Spirits From An Urban Jungle are a jungle super group comprising of JMJ (EZ Rollers) & Richie and Tekniq – between them they continued to release music through the 90’s and 00’s on scene stalwarts such as Moving Shadow, Formation and Good Looking. But the group itself only had two releases back in 1994 on White House Records before the disbanded.
Hailing from Norfolk, this Storm From The East were integral to the advancement of the jungle sound in the UK and laid the foundations to for the drum and bass scene that would follow.
Amen Brother’s older brother Vinyl Fanatiks repressed their first EP in 2020 and planted the seed with the guys about possibly making some new music. Lockdown arrived which gave the three of them the time to work on new music and this is the outcome, 25 years after their last release in 1994.
We are super excited to be releasing these tracks and bringing you the class of 94.
Release number four on Amen Brother and this time we are joined by another old skool legend, DJ Pooch. Producing since 1992 on labels like Lucky Spin and United Dance, he has recently got all his old gear back out again and is producing using just analogue gear, to get that raw essence of the early 90’s.
This EP is pure hardcore rave, you won’t find many who can get it just right like Pooch. Drawing upon his years of DJing at the huge raves in the UK as well as his massive back catalogue, these four tunes will transport you back to a muddy field in the UK, listening to cassette tapes of pirate radio shows on the way!
Watch out for more original DJ Pooch material being repressed on Vinyl Fanatiks including his Skrufneck alias, where this EP gets its inspiration from.
Fugitive is Dave Wallace, who started producing in 1991 as Rave Doctor. But as the hardcore sound started to take shape, he shifted to his alias Mad Dog for Underdog Recordings, where he created numerous anthems.
As the jungle sound swept through the UK, Dave switched up yet again and formed Fugitive with Shaun O'Hara, also on Underdog Recordings. And a year later, he formed Aquasky with Brent & Kieron.
This EP is Dave's return to the early 90's jungle sound of 1994, as the harder vibes merged with the musicality of the Bukem era that was sweeping through the scene at this time. It is also the first Fugitive release for 25 years, so a very special moment for fans of this era of UK music.
The third release on this rave inspired label comes by an old school hardcore legend Diplomat. Diplomat spent the early 90’s recording rave and hardcore on his own Immunity Records with the tracks being engineered by Hellfish. He then joined Hellfish on his Deathchant and Bogwoppa labels where he continued to release Hardcore Techno throughout the 90’s. Recently, Diplomat’s first EP ‘Here Comes Mongo’, a highly collectable piece of vinyl exchanging hands on Discogs for up to £100, was re-released on Amen Brothers sister label Vinyl Fanatiks.
This EP showcases Diplomats original love, that of Hardcore Jungle Techno, in which he draws upon his skills from back in the day whilst utilising the technology of the present. There are three brand new productions that turn up the Fantazia levels alongside a remix by his old production partner Beagle, who he worked with under the guise of NARC on Bogwoppa back in 1993. That EP is highly sort after as well, with prices running up to £200 a copy on Discogs. Enjoy the return of the early 90’s and embrace the sound that went on to inspire the world.
The second release on Amen Brother sees the return of another old school legend that only released one EP and vanished for the next 28 years! Lee X-Plode put out a self-funded EP in 1992 on a white label that became highly sort after in the vinyl collecting world, with copies changing hands for up to £250! Vinyl Fanatiks were lucky enough to be blessed with his permission to re-release this EP, which flew off the shelves.
Lee just loves the early 90’s rave scene and is an avid collector of any rave footage from this era. He is so tuned in to this period of music that when he started producing again in 2020, his tracks sounded like they had all been made back then, 100% authentic with 100% vibes. So when we approached Lee about writing an EP for our newly-founded Amen Brother label, he jumped at the chance and gave us four amazing anthems. This EP includes his track ‘Shock Out’ from the ‘Hardcore Lockdown’ album as well as an incredible revamp of his reggae tinged classic ‘Watch This Go’ which was on his one and only release back in 1992.
DJH was 15 when he wrote his first EP back in 1993. That EP became a near mythic release within the hardcore vinyl collecting circles with a price tag of over £700 on Discogs! Vinyl Fanatiks tracked down Danny and organised its re-release back in 2019, with the release selling out rapidly.
Now DJH is back, 27 years later, in the studio recording his first hardcore tracks since the glory years, inspired by the love and support shown by all who bought his repress. So if that was you, thank you for making him return to his first love. And what a return it is. Four incredibly authentic hardcore tracks, recorded in 2020, including his smasher from the ‘Hardcore Lockdown’ album – ‘Hold Tight’. Not only that, but he has revisited his seminal tune ‘Petruccio’ and has remixed it.
I hope you show DJH your support and love and embrace him and this EP into your collection.
