“Join our group of influential artists for an exploration of UK jungle, drum’n’bass music and its significance to Black British identity.
Reaching its peak in the mid-1990s, jungle, drum’n’bass evolved out of the UK rave scene, blending rapid breakbeats and samples with the deep basslines that are characteristic of dub, dancehall and reggae. The less euphoric beats of jungle came to serve as a form of expression for many Black British youth, who were feeling disenfranchised with an increasingly divided society.
With a new wave of artists breathing life into this style 30 years after its heyday, what is the legacy of its founding artists, and how central is the genre to Black expression today? This Black History Month, Guardian arts and culture correspondent Lanre Bakare will be joined by original jungle, drum’n’bass pioneers Goldie and DJ Flight; Brian Belle-Fortune author of All Crews: Journeys Through Jungle/Drum & Bass Culture; and music historian Julia Toppin, for a closer look at this unique genre and its impact on Black British identity.