1991
Before Jungle Had a Name
Amen breaks, reggae bass and pirate radio: the sound begins to separate from rave hardcore.
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1991–2020 · 30 annual chapters
JUNGLE / DRUM&BASSHistory
Three decades of breakbeats, basslines, pirate radio, underground raves and worldwide culture.
Explore the TimelineThe timeline
1991–2000
The Birth of Jungle
Breakbeat hardcore splits, pirate radio and sound systems give jungle its own pulse. Metalheadz, atmospheric drum & bass and techstep follow, and the sound goes international.
- Breakbeat hardcore
- Pirate radio
- Sound systems
- Metalheadz
- Atmospheric
- Techstep
1991
Before Jungle Had a Name
Amen breaks, reggae bass and pirate radio: the sound begins to separate from rave hardcore.
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1992
Hardcore Splits Into Something Darker
Time-stretched breaks and darker bass make a new future audible.
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1993
Jungle Finds Its Own Pulse
Piano, dread, razor-sharp breakbeats and the beginnings of a self-aware scene.
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1994
Jungle Breaks Through
Ragga voices, pirate-radio energy and records that carried jungle into the charts.
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1995
Jungle Becomes an Album Art
Goldie’s Timeless and the Metalheadz Blue Note sessions redraw the horizon.
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1996
Two Futures for Drum & Bass
Atmospheric journeys and cold precision coexist while the scene builds lasting institutions.
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1997
Drum & Bass Steps Into the Spotlight
Bristol wins the Mercury Prize while Photek turns breakbeats into fine engineering.
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1998
The Machines Take Over
Wormhole, Virus and the darker architecture of late-90s drum & bass.
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1999
Drum & Bass Opens New Doors
The scene experiments with live instruments, vocals and albums made for more than the rave.
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2000
A New Century, More Than One Sound
Liquid funk enters the conversation while drum & bass keeps its underground force.
Explore this year2001–2010
A Sound Without Borders
Liquid funk finds its audience, Hospital Records builds a world, Pendulum fills arenas and communities spring up in every country. Neurofunk and Autonomic push production into new territory.
- Liquid funk
- Hospital Records
- Pendulum
- Festivals
- Neurofunk
- Autonomic
2001
The Groove Gets a New Shape
A startling rhythm at RAM meets the deeper possibilities of Calibre’s debut.
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2002
Liquid Finds Its Audience
High Contrast, DJ Marky and a new radio platform widen the map of drum & bass.
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2003
From the Club to the Live Stage
Pendulum’s early impact meets London Elektricity’s full-band imagination.
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2004
High Society, High Expectations
Liquid grows more confident while the dancefloor keeps pushing against it.
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2005
Pendulum Change the Scale
A new kind of drum & bass album makes its presence felt—while Calibre goes deeper.
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2006
New Names, New Laboratories
A sprawling Logistics album and the launch of Med School show how wide the sound has become.
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2007
The Beautiful Side of the Dark
Commix and High Contrast reveal two very different ways to make drum & bass emotional.
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2008
Between the Dancefloor and the Machine
dBridge looks inward as Chase & Status reach outward; two futures coexist.
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2009
Two Speeds of the Future
Sub Focus and Alix Perez release contrasting albums as Autonomic opens a third path.
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2010
The New Global Vocabulary
Noisia’s precision, Netsky’s melody and online video prepare the next decade.
Explore this year2011–2020
The Global Era
Chart breakthroughs, festival culture and experimental production sit side by side. Deep drum & bass and a jungle revival grow, until the pandemic silences the dancefloor.
- Chart breakthroughs
- Festival culture
- Neurofunk
- Deep D&B
- Jungle revival
- Pandemic
2011
Big Stages, Many Directions
Chase & Status reach a new scale while Camo & Krooked sharpen a European festival sound.
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2012
Drum & Bass Tops the Charts
DJ Fresh and Rudimental cross into the UK mainstream; SpectraSoul prove that depth still matters.
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2013
Songs Inside the Breakbeats
Wilkinson and Rudimental show the emotional reach of vocal D&B without defining the whole scene.
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2014
Two Number Ones, One New Machine
Sigma reaches the top twice, while Mefjus makes a case for radical sound design.
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2015
Albums for the Heart and the System
Etherwood and Enei illuminate contrasting moods while festival D&B remains immense.
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2016
Noisia Reaches the Outer Edges
Noisia turns technical detail into a visual spectacle as D&B album culture grows.
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2017
A Mosaic and a Farewell
Camo & Krooked expand the album form; the scene mourns Marcus Intalex.
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2018
Beyond the Formula
Mefjus challenges the album format as Sub Focus and Dimension connect generations of dancefloors.
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2019
Jungle Comes Back to the Front
Chase & Status revisit ragga-jungle, Shy FX bridges generations and club anthems keep evolving.
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2020
The Dancefloor Goes Quiet, the Music Does Not
Lockdowns halt live events, but artists answer with new albums, collaborations and remote discovery.
Explore this yearThe Sound of the Era
The first recording each chapter puts on the decks. Press play here, or open the original platform.
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Roni Size & Reprazent — Heavy Rotation
Spotify · from A New Century, More Than One Sound