Jungle. Hip Hop. Dub.
This collection comes from lived experience, not concepts.
House Parties
In the mid to late 90s, I started out playing Jungle at house parties. Small rooms, my own decks most times, my record bags stacked up alongside other DJs’ bags, with breakbeats and bass filling the room. You knew straight away if it was working because the energy told you. Jungle wasn’t something you played quietly or in the background. It was physical, direct, and built around movement and basslines.
Hip Hop at the Edges
At the same time, I was playing a bit of Hip Hop, but it was usually at the start or the end of the night. It would sometimes open the parties or close them down, keeping things less hectic, especially in the mid-90s. Those sets were where I got deeper into turntablism. Cuts, blends, scratching, timing, and control mattered, but most of all it was about having fun.
As Jungle became more dominant at house parties, Hip Hop featured less and less. It still stayed important though, and it influenced how I approached selection, flow, and how tunes worked together.
Jungle Takes Over
As the bookings came in, the focus locked fully into Jungle. That was what I was being booked for. Clubs had become the main places where I was playing. Jungle became the core of what I did.
The sets were never boxed in. Sometimes I would blend Reggae straight into Jungle. It was never the main focus and never a separate selection, but something that worked alongside it. Together, they sounded like one tune.
It worked because 90s Dancehall sat at half the speed of Jungle and Drum & Bass. The tempos locked naturally and you could let it roll without forcing anything. On a proper sound, it made immediate sense. Jungle at full speed and Dancehall at half-time both met in the low end. They complemented each other.
Jungle was my main focus and inspiration. It was fast, intense, and full of bass.
Dub as Influence
Dub came into my life differently. I wasn’t playing Dub in my sets back then, as that didn’t start until the mid-2000s, but I was influenced by it. The bass felt familiar and the weight was the same, just slower and more relaxed. It sounded connected to Jungle, but without the constant rush.
Listening to Dub gave my mind space, a breather. It was a big contrast to what I was DJing most days. The low end was still there, but the mood and feel were different. It made me think more about restraint, space, and freedom, and it gave my mind a rest from the fast pace.
Artists like Lee Scratch Perry, Dub Judah, and Linton Kwesi Johnson were big influences in that way. Not because I was trying to play Dub, but because their approach to bass, rhythm, and message stayed with me.
That influence sat in the background and shaped how I listened, even while Jungle stayed right at the front.
The Engine
Looking back, it was never a straight line from one genre to another. It was interwoven. Jungle, Hip Hop, and Dub moved at different tempos and carried different moods, but they shared the same foundation. Rhythm, bass, and sound-system culture were always at the core. These are sounds that still resonate and continue to inspire me today.
That’s what Rhythm Engine: Module 01 represents. It’s not about nostalgia, but recognition. It’s about acknowledging the roots that shaped how I hear, how I move, and how I build. This is more than just a collection. It’s a nod to three genres of music that helped shape culture.
The three modules in Rhythm Engine: Module 01:
Different tempos. Same engine.
