Woodlark 1 - innovative music project and the official home of f-step

Africa's jungle

"Your music – it’s gay!”

It was an African child spoke this delightful, and yet not overly kind comment, when he was played jungle. By me. This year. Perhaps the sentiment looks familiar to you. Just played your friend the latest beats from DJ F-Creature, you’re convinced they are sublime, and yet your mate tells you in about as many words as the above – “this sucks.” Perhaps jungle isn’t for everyone. Or is it?

Firstly, though, let me explain why, and how, this African child actually heard drum and bass. It has recently been my privilege to spend some months living and working in Tanzania, a large, beautiful East African nation. I went right back to the sticks. I saw how a large proportion of the world’s people live, something I had not seen before. And over time, it was made painfully clear to me that this proportion is living, almost completely, in the absence of jungle. I had to do something about it.

You see, in Tanzania, the music is truly shocking. I quite enjoyed ‘Congolese’ the first time I heard it – a jaunty and jolly jig genre that sounds like country and western on 45 instead of 33 – but it went downhill in my estimation quite rapidly thereafter. The tunes are so mind-numbingly LONG, and just when you think it’ll finish, a twee drum roll brings the instrumentalists back, and the last dying gasps of the tune with them. They needed an alternative, one that was forward looking, intense, and, quite frankly, caning.

So, as my work in the lively, rural village of Monga Manni came to an end, I decided that I would hold a party. Not like most parties, let alone raves, that I’ve witnessed – oh no, we had no electricity, so had to commandeer a car battery to power a stereo for a night. Our lighting system – one kerosene lamp. Our DJ – er, me. With some tapes. I hope I get praised for my effort. Because I probably won’t get praised for the results.

I started with ‘Original Jugglin’, the old-school but excellent piece from Krome and Time. It provoked more than a few looks of confusion. Perhaps one man nodded is head, but that was about it. Unabated, I thought perhaps their lack or reception was simply due to the presence of a threshold – K & T simply weren’t large enough for them. If I beat the threshold, then the beat gets through. So I whack on some F-step.

I should hope most of you have heard of this stuff – my previous article on it has been around long enough – it is a truly unfathomable, and yet remarkable, direction in jungle. I chose ‘F-Anthem’, by DJs Abel and Cane, which really does have more beats than you could shake a stick, or even ten trees, at.

Still more confusion. The above comment was made, as well as “how can I dance to this? Its just bum-bum-bu-bu-bu-bummmbumbumbum” etc. Perhaps jungle isn’t for everyone.

But no. I’ve converted too many people to believe that crap. However, I think I see what the problem is. From Tanzanian Congolese to jungle is a pretty hefty jump for someone’s musical sensibility. Perhaps it can’t be done. Does a little kid get into jungle if you play him some? No. (Believe me, I’ve tried it.) This is because they haven’t heard anything that could work them up to it. The African people don’t have a threshold, they are simply fragile, and need to be gradually escorted away from the styles they know so well, should they wish to go in that direction.

How does one do it? The dance genre is peppered with styles that are more accessible to the average, ‘lay man’ listener. Big beat, house, breakbeat… some of them might suck, but they’re all part of a journey which has its logical conclusion in the place where we all now sit. In jungle.

Or perhaps beyond. I think only time will tell if another style, such as F-Step, comes to occupy a position one step on from jungle. But meanwhile, I’ll be taking some house beats to Africa. Anyone with me?

Source: Junglist.com