Techsteppin' - Various Artists

This compilation gave the name to the genre that is much loved, and yet also parodied in drum'n'bass. The cliche is of dnb at its minimal harsh worst, but the reality is that a lot of these tunes define what is hardcore about drum'n'bass. It was quite a contrast to the junglist mentalism, but also part of the jungle scene.

Personal favourite is 'Headless Horseman', have a beer and turn this one up.

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Hydro - The Zone (5.24)
Doc Scott - Machines (6.10)
Ed Rush - Check Me Out (5.16)
Skyscraper - Mach II (5.53)
Rollers Instinct - Haze (5.09)
Skyscraper - Liberty One (7.14)
Cronic Crew - Black Marbles (6.50)
The Limit - Get Stoned (6.11)
Rollers Instinct - The Mutant (5.29)
Morph - Headless Horseman (Steppin' On Headz Mix) (5.04)
Remix - Elementz Of Noize
Hydro - Tha' Bomb Shit (6.42)
Skyscraper - The Difference (7.42)

Cryptonite ‘A Quantum Leap’ - April 10th, 1993

If you love that mix of deep, lush vibes and straight-up paranoia-inducing drum break mentalism, then this rave pack from late 1993 is something to check.

I first heard the Randall and Bukem (what a combination!) set a couple of years back thanks to the almighty 1992 of www.dnbforum.com fame.

Then I stumbled upon the Ratty set late last year, the man is pushing jungle techno in classic form. Looks like it's been ripped from a tape pack, but its good quality sound for an old tape, trust me.

What I love about this sound is that it represents a time when things were really changing in the hardcore scene. The sound was getting darker, the cheesy high-pitched vocals were well on the way out, but it hadn't descended into cliche of any type. I recall hearing a lot of this music in 1993 and early 1994, I think it set the tone for a lot of junglists.

Sorry no tracklist, soak up the vibe!

DJ: Mickey Finn
(1) 30:00 - 192kbps - 41.3mb mp3
(2) 29:58 - 192kbps - 41.2mb mp3

DJ: Randall & LTJ Bukem
(1) 29:46 - 192kbps - 40.9mb mp3
(2) 29:47 - 192kbps - 41.0mb mp3

DJ: Ratty
(1) 30:05 - 192kbps - 41.4mb mp3
(2) 30:06 - 192kbps - 41.4mb mp3

DJ Fusion - Tunes of 2007 Mixes part 1 & 2

Listening to mixes like these two is the best dancin' fun you can have outside a club, especially the first mix. Fusion is a DJ from Kent/UK who is a personal favourite for his continually upfront mixes on the web, and his exciting mixing style. Check out his work here



Mix 1
subfocus & tc - borrowed time
q project - 2 little 2 late rmx
nu:tone - missing link v.i.p
london electricity - great dnb swindle (logistics rmx)
xample - downlow
matrix & futurebound - family
commix - be true
mr l - back to ya roots (friction & k-tee rmx)
hazard & dminds - mr happy
noisia - facade v.i.p
>> tc - game over v.i.p
culture shock - vice chase
demo & cease - ladies night v.i.p
>> lynx - disco dodo
break - day 1
chase & status - hurt u
die - slow burn
matrix & futurebound - coast 2 coast
>>commix - sattelite type 2
dose, trei & menace - valium express
logistics - wide lens
high contrast - tread softly
neo - back like dat (marky & bungle rmx)
high contrast - kiss kiss bang bang
high contrast - if we ever
culture shock & brookes brothers - rework
sigma - all blue
gdub - dirty games rmx
influx uk - its love
xample - coma
hazard - busted
die & photek - thunder rmx
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Mix 2
blame & the pledge - avalon
high contrast - eternal optimist
sigma - el presidente
q - project - ?
nu:tone - deep old
commix - how u gonna feel
electrosoul - list
tc - afrika
nu:tone - second conection
fierce - hold it now
fierce & break - prism
heist - dont hold back
state of mind - back to the jungle
dillinja - take me all the way
xample - deeper
? - viper
sigma - hi-top
tc - strictly
nu:tone - system (matrix & futurebound rmx)
high contrast - pink flamingos
d kay - twin peaks
chase & status - disco
sigma - dawn alarm
cyantific - space station crew
baron - endless summer
state of mind - focus
>>fierce & break - keeper
digital & spirit - phantom force rmx
nero - the forecast
tc - rockstar
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Jungle Tekno 4 - Intelligence + Technology

I found this gem recently, and its the sort of thing I have to share. Released in 1994, Jungle Tekno 4 - Intelligence + Technology stayed clear of the anthem bashing we get on so many compilations today, and stuck with bringing the best of this scene to its fans.

At the time 'jungle' was still a dirty word in the minds of many ravers and clubbers, let alone the general public. Too druggy, too fast, all those crazy beats flying all over the rave, it was just too much for most people.

But for the emerging junglists it was simply the most exciting music we had ever heard. Take a listen.

Tracklist:
1 Randall & Andy C - Sound Control (6:04)
2 Area 39 - Attidude (6:00)
3 Asend & Ultravibe - What Kind Of World? (5:59)
4 Marvellous Cain - Hit Man (5:30)
5 N-Zo & DJ Invincible - Jungle Warrior (5:00)
6 Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era - What The... (Remix) (7:25)
7 Higher Sense - Listen Up (5:25)
8 A-Zone - Calling All The People (Remix) (5:50)
9 M6 Crew - The Basher (V.I.P. Mix) (5:48)
10 The JB - Stand Easy (6:06)
11 A-Sides & Nut-E-1 - Tonight (7:15)
12 Chaos & Julia Set - Natural High (7:16)

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This Is The Beginning

Welcome to the Daze of Reality, a blog for people like us.

Well actually I started this blog to inflict my taste in music and my thoughts on dance music culture on you and anyone else crazy enough to end up here. So if you’re into jungle, drum’n’bass, early 90s hardcore, hip-hop, dub and reggae, with a sprinkle of different techno styles, I know your type so watch out!

What you will find here is a combination of essential music downloads, reasoned critical thought and psychotically unbalanced ranting, along with visuals of the street graffiti that I have been fascinated with since I was a young boy.

The desire to start this page has come from being immersed in the rave scene from the age of 17 back in 1992, through to the present day. Combine this with a hip-hop love affair that dates back to the golden days of 1988, a totally nerdish compulsion to collect and critique hardcore music from various genres, and a typically under-utilised Arts degree … well you get the picture.

I’ve been a raver, a DJ, a promoter, a dance music journo, and a radio presenter, but I have struggled in recent years to find an outlet for this burning passion that I want to stick with. I want to share the freedom that comes from truly experiencing beautiful and inspirational music. So perhaps this is an attempt to recapture that spirit, and to again express my feelings for the music that I love so much.