It’s been quite a while since I’ve been motivated to post a tune on here. Last night I was rooting around a bit and found this tune, and couldn’t wait to play it in a DJ set.
Original DJ Vibes is a really underrated producer in my opinion, from earlier hardcore days through to jungle stuff (and even some early dnb if I remember right). He just cranked out tons of tunes (mostly on his own labels) during that time, and the hit/miss ratio is pretty damn good! This EP is no exception, with this tune in particular showcasing elements I like the most about 92-93 hc/jungle (the rugged experimentalism / “anything goes” nature) before things got a bit more stripped down and stabilized in the 94-95 era. Here, you get some good but standard elements like the ragga vocal and some of the pads and background sounds. But there’s also a weird water drip sound integrated in with the breakbeat, and the break itself sounds extra crunchy, leading this tune to sound maybe even a bit more 92 than 93. Finally, though it’s a minor detail, there’s a nice edit about 24 seconds in which reminds me of a rugged BRAIN RECORDINGS b2 side tune: one of those “so wrong it’s right’ type parts where an entire sequence is pitched up and down without regard to tempo, making everything go intentionally off-kilter for just a second. Love it!
Original DJ Vibes – Skin Up