated tune from the no u turn gang. other side also mint.
 

droid

Well-known member
Thats happened quite bit here actually. Records I was sure were '95 turned out to be '96 when i looked.

Then again the Burial was a huge '94 tune but wasn't actually released properly until '95.
 

droid

Well-known member
Im not making the case for fudging, but doing this has made me think of 95/96 as basically two years of the same thing. Deep jungle sustaining itself but dwindling, the big labels pulling back and leaving a space for new actors while techstep, two step, jazz and jump up ascend, splinter and compete for dominance.

I reckon if you combined 95 & 96 you might get about a '94s worth of quality tunes.
 

droid

Well-known member
Double A - Step

OK, one more stepper. This one steps as in 2 step and is situated somewhere between Metalheadz and Lucky Spin/Intalektive - artcore behind a jazzy veil. Helicopter providing the Step with the beat science extruding from those Apache filigrees. Coming out of the Strictly Underground camp, still going strong in '95, hitting 70 release or so by the end of that year.

 

firefinga

Well-known member
Unknown Face - Step up

EDIT - Officer Craner points out that this is 96 not 95 but Im leaving it in cos its a great tune.

So many steps they could have put stairmasters in the rave... Its time to step up... again! Unknown face was Stacey Buche & Nico, and Nico's fingerprints are all over this one. Ive played this one out and the production is outstanding, beautifully simple, minimal and crisp, an air of menace building and building and then after nearly halfway through the tune that bassline drops in like the sharks fin parting the waters. There's a slight photek vibe here but the drums are just a bit too direct. One of the best things Nico was ever involved in, and a forerunner for some of the more high production value breakwork Paradox explored a little while later.



https://www.discogs.com/lists/JungleDnB-1996-04/419478

It turns up in my 1996 April list, so likelihood of a '96 release is very high
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Danny Breaks - Step Off

Dont wanna step up? Then Step off instead. Danny breaks had a great run with the first 9 or 10 droppin science releases and this one has a slow, tension building intro that segues into a subterranean Goblin victory dance - and then the amen pops in with some very slick end of bar edits. The only thing that lets this down is the dullness of the production. One for the mid/high EQ cru.



Danny Breaks was great, I also love this one from 95.

 

blissblogger

Well-known member
Omni Trio ahead of trend, with "Mystic Stepper" in 93.

Oh and the earlier Candidate Records version of the EP Mystic Steppers actually contains a track called "Step Off"

Also put out a record under the name London Steppers, same year.

Where does it come from, all this stepping in '95? Is it the feel of the tunes, or a reggae reference?

I remember Rob Haigh had this thing he talked about in relation to "Soul Promenade" and that EP's sound, he called it the "soul step" - a rhythmic thing where there was a half-time feel contained within the drums, as opposed to supplied by the bassline,
 

blissblogger

Well-known member
Oh and another Omni one, this time actually from 1995 (well, discogs says 94 but the actual title says 95 so...) - Omni Trio ‎– Feel Good '95 The Return Of The Mystic Stepper

a 10 inch single and on the flipside - a tune called "London Step"

I never cared much for Foul Play's "The Stepper", seemed very dry and emaciated, after the lush future-souljazz of "Being With You" and especially their own amazing rmx of "Being"
 
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