Sometimes, underground music culture leaks into the zeitgeist, and our collective ears perk up. This happened recently with a loaded question on long running game show BBC University Challenge. The Aberdeen University team was asked “What name is given to the genre of dance music that developed in the UK in the early 1990s out of the rave scene and reggae sound system culture associated with acts such is A Guy Called Gerald and Goldie?” to which they answered “drum and bass”. Unfortunately the answer needed was “jungle”.
So, why did it need to be jungle? Resident Advisor made a short documentary on the history of jungle and what led to it. The short answer would be: because drum and bass came later.
My take
I never get bored of learning more about the early days of electronic music and the dance music scene. From documentaries about legendary synths and drum machines, or emerging music genres, to tape rips of classic rave sets and iconic music albums, the history parallels my own trajectory through life as a soundtrack.
The evolution of early dance music is so rich in influences, all feeding into the melting pot as iconic samples, familiar rhythms and chord sequences, and song structures.
This is our history. We need to remember it.
