- 3 weeks ago
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00:00Music
01:31It's a feeling of like, this is us. This is what we are. This is Jungle.
01:38Jungle is something that is very unique to Britain because we have that specific mix of the British vibe, the Caribbean or the African as well.
01:50You can't get in any, I don't see being made in any other country. I call it lively up yourself and knees up mother brand.
01:58You mix them two together, you got Jungle.
02:00I'll take you back. In 1988, 1989, there was a scene known as the Acid Asin.
02:08There were hundreds of thousands of young people coming out every weekend.
02:15They were raving Acid Asin music, taking in and taking pills, and raving for days and days.
02:24A lot of us used to go to these Acid Asin raves.
02:26You've got to remember, there was a lot of madness going on in those times.
02:32There was oppression going on, there was a tough time, there was high unemployment.
02:37People were released.
02:39But the thing is, these raves, was the start of most of the genres of music in the early 90s.
02:56Like, hardcore, trance, garage, jungle, they were all near under one roof.
03:02As a result of that, all of these genres, they split up and they went in the clubs.
03:14When I was running IB for the raves, Fantastic IB for,
03:17Well, the promoters are white and I was a black promoter.
03:19And sitting in the room, all these promoters organising these big events like
03:22Hey, tell me, they say, oh, we're all the blacks out of the raves, we jump one of them in the raves and that.
03:26I'm sitting there and I'm f***ing black, I'm not white.
03:28So when you're talking like that, be careful.
03:30People couldn't really get to the clubs, like, you know what I'm saying?
03:31And I went to one night, and they said to me, oh, I don't like your rave, so you're not coming in.
03:36I mean, that's how bad it was bad, this is real stuff, and I thought, you know what, this has got to change, right?
03:41And I thought, what do you do?
03:42I'm going to show the NC about blackness.
03:44I'm going to show them blackness.
03:45So I'd be set up the jungle thing for that reason.
03:50Every music had a floor floor.
03:52Boom, boom, boom.
03:54People started adding breakbeats.
03:59That's how you get the mashup kind of style.
04:01Jungle came from people taking a w*** out, fought to the floor, and just being left with the speeded-up hip-hop break.
04:18Whereas hardcore would be about 150 BPM, jungle would be at 165, 170 BPM.
04:25Strictly aiming beats.
04:30The aiming break is a breakdown in a record.
04:34I can't remember who it's by, and I should know.
04:36One of the most used drum breaks in jungle, up to this day.
04:39A lot of people were instrumental in branching it into a new sound.
04:47I think that came from experimentation, you know?
04:50I'm just going to record it in for him.
04:52We're human, aren't we?
04:53So we always keep on pushing boundaries no matter what we do.
04:55So you get into studio, you try something new.
04:58We were mixing f*** and breakbeat, but then it also comes from funk and s*** and reggae.
05:05You know, all of these things were fused into it.
05:07Producers like Shy FX came with a completely new sound.
05:14I think that Shy was one of the first producers I know that produced music on a computer.
05:22I couldn't even comprehend how that would work.
05:25We used to make music on a Commodore Amiga, a program called Octonet.
05:32Oh, that guy sounds to me this instrumental in the birth of electronic music.
05:38We took all of this equipment that people didn't really f*** and break it open and started fixing it and making it our own.
05:47The sound was rough.
05:50The beats were just rough.
05:51It was like the darkest beelines, it was sound system beelines, and the breaks were loose and they were running.
05:57You get a ragga sample in there, or you get someone actually singing a whole ragga song.
06:02It wasn't always references to black music.
06:09It was also just s***.
06:11It was anything that was s*** that shouldn't really fit.
06:14We are e***.
06:17We are e***.
06:21People's been bantering with the name, trying to get a name for this music.
06:25Where did the name John do come from? Do you know?
06:27No.
06:32He's sampling the Jayne Brown's album.
06:33When I took the album, I had Jungle Groove.
06:351975, Jungle Groove.
06:36I said to him, sample the album, man.
06:38It's called the damn thing Jungle Techno.
06:39He came and he said,
06:41We're going to use this word for this music.
06:44It's a bit conversical, you know, back in the 80s, 70s, 80s.
06:47Reggae music was called Jungle Bunny Music.
06:49I never once thought the name Jungle was a racist term, never, ever.
06:52The term for me, which is subjected to how I saw it, was concrete jungles.
06:57Because I, every I'll say, concrete jungle music is imaginal, because we didn't know what to call it.
07:01Concrete jungle.
07:02I can't make sense to me because I'm growing up in the interior of a concrete jungle, because the madness of gold is a grave.
07:07It's a f***ing jungle.
07:08And it's concrete.
07:13There's a word jungle, but there's also the culture jungle, and I think the culture jungle came before the word.
07:23Pirate radio was the lick, you know what I mean?
07:25Pirate radio was instrumental in bringing people together.
07:30Just basically, you should give out all the information, all the events, meeting points where the rage is happening.
07:35The statement of being just internet, I think it's not far off.
07:40Prior to Pirate Radio, there was no way of communicating with each other.
07:44You know, like, mobile phones were like a new invention, remember?
07:50Not everybody had a mobile phone.
07:52We're talking, like, way down the line before people had mobile phones to be able to just say,
07:56Yo, what you doing tonight?
07:58Pirate radio, back in the day, it was powerful.
08:02It is powerful.
08:04And back then, it was even more powerful because there weren't stations.
08:08To get your name picked up on a pirate radio station was, like, the biggest thing.
08:12Like, I remember when they picked up my name and I went to school and I was like a celebrity in school just for that.
08:18Followed by Christian individual, Swanee, Gary Cade, Dollar, Dexterity.
08:21You had people advertising their hairdresser on.
08:23Oh, you had people advertising their minicab on there.
08:25Country by pounds, country members, 30 quid numbers from all.
08:27It's important to the growth and the expansion of jungle.
08:31You got me, Kenny Ken.
08:32Up to 11 o'clock.
08:34Plain you know what.
08:35People drive from Birmingham to the edge of the M25 where they could pick up Cool FM, record for three, four hours, then drive back home.
08:48Alexandra Palace sit up there on a nice summer day and just record Cool FM because they couldn't pick it up out of London.
08:57Mad.
08:59Cool FM is the Premier League pirate radio station.
09:02Cool FM is the number one, the champion, the creator of every team.
09:09You know, if it wasn't for Cool FM, I wouldn't be sitting here now.
09:12I've been at Cool FM 30 years.
09:14I've been offered radio slots on legal radio stations and I've turned them down.
09:18Why?
09:19Because they're going to tell me what I need to do.
09:21They're going to tell me what I can't play.
09:27Cockroaches.
09:28You know what I'm saying?
09:29Running across the decks.
09:30We, um, be chased by the police.
09:37I've done it because I love the music.
09:39And if we got money along the way, it was a box.
09:42The first gamble was just to get on air.
09:45Back in the day, proper radio men and people who respected each other, you'd keep two digits away from anyone else.
09:52Just cut-standing frequency because if you're jammed, you don't get out because you're getting blocked in.
09:56You look for a gap somewhere.
09:58And at that time, there was a gap on 945.
10:01We were well clear.
10:02With a pirate radio station, you've got your aerial on a tower block and your transmitter and that.
10:11You put your aerial on the highest point possible.
10:13That would be one of these two dogs here and you transmit.
10:16Cool FM have the experience and the expertise.
10:18We used to sail down the building from the roof down to about the 18th floor at the side of the building.
10:27No ropes, no harnesses.
10:29Putting the transmitter in and securing it and then climbing back up to the top of the roof.
10:34When you're young and you've got so much love of doing something for, like, your station, just do what you had to do.
10:47The adrenaline in your body keeps you going.
10:51So you put in your life...
10:52That's what you do for the love of music.
10:55I just used to sit in a record shop while my mum went shopping for hours, like, just listening to the songs.
11:11Maybe bought one record.
11:12I could probably buy one record a week or every two weeks.
11:17The record shop almost became like a community centre.
11:20And when you went there, it was an experience, you know?
11:23It wasn't just buying records.
11:25Go there, you can get flyers, buy tickets.
11:30It was meeting friends, it was having a laugh.
11:32It was exciting about the party that was coming up.
11:36Record hunting wasn't just about record hunting.
11:38It was about mixing with people and learning people and to know new people.
11:44Yeah, 100%.
11:45Yeah, man, the c***** itself, you know, a lot's been taken away because of e***** that sort of thing.
11:49It's true.
11:50Because people don't talk to each other and that was important back then, you know?
11:53I'd go, I'd go, if you've seen Chadwell Heath, I'd go, Edgeware Road, Bluebird Records and then I'd end up at Black Market and Tracks.
12:04You used to go to all different record shops to go and get all of those flavours.
12:08In my lunch break, I'd go and stand in the black market and just listen to the tunes.
12:12Every day I went in there, I'd hear the latest tunes,
12:14so by the end of the week now, I'd have a whole heap of tunes,
12:16but I'd have money to pay for them, you know?
12:18And the interesting thing about it as well was the hierarchy in a record shop.
12:22Coming to the shop, there's a record, you're at the back of the queue,
12:25depending on how big your name is.
12:28You're trying to get to the front of the queue before the record's gone.
12:31They were very, very important and fun times.
12:34The importance of Music House and Dubplates was integral to what was going on.
12:43A Dubplate's a piece of metal. It's actually metal.
12:48You bring a stat and they put it in and Leon would cut it onto a piece of metal for you.
12:53It was £30 a pop. It wasn't on sale for everyone to just go and buy.
12:59Only a few people had it.
13:01The Chai FX message, that was the biggest dubplate in the world.
13:05And that was the only person with it.
13:09The amount of money I spent on dubs.
13:11Some weeks would be a couple of hundred pounds.
13:14Some weeks it could be as much as a grand.
13:17I probably spent...
13:20God.
13:22I mean...
13:23Maybe 50 grand on Dubplates?
13:24Easily.
13:26My name is Nicholas.
13:27They call me Nicky sleeping because I'm skinny and I'm 16 years old.
13:30At that time I thought the only way I was going to get into one of these events is if I was the DJ.
13:34My uncle was a DJ.
13:35I kind of just watched him DJ at the time and kind of taught myself.
13:39When he used to go out, he used to jump on the decks.
13:41The only way he tried to do this record is at the same time put beats at the same time as this one.
13:45As I mix these two songs together, it's this one as one.
13:48So the person doesn't even know that I've gone into another song.
13:52Nice. One. It's in.
13:53I'll be in with a crossfader.
13:54And it's a crossfader that you cross them over.
13:57DJs are not DJing like now.
13:58You can press a button and it does it all for you.
14:05There's quite a few of us female DJs.
14:08Look at those days.
14:10Um, you simply wasn't allowed to DJ in my room, you see.
14:15I remember the promoter come up to me and I didn't know it was the promoter at the time.
14:19I don't even know how I got the job.
14:20And he was like, what do you think?
14:21And what do you think?
14:22And I was like, that's right.
14:23I mean, next look at the surprise Beatles rap.
14:26What do you want, eh?
14:27I guess this is as good as it's going to get for tonight.
14:28He was like, well, I'm the promoter and who are you?
14:30And I was like, oh shit.
14:31No.
14:32What's your problem?
14:33I said, the problem is I want to be there.
14:34With Fabien.
14:35I want to be there.
14:36I want to play.
14:37All the buttons.
14:38And he was just like, calm down.
14:39That's not going to happen.
14:40So, packed with me on the head.
14:41But it became an ongoing joke every week.
14:42He would come up to me, still pissed off rap.
14:43And I'd be like, yep, still shit.
14:45And didn't turn up.
14:46And he just came up to me and he went, you better be as good as you say you are.
14:50And I was like, watch my dust.
14:51Off go.
14:52And into that room I went.
14:53And I just took the shit out of that place.
15:00And I got residency that night and that was it.
15:02I became the first female to ever play a main stage.
15:07You sort of go on there and you just know what people need.
15:12A DJ's gift, in a way, is telepathy.
15:16It's an art form, you know.
15:22Jungle 94, it took over.
15:25It was one of the biggest things in the world.
15:27It was the, sort of like, the punk rock.
15:30The rock and roll of that time.
15:32You walk down the road in all cars.
15:34You're playing at their cars, playing tapes.
15:36I just remember seeing thousands of people raving to this music.
15:41Sweat coming down from the ceiling.
15:43Just loads of ravers just having it.
15:46It was the best experience.
15:51Girls used to go back.
15:52Their hair's done.
15:53Nails done.
15:55It was amazing how they casted the music in them high heels.
15:58Because, you know, the music is fast.
16:00If you worked all week.
16:02You're going skinny.
16:03Buy the latest outfit.
16:06And, yeah, you should be seen.
16:10I went to a jungle fever.
16:12A VIP champagne bash.
16:14I went shopping the day before.
16:16I had a little crisp.
16:18Because the women then were coming looking crisp.
16:20The men then were dressing nice.
16:22The man used to wear a suit.
16:24You know what I mean?
16:25It's a suit to the rave.
16:28You know, you're thinking, wow.
16:29Is that a wedding?
16:30It's a jungle rave.
16:31It's a jungle rave.
16:34I'd never been to any kind of event, really.
16:37Apart from, like, house parties on the ends.
16:40So, walking into a jungle rave for the first time.
16:42Thousands of people.
16:43Just a whole experience of it.
16:44Seeing, you know, you guys on stage doing the things.
16:46It was the first time I'd ever known what it was.
16:48So, I was just totally blown away by it.
16:50And, literally, as I came out of that event, I was like,
16:52Oh, my gosh.
16:53I want to know who these people are.
16:54I want to get into this scene.
16:55I want to be a part of this.
16:56The main thing that kind of got me recognised was
16:59I just started MCing about things that I thought
17:01most of people hanging around with would relate to.
17:04Playing street fighter like cars or whatever.
17:06So, you had things like the Autotradar.
17:07The lyric that came out of it.
17:08Enter Autotradar.
17:09Skibadida Supplier.
17:10Laguna.
17:11Toyota.
17:12MR2 Salicar.
17:13Cavalier.
17:14Kelly Ebra.
17:15Astro or Fiesta.
17:16Enter MySpace Cruiser.
17:17Beating with your matter.
17:18No Skoda.
17:19Strada.
17:20Honda.
17:21Check.
17:22Check.
17:23Mazda.
17:24Nova.
17:25No Corsa.
17:26Sierra or Frontierra.
17:27We deal with the matter.
17:28Bye bye.
17:29Cheese!
17:30I'm in love.
17:31Sweet love.
17:33Sweet love.
17:34Hear me calling out your name.
17:37We learnt on the job.
17:38And we just kept on pushing the boundaries.
17:40I'm in love.
17:41Sweet love.
17:42It's exciting.
17:43You know, you don't have to go to work anymore.
17:45Because you're getting paid as a young black man.
17:48It's like you're not supposed to be there.
17:49And we're here.
17:50And we're leaving.
17:51And that was a really nice feeling.
17:53I will be.
17:54For me, what Jungle did as well was also broke down class barriers.
17:59You were mixing with people from estates on Hackney.
18:02But with girls who were going to private school in Kensington.
18:05It was the French of the people.
18:07Black.
18:08White.
18:09Indian.
18:10Everything was there.
18:11All under one reframing.
18:13It was one unit.
18:14And we was there for one thing mainly.
18:19For gal.
18:20And to enjoy ourself.
18:22Because if you know me fuck with L.A.R.T.
18:24I was a gal.
18:25But we won't go on to that, yeah?
18:28I did get my name.
18:30For nothing.
18:36I always thought that juggle.
18:38Was too good to just be kept to a few.
18:49First my spiritual inner Nike shop.
18:51It's a deal when these records break through.
18:53But at that time.
18:54The philosophy was more keep hold on it.
18:55Keep everything tight.
18:56And let's keep the sun going.
18:57Which I understand.
18:58You know.
18:59We were a bunch of outlaws running around.
19:00Without any conformity.
19:01So it was really good.
19:02That it was arseeing.
19:03It was sacred.
19:04It was small.
19:05The police, you know.
19:06That whole anarchy sort of vibe.
19:07I get where the fuck came from.
19:08But I've always thought that in order for something to grow.
19:10It needs to become popular.
19:17So when Incredible came along.
19:18It was just like.
19:19Oh, this has just opened this way.
19:24Hey, is it rolling?
19:25Yeah.
19:26Incredible was and is the biggest jungle tune in the world.
19:32Wicked.
19:33Wicked.
19:34Jungle is massive.
19:35Wicked.
19:36Wicked.
19:37Jungle is massive.
19:38Keep a good thing a secret for her anyway.
19:40How did Incredible come to be?
19:44Oh, this question.
19:47Love it.
19:48General, I leave you alongside the MV.
19:51The world is in trouble.
19:52I won't tell them how to run.
19:53It goes.
19:54I am the incredible general.
19:57I can appreciate.
19:58It's like over 25 years ago.
20:00So some people have different recollections of what the story is.
20:03But I'm going to give what mine is.
20:05I was in it for the love of the music.
20:10I wasn't really in it for the glory.
20:13I mean, even this is my first ever interview.
20:15I was dating a girl at the time from over East London.
20:18And she was into jungle a lot.
20:20And she was taking me to a few jungle races.
20:23It was like, you know, I was still quite resistant.
20:25Because I was a hardcore reggae dance style man.
20:28My dad, who was my best partner for the record label, Rank Records.
20:34He had an idea to put live vocals on jungle.
20:39Because nobody was really doing that.
20:41I thought that this would be perfect for me.
20:43A perfect opportunity for me to demonstrate my skills in a new scene.
20:49I did a previous album called Wicked Agile.
20:51And incredible was on that album.
20:53So incredible was already written.
20:54He went to the studio.
20:55And I was totally not prepared.
20:57So I thought, you know what?
20:58Let me just grab a backing track.
21:00Which style.
21:01Sweet girl style.
21:02So if you listen to that track.
21:04Style.
21:05Yeah.
21:06Don't have a listen.
21:10That is the backing track for incredible.
21:13And I just thought that will do.
21:15I told Levy to just spit on this.
21:17I was able to be more commanding.
21:19Wicked.
21:20Wicked.
21:21With my voice on a jungle track.
21:22Which I liked.
21:23Wicked.
21:24Jungle is massive.
21:25When you hear.
21:26Wicked.
21:27Wicked.
21:28Jungle is massive.
21:29I sat there for about a week.
21:30Chopping up his vocal.
21:31And put it all together.
21:32The original jungle is there.
21:34And that's not taking anything away from what he done.
21:37Because what he done was amazing.
21:39I'm saying I am the.
21:40Incredible.
21:41Incredible.
21:42Incredible.
21:43General.
21:44It's like a battling song.
21:46Incredible.
21:47Incredible.
21:48General.
21:49So let's.
21:50Then he goes off into verse.
21:51Yo.
21:52Mathew.
21:53All of them.
21:54Spin them like a windmill.
21:55That means all the.
21:56All the.
21:57All the.
21:58All the haters.
21:59Everybody's against you.
22:00You make the whole of them.
22:01Like a windmill.
22:02New talk for them.
22:03Go tell them how we got the skill.
22:04New talk for them.
22:05Go tell them how we got the skill.
22:06We got a new talk again.
22:07New talk.
22:08New tune again.
22:09Cause we got the skill.
22:10Dance can't be nice.
22:12Unless my name's on the bill.
22:31Then the big one.
22:32Is when it goes.
22:33Booyaka.
22:34Booyaka.
22:35Booyaka.
22:36MB.
22:37Randy.
22:38Dance.
22:39Booyaka.
22:40Booyaka.
22:41Booyaka.
22:42We don't take that no talk.
22:43That means whatever we say.
22:44We mean it.
22:45That's me pressing two.
22:46Different keys on the keyboard.
22:47Incredible.
22:48Incredible.
22:49I thought the tune had finished.
22:51Because I thought the tune had finished.
22:54And it's like talking.
22:55Incredible.
22:57And then when we.
22:58Kept it.
22:59Cause it sounded cool.
23:00It's a bad man tune fam.
23:01Alright.
23:02It's a bad man tune.
23:03Alright.
23:04It's a bad man tune.
23:05Alright.
23:06To be honest.
23:07I just thought it was just another.
23:08It was just another.
23:09Deadly office.
23:10To be honest.
23:11There was no expectation.
23:12We put it on dub.
23:13And then.
23:14Basically we put it out there.
23:15And.
23:16The reaction.
23:17Trust.
23:18It was just crazy.
23:19Which kind of surprised me.
23:20It was a bit overwhelming.
23:21The excitement.
23:22That song.
23:23Caused.
23:24We knew it was a hit.
23:25If I remember rightly.
23:26It was on Top of the Pops.
23:27A good few times.
23:28Yeah.
23:29You're number eight.
23:30On Top of the Pops.
23:31And I was like.
23:32Okay.
23:33Wow.
23:34To be honest.
23:35It should have gone to.
23:36I mean.
23:37It should have gone to number one.
23:38It was a hot.
23:39Hot.
23:40Hot track at the time.
23:41We didn't want our thing to go on Top of the Pops.
23:42Did we?
23:43We were just.
23:44In the dance.
23:45In the clubs.
23:46In the underground scene.
23:47The scene had its own commanders.
23:48And shit.
23:49If you want to put it that way.
23:50So when you've got this label.
23:51Outside of.
23:52The scene.
23:53Didn't like him.
23:54Go blame yourself.
23:55Because.
23:56When they interviewed.
23:57General Evie.
23:58He turned around and said.
23:59Eyes of Betty Jungle.
24:00Everyone knows what happened.
24:01Like.
24:02When they interviewed.
24:03General Evie.
24:04When they interviewed.
24:05General Evie.
24:06He turned around and said.
24:07Eyes of Betty Jungle.
24:09Everyone knows what happened.
24:10Like.
24:11Basically.
24:12He said the wrong thing.
24:13At the wrong time.
24:14And everyone went against him.
24:15And that caused the problem.
24:16He never said that.
24:17I actually said I create jungle.
24:19Alright.
24:20I wish I did.
24:21But I didn't.
24:22He said.
24:23He never said that.
24:24He said he never said that.
24:25So.
24:26And I believe that.
24:27He never said that.
24:28I went on a stage.
24:29I opened the assembly hall.
24:30I looked at.
24:31Two thousand people.
24:32And said.
24:33This is jungle music.
24:34We've created something incredible here.
24:35We should be so proud.
24:36Jamaicans have got reg.
24:37Americans got hip hop.
24:38And the English have jungle.
24:39We've created something great here.
24:40Now that journalist from the face magazine.
24:42To my quote.
24:43Out of context.
24:44Put it in a magazine.
24:45Where people can read.
24:46And it says.
24:47I created jungle.
24:48Where I was there.
24:49I was saying.
24:50Us as a people.
24:51I didn't really get involved.
24:52I know that Levy got the brunt of that.
24:53I was humiliated.
24:54I was humiliated.
24:55Stan.
24:56When people humiliate you.
24:57You know.
24:58You can ask people.
24:59What did you say man?
25:00What did you say man?
25:01What did you say man?
25:02Not he thought.
25:03Not he thought.
25:04Not he thought.
25:05Just to have seen one at the time.
25:06Get rid of General Levy.
25:07If people knew these names.
25:08They'd be very surprised.
25:09Some of these names.
25:10Some of my favourite DJs.
25:11I got advised on this meeting.
25:13They turned around and said.
25:14You should play the show.
25:15And a few people listened to them.
25:17And.
25:18I was like.
25:19How could you do this?
25:20Stop playing man's tune.
25:21I'm basically being told.
25:22That we shouldn't play this record.
25:23We should wake up this record.
25:24I'm big up DJ Rap.
25:25Because she's the only.
25:26Person who.
25:27Played.
25:28She went against the grain.
25:29Yup Levy.
25:30Um.
25:31I nearly got killed for you.
25:32And she played.
25:33I actually stole my sets with it.
25:34Just to make.
25:35He said.
25:36He said.
25:37He said.
25:38He said.
25:39He said.
25:40He said.
25:41He said.
25:42He said.
25:43My view was.
25:44You can't tell me.
25:45If we're in this free roaming.
25:46Anarchy free.
25:47Society.
25:48Hold on a minute.
25:49We're suddenly being told what to play.
25:50It's like.
25:51Am I a totalitarian state?
25:52I mean we are right now.
25:53But like.
25:54You know.
25:55Someone said.
25:56Ban his tune.
25:57I said.
25:58So.
25:59Ban his tune on call.
26:00Which.
26:01I don't know.
26:02I've got no regrets.
26:03Because what I did.
26:04I did.
26:05You know.
26:06It was me personally.
26:07Who had decided to say.
26:08Yep.
26:09It's banned.
26:10No one else could make me ban it.
26:11Or no one else.
26:12They said they wanted it.
26:13And I said.
26:14Yes.
26:15If I didn't want to ban it.
26:16It wouldn't ban.
26:17So it's done to me.
26:18And I told it straight.
26:19That's me.
26:20I did that.
26:21We were alienated.
26:22They teamed together.
26:23Click together.
26:24That we don't get no bookings.
26:26We don't get nothing.
26:27We don't get any support.
26:28How much coffee did you sell in that time?
26:31Huh.
26:32Well this is the big question.
26:34That's something I don't know.
26:36I know it's not.
26:37Unfortunately.
26:38I was never a kid.
26:39You are not a penny.
26:40Not a penny.
26:41No.
26:42Didn't make a penny.
26:43From incredible.
26:44Yeah.
26:45Fam.
26:46Let me tell you some.
26:47I had to go and sign on.
26:48Imagine you got a big tune and you got a s*** done.
26:49I had to sign on fam.
26:50I had to go and sign on.
26:51Imagine you got a big tune and you got s*** done.
26:53I had to sign on fam.
26:54I had to sign on fam.
26:55I had to lose her.
26:56I had to drop from my record company.
26:57I had to get more distress.
26:58And I got the phone and I put down the phone.
26:59And when I put the phone I looked re-
27:01This is not true.
27:02This is like in my kind of mind.
27:03I put down the phone and the door was open and she was gone.
27:10It's like I lost a deal.
27:11What?
27:12I lost a deal.
27:13What?
27:14Really?
27:15Okay.
27:16No problem.
27:17I was going for real bad time at that time.
27:19To be honest with you.
27:20I was in a very bad space.
27:22My father, we had a disagreement.
27:26Obviously it came to a head.
27:28I was kicked out of the family home basically.
27:32And that's how I became homeless.
27:35Recording deals for ages.
27:37I couldn't.
27:38I've never got a recording.
27:39I couldn't.
27:40And it just stopped a lot of stuff.
27:42I couldn't even get arrested in Hasden.
27:44People even .
27:45I couldn't even get a bird.
27:48And I clapped them.
27:49I wasn't cool.
27:50You know?
27:51He was a waste man.
27:53It was hard because I wasn't bullet proof.
27:55And yeah, you know, I got phones started happening at night.
28:00We're coming to get you.
28:01You're going to get cut.
28:02You're going to get this.
28:03You're going to get that.
28:04And that went on for about a month.
28:05And then I was just like, I'll just come round and fuck it.
28:06But there were moments that got a bit scary.
28:09I was in the wilderness.
28:10I was on this blacklist.
28:11Yeah?
28:12Not getting no blah, blah, blah, blah.
28:13And then one day, I did this track with Sticky called Pull Up.
28:16And then we had to go to one extra to do an interview.
28:21So while I'm in the foyer in one extra,
28:23Um, these guys walking past dizzy rascal and fecky.
28:25All these guys walking past was lying.
28:27I'm like, wow, the grime you stem is dead.
28:29They're doing up here.
28:30He came out.
28:31Lovely lady.
28:32And with a little board and she said,
28:33Oh, you wanted in that room Mr. Levy.
28:34I said, what?
28:35In that room with all the man's them?
28:36I said, yeah, you're in that room.
28:37I said, well, all right then.
28:38And then boom, I stepped to the mic and then just went into water, mate.
28:40But the rest is history.
28:41This song.
28:4220 years.
28:4320 years of a scene.
28:45It was a really good, really good session with all these guys, man.
28:48It was good because they acknowledged me.
28:49Because they came for years old again.
28:51And showed that I did have an impact in this country.
28:53Yo!
28:54Yo!
28:55Yo!
28:56Yo!
28:57Yo!
28:58It's a classic, man.
28:59It's like, that's a song that I used to play at my school parties.
29:01That's a song that everybody knows.
29:02That's a song that is still here today, 30 years later.
29:04Yeah, General Levy on that side.
29:07Saying the words a little bit, man.
29:09It sounds like me as well.
29:11Yeah, Jungle's Pop.
29:12Jungle's Pop is the start of where I started to think.
29:14Yeah, this is...
29:15I'll clear this a bit.
29:16Booyaka!
29:17Booyaka!
29:18Booyaka!
29:19Booyaka!
29:20Booyaka!
29:21Booyaka!
29:22Booyaka!
29:23Booyaka!
29:24Booyaka!
29:25I tell you what, I've been asked to General Levy personally.
29:27We was wrong.
29:28And I can hold my hands and say that now.
29:30You know, bless General Levy.
29:31He's smashing it.
29:32He's all around Weldon's tune.
29:33And he's a lovely brother.
29:34And he carries the board for us.
29:36We're all paging prim now with softs.
29:41Never get tired of it.
29:43I'm very much over it.
29:44That was then.
29:45This is now.
29:46I'm not trying to relive that or interested in reliving that.
29:50It's good to document this, but that was then.
29:52And this is now.
29:53All I can say is that.
29:54Everything happens for a reason.
29:55And it's like having a baby.
29:56There's a lot of pain.
29:57Play something beautiful.
29:58That's it, guys.
29:59Jeremy Levy.
30:00Woo!
30:01Thank you, thank you, thank you.
30:02Thank you, thank you, thank you.
30:03Thank you, thank you.
30:04Thank you, thank you, thank you.
30:05Thank you, thank you, thank you.
30:06Thank you, thank you, thank you.
30:0797, 98 jungle started getting a little dark.
30:09There was a lot of trouble in jungle raids.
30:11A lot of fights happening.
30:13And people being robbed and stuff like that.
30:15It got so bad that the next thing I was expecting guns to come out.
30:22What people understand is that jungles are on the street.
30:25And it wasn't a college thing.
30:27It was on the street.
30:29Yeah?
30:30So a street can be ugly.
30:32But no matter what happens, it's not going to be just nice.
30:35Because you've got good and bad on the street.
30:37Growing up in our cities,
30:39a lot of bad boys were into like crack cocaine and stuff,
30:42you know what I mean?
30:43But our area where we grew up, we didn't really respect it.
30:46As the young ones didn't really respect that sort of thing.
30:49And jungle was full of that.
30:51So we liked the music and the MCs and in awe of the MCs.
30:54When we looked around us, it didn't sit well with our street use.
30:57Now a certain rave you go in and you smell it straight away.
31:01It had that.
31:02It had that.
31:03You know.
31:04Just, just Parliament.
31:06Let's not go.
31:07What the f**k do that?
31:08When the f**k do that.
31:09They were powdered those parties.
31:11What do you think they're doing?
31:12But we get condemned as the bad guys.
31:15Let's all be real.
31:16The whole race, it was built on drugs.
31:18The e-ecstasy.
31:19Without the e-ecstasy, there wouldn't be no,
31:21I see.
31:22So let's not go there.
31:23What happened was,
31:24when you got North London and South London and East London
31:27under one roof, something's going to happen.
31:29Got to kick off.
31:31People started to bring their grievances to the club.
31:35People going around snatching chains and all that.
31:38People we know got shot there and there on the f**k.
31:40People getting stabbed outside.
31:42There was a time in my career where I kind of just thought to myself,
31:45like, I don't think this is for me.
31:47Like, I like this, but I might have to go and get a job.
31:49Or I might have to move on from this because I'm not f**king this.
31:53Once this trouble and stuff started kicking off, you know,
31:55a lot of the club owners in the West End was like,
31:57we don't want to, you know, take these bookings for jungle events no more.
32:02And so, you know, to keep us alive, we had to make changes.
32:06To me, they wanted to outlaw the jungle team.
32:08They changed the beat to take out the ragga and the reggae
32:13and it kind of moved it, like, to drum and bass form.
32:17Jungle's got soul.
32:18It's got soul.
32:19It's got vibes.
32:20It's got energy.
32:21Right?
32:22And it's the way it's the way it's the way it's the way it's the way.
32:23Right?
32:24You know, when it comes from art, we're like,
32:26melodies are like, like, when I say we,
32:28I just call us as one people.
32:30Come from where we come from.
32:31That time there was a separation of us and them.
32:33It was like a bit of us and .
32:34Goldie.
32:35He come down to us and he done live industry on open forum.
32:38Guns in my bedroom, me in the court, whatever.
32:40But it was like he come to destroy Cool FM that day.
32:43And he hurt us.
32:44Can I get some coffee, please, sir?
32:45Yes, sir.
32:46What would you like?
32:47Just coffee with some sugar in it.
32:48Go on.
32:49Cool FM.
32:50Open forum.
32:51Discussion that guys had.
32:52Metal Gear Affair!
32:53Metal Gear Affair, yeah, bring it.
32:54Come on.
32:55I'm going to rather break it down for you,
32:56because you should have asked him the question.
32:57It's not a question for me.
32:58I'm going to hit you.
32:59Let me get it to you.
33:01This is my truck.
33:02I want to see you.
33:03No, no, no.
33:04It wasn't that.
33:05It wasn't that.
33:06It wasn't that.
33:07It wasn't that.
33:08It wasn't that.
33:09Goldie's doing his thing and then his jungle.
33:10Now, remember.
33:11Everybody was protective of what Goldie's already said.
33:12There was this protection about their arts, the craft.
33:13Evening.
33:14Evening, right?
33:15The elements.
33:16A lot of the elements are negative elements right now.
33:18Today.
33:19It's just gone through our history, man.
33:21Man's in.
33:22You hear a chill out.
33:23A man might have, uh, sat on my Glock or whatever.
33:26It's just one of those things, man.
33:28Good talk.
33:29Bullshit.
33:30We are creating our own environment.
33:31I don't want to see the youth culture getting messed up.
33:33Right?
33:34I don't want to see that.
33:35I'm not having, I'm not having none of it.
33:38What is the difference between your scene and Goldie's scene?
33:41All right.
33:42The difference between, um, our scene and Goldie's scene is, um, initially the music and the
33:48clientele that go to it.
33:50That's, that's the only difference.
33:51Right.
33:52At the end of the day, it's not like Goldie's world disappeared over here.
33:56I've always been in the same place I've always been.
33:58It just means I've got an environment where I haven't got to get on a mic on a Sunday and
34:03talk about this and that and whatever, because it's safe.
34:07It's always been D&B in jungle.
34:09It doesn't really matter.
34:10It's culture.
34:11And culture, the last time I checked, does what he says on fucking scene in this shit.
34:15That's your history, by the way.
34:16Culture.
34:17Noovers and moos in this environment.
34:18So for me, concrete fucking jungle, D&B ever, we're no matter looking over this thing
34:23and it's different.
34:24We're the same field sunshine.
34:25We're animals, we're in the same field.
34:27Yeah.
34:28You don't have to, you know, some people like the more technical angle of it.
34:30Some people like the more soulful angle of it.
34:31Some people like the more powerful aspects of it.
34:33Some people like the more basey, roundy, basey kind of.
34:35So many variations of it.
34:37People stop using reggae samples and stuff so much.
34:39Basically.
34:40Basically.
34:41That's what it was.
34:42People stop using reggae samples and, you know, everyone's going like,
34:44Oh, there's no black in it.
34:45Well, we're black.
34:46Yes.
34:47What are you talking about?
34:50What are you talking about?
34:51For real?
34:52When I started this thing when I was 22, there was no way to operate with an orchestra.
35:01At the Royal Festival Hall.
35:02At the Royal Festival Hall at any point in my life.
35:04Because it's not where I was heading.
35:05And my head was thinking, well, an orchestra with this music, there's no fucking way that's
35:16going to work.
35:17No chance.
35:18Do you know what I mean?
35:19And they sat down and said, yeah, we can do this.
35:22But my thing was, if it doesn't sound authentic, then it's not worth doing.
35:28Yeah.
35:29But there's no way we thought this was possible.
35:31You have to remember, these tunes were made on bad equipment back in the day.
35:35Out of tune, out of key.
35:37You know, they work because of the vibe.
35:39Yeah, for real.
35:40Not because they're musically correct.
35:41When I saw all of these tunes with sheet music, I was like, that's mad.
35:48And you've got to remember, nobody that made any of these tunes can win.
35:52That's what I'm saying.
35:53Pretty much, yeah.
35:54With a finger on it, it would have thrown the whole thing.
35:57And luckily, everything just came together.
36:06It felt like a moment for us.
36:12You know, my girl's mum was telling me that she used to go to Royal Festival and all
36:15and listen to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Kesby and all them kind of jazzists.
36:19And she believed that I was actually there.
36:22She says it for real.
36:24I never dreamt in a million years it would have gone as well as it did.
36:30Jungle music has never been dead.
36:32Let me just get that straight.
36:33It's never been dead.
36:37If you're standing in the 90s and you turn to the 2020,
36:40give it a year, there's 30 years.
36:43But you can play this music right now in a Club 2 night
36:47and people go, what the fucking fuck is this music?
36:49And you go, it's 25, 26 years old.
36:53We're now ready for take off.
36:58It was almost like a vision.
36:59It was very, very futuristic.
37:01That whole Jungle cultural movement was, I would say, the blueprint and the foundations
37:07for all the music that came after it.
37:13Basically, Jungle's the daddy.
37:14That's the bottom line.
37:15That's right.
37:16Real talk, man.
37:17Jungle is the mother of UK dance music.
37:20The one uncle that's always been at the fucking party is Jungle D&B.
37:27He's the uncle no cunt wants to invite to the party.
37:29Because he comes to the party in the barbecue and starts telling the kids the truth.
37:32Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?
37:39May I have your attention?
38:00But now I'm ready for take off.
38:09May I have your attention to the new topic for a few minutes later?
38:11I'm going to have to take off that new topic.
38:12I'm going to have my attention to the cool dog section of the program.
38:14I'm going to have a better idea for the story of the activity in the beginning.
38:15Anyway, the idea of the outcome is going to make a change.
38:16I'm going to have my attention to the different people that I am going to have to do with a quick
38:21cá»±c on the presentation.
38:22I'm going to have a great idea for you.
38:23How about the future of the earth?
38:24Theì–¼thorians.
38:25It's going to have a good idea for me.
38:26Most of the people that I am going to do,
38:27Were I have a great idea for you?
38:28I'm going to have a better idea for you.
38:29You're going to have to have fun today.
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