J.Bo Tapes

J.Bo Tape #27: DJ SS & MC Fearless - One In The Jungle - 18Jul1997 EXCLUSIVE

2010-11-25T00:18:00.015Z

I know you don't smoke weed,
But I'ma get you high today!

Another gap in the amazing One In The Jungle Archive's collection filled with yet another EXCLUSIVE One In The Jungle hotmix from my vaults - this time from the 1997 run with a set from DJ SS! Download previous One In The Jungle shows here...

A true jungle legend, DJ Scratchen Stein put out countless classics (about 100 - including this absolute ANTHEM) under innumerate aliases (Sound Of The Future, Hot Steppers, MA2...), mostly on his own heavyweight Formation Records label. This mix from 1997 is typical of his sound - experimental, dreamy whilst retaining the hard edge that keeps dancefloors moving... and he smashed all the biggest raves from Telepathy to Fantazia. Midlands crew - STAND UP!

DJ SS & MC Fearless - One In The Jungle - 18Jul1997
Source: TDK FE90-Type I
Duration: 58m12s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 79.9MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YMJR9CIC

*** SPECIAL BONUS ***

This is a rare treat for you guys because, as a general rule, I only used to tape the guest DJ hotmixes and not the half an hour of new music either side (and of course the Top 10 at Ten and the National Rave Guide!) because I just listened, bought what I liked and moved on. For whatever reason, maybe cos it was a 90min cassette, I do have this week's one and it is a great listen... it takes me right back to when there was new music coming out of the scene every week that blew my mind and I always rushed right out to cop it on a Saturday morning... well, afternoon... late afternoon!

One In The Jungle - 18Jul1997
Source: TDK FE90-Type I
Duration: 36m26s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 50.1MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=INAB94Z1

Wu-Tang sword style!

J.Bo Tape #26: Brockie & MC Dett - One In The Jungle - 23Aug1996 EXCLUSIVE

2010-11-08T19:07:00.013Z

X-amount of bassline rumble...

One In The Jungle is responsible for a lot of things. It put the UK's ever mutating breakbeat scene into the public eye for the first time opening the door for the bass that followed from UKG, Grime, Dubstep... Plus the show's popularity started BBC Radio on their path to launch national 'legal pirate' - 1Xtra. Wow.

But even more, it is the reason this very blog was created. Wanting to listen to some old mixes, I came across the brilliant One In The Jungle Archive - home of a huge collection of mixes from the show's history. However, the archive was (and still is) incomplete so I dug out the legendary first three tapes (shows from Goldie, DJ Rap and Roni Size) from my attic, digitised em and upload here. The rest is history.

Now a year later, I have gone back to digging and found another stack of 1ITJ tapes with at least a few of the archive's missing shows in there... Here is the first of these gap-fillers - a massive Brockie mix from the 1996 run of the show. A legend in the game and a long term favourite of hardsteppers everywhere, Brockie was one of the co-founders of the king of d&b radio - Kool FM - in 1991! This combined with a tireless touring schedule and numerous classic releases on his own Undiluted imprint make Brockie one of the scene's heavyweight champions. Download now.

Brockie & MC Dett - One In The Jungle - 23Aug1996
Source: Sony FXI 60-Type I
Duration: 58m35s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 80.5MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H6Y5TNU9

BROCK OUT!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY to J.Bo Tapes!

2010-10-01T08:08:00.005+01:00

1 year, 25 tapes, 30 mixes, 26 DJs, 12 MCs later... 29 posts and several thousand downloads in... even 3 of my own mixes (1 old and 2 new)... and we still standing.

Thanks to everybody who has read the blog, downloaded a mix, mailed a link out, posted to a forum, left a comment, facebooked, twittered @jbotapes or just generally held it down over the past 365 days. I hope you are all enjoying what is essentially a personal project to digitally preserve my own tape collection for posterity.

If anyone is thinking of buying J.Bo a birthday gift, then something like this would do... oh, and of course, a cake is essential.

Here's to many more massive mp3 mixes to come... hold tight and watch the ride.

J.Bo Tape #25: J.Bo - SUMMER BASS II - Jun1997 EXCLUSIVE

2010-09-28T19:33:00.006+01:00

There ain't nothin' out here for you... oh yes there is - THIS!

I always said that if I made it to 25 tapes that I would release one of my own mixes from back in the day. I didn't think we'd make it but the support has been phenomenal over the past (nearly a) year with 1000s of downloads and even messages from DJs themselves happy at finding their long-thought-lost mixes here.

But we did make it, so here we are with J.Bo Tape #25... and I have selected a personal favourite from the vaults... J.Bo - SUMMER BASS II: universal music. Recorded when I was still a teenager (before I had status and before I had a pager) in the summer of 1997, this was my annual attempt at summarising the previous 12 months in drum & bass... and with Nightmare Side A focusing on the emerging techstep sound and Dream Side B on a more vocal/ambient/experimental tip, it does a pretty good job of that.

With the techstep sound coming to dominate drum & bass for many years, it is easy to forget that when it first came through, it was truly mind blowing. Every week another record would come out that sounded like nothing that had ever come before it...with the ever reliable Metalheadz and Prototype labels leading the charge. I mean, who remembers Adam F's hoover-bass on 'Metropolis'? Or the first time Dillinja's 'Threshold' made your nostrils and eyeballs vibrate at Blue Note? Or the first time you heard the break-switching produced onto the record itself (it actually upset some DJs who thought "hey, that's my job")? Or just the total insanity of Arcon 2's 'The Beckoning' (still one of my all time favourite records)? All that without even mentioning the other side of things - the abundance of high quality, warm bass and uplifting vocals coming from, amongst others, the Good Looking camp at the same time. 1996-7 was truly an amazing year in d&b history.

I think this tape had an initial distribution of only about 20 copies (haha... I wonder if anybody still has theirs?!?). So this is the first chance for a wider audience to hear the mix, my first attempt at crafting an actual Drum & Bass Mixtape, rather than just a Mix-On-A-Tape. Using the usual two turntables, mixer and tape deck, I also hooked up a sampler for this one - you can even see all the samples used in the full tracklisting! And before you ask, yes, I was spending too much time with hip-hop DJs, listening to Wu-Tang records and watching kung-fu flicks at the time.

You may not know J.Bo as a d&b DJ, but regular readers/listeners of this site will know my taste by now so give it a listen - it features a heavyweight selection of all time classic tracks from the likes of Ed Rush, Dillinja, Boymerang, Doc Scott, Blame, Jonny L, DJ Krust, Roni Size, Photek, Bukem... and it is free! Then let me know what you think in the comments...

J.Bo - SUMMER BASS II: universal music - Jun1997
Source: TDK SA90-Type II
Duration: 1h30m47s (45m18s + 45m29s)
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 124.1MB (62.2MB + 62.5MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=09LFD94K (alternatively Rapidshare)

And like that... he's gone!

J.Bo Tape #24: Roni Size & Krust - Full Cycle Show - Galaxy 101FM - 25May1995 EXCLUSIVE

2010-09-19T17:46:00.012+01:00

What goes around, comes around...

As you can see from the Top 5 J.Bo Tapes on the left, the first of these legendary Thursday night Full Cycle radio shows has quickly become by far our biggest download to date. To reward the continuing support from the Bristol crews, here is another tape recorded from the never-forgotten Galaxy Radio six months later, in the classic jungle year, 1995.

Roni Size and Krust's supergroup Reprazent went on to became the most successful live act in the history of drum'n'bass. These radio shows pre-date that era when they were breaking the music locally whilst making names for themselves on the London underground. And don't worry - three more of these shows have been spotted in the J.Bo Tape archive and will be digitised, remastered and uploaded here in due course - follow J.Bo Tapes on Facebook, Twitter or RSS Feed to make sure you don't miss future releases...

You don't need to be sold on this one so just go ahead and download in your droves... if you need more, hit up the great Bristol Pirate Radio Recordings site now.

Roni Size & Krust - Full Cycle Show - Galaxy 101FM - 25May1994
Source: Samsung XM-1 C90-Type I
Duration: 56m52s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 78.1MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B7AAG0HV (alternatively Rapidshare)

The hotter mix.

J.Bo & Southern Hospitality Present: We Miss The ROC - 2010 BRAND NEW

2010-08-25T12:13:00.043+01:00

The Takeover... R.O.C. too strong for y'all!

After the huge response to last month's Rap & Bullsh*t 101 mix and the spectacular success of the launch party, J.Bo and Southern Hospitality had to collaborate again...

If the last mix 'moved and soothed romance' then this one is gonna move you to RIOT! At the dawn of the new millenium, Roc-A-Fella Records had the entire rap scene on lock taking over the clubs, the charts, the streets and our hearts. This success came through releasing a constant string of CLUB BANGERS from their marquee artists - think Jay-Z, Kanye West, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Cam'ron, Amil driving clubs all around the world crazy with smash hits like "Flipside", "Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop", "Do My...", "Jigga What, Jigga Who", "What We Do", "Oh Boy" and "Is That Your Chick?" and so on. Who doesn't remember wiling out to at least one of these jams?

We have collected together as many classics as we could fit onto one CD (30 tracks as it turns out - see comments) so everybody can relive those glory days once again...

J.Bo & Southern Hospitality Present: We Miss The ROC - 2010
Source: Serato Scratch Live
Duration: 1h12m10s
Format: MP3-VBR
Size: 137.6MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3JD0TSDW

Maximum respect to Upper Echelon for the glorious nostalgia inducing cover artwork. Go check the simultaneous release and keep up with all that is new and good in urban music over at the Southern Hospitality site.

People who attended our last party are already lining up to experience the good time vibes and unmatched music again... the rest of you should join us for a Carnival Weekend warm-up and to grab a free copy of this CD at the official launch party - we will be at The Social on Little Portland Street W1 for "Southern Hospitality - We Miss The ROC Special" on Friday 27th August, free entry all night, details here and here.

UPDATE: With the surprising popularity of the last one, here's a YouTube video playlist.

UPDATE UPDATE: Photo gallery from another HUGE CD Release Party here. Thanks again to everybody there for making the party atmosphere what it was... treasure the hard copy of the mix if you were one of the lucky ones!

Keep up with the latest J.Bo Tapes mixtapes and events at Twitter and Facebook...

JUST BLAZE!!!

J.Bo Tape #23: DJ Yoda - Piano Breaks - 1998

2010-08-22T21:10:00.013+01:00

"Suckers we wet to the sound of the dope piano..."

Coming in at #23 like the DJing Michael Jordan (or is it David Beckham?), we have another classic J.Bo Tape from none other than DJ Yoda!

Famously voted by Q Magazine as one of "The Top 10 DJs You Must See Before You Die", DJ Yoda is globally renowned for his genre-bending club sets, award-winning radio mixes and technology-pushing audio visual shows. Catch up with his latest moves on his Website, MySpace or Twitter and don't forget to buy your tickets to his, just announced, biggest production yet - the Stop, Look & Listen Tour is about to rock large screened venues all over the UK, culminating in a London gig at the IMAX!

But "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." DJ Yoda was producing mixtapes on Four Track Cassette Recorders (looking something like this) and independently releasing them through record shops from London to Bristol to Leads to Royal Leamington Spa! This was the third of four of these independent mixtapes that led to connecting with Fat Lace and releasing a series of collaborations with DJ Dan Greenpeace before being picked up by Antidote Records to produce the now legendary How To Cut And Paste series of CD mixes as well as his debut artist album.

This tape was always a favourite (even using one of my records!) taking in some of the mood evoking, piano based hip hop productions of the time from the likes of the peerless DJ Premier... as well as DJ Yoda's own remixes and blends. Even at this early stage you can hear his signature style of mixing contemporary hip hop with movie dialogue, comedy samples and turntable sketches. An essential addition to any mixtape collection...

DJ Yoda - Piano Breaks - 1998
Source: TDK D90-Type I
Duration: 1h30m11s (45m33s + 44m37s)
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 123.9MB (62.6MB + 61.3MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7GRXIKVN

Jam like a tech with correct techniques...

J.Bo & Southern Hospitality Present: Rap & Bullsht 101 - 2010 BRAND NEW*

2010-07-19T23:45:00.033+01:00

It's been a long time, I shouldna left you...

.. waiting for J.Bo's long time coming return to the mixtape game. Being a brand new mix, this is not technically a J.Bo Tape... but after toying with the idea of recording it to a blank SA90 (of which I still have an unopened stash) then ripping it back to MP3, I realised this is my blog and I can do what I want!

This perfect party mix is a full on collaboration with Southern Hospitality AKA the most essential new music blog on the internet. Don't believe me? Just ask the New York Times to know that the world has sat up and is taking notice. Maximum respect to the big homies Superix, Rob Pursey and Davey Boy Smith for their tireless work pushing new music through their blog, their relentless genre-jumping mixtape releases and at their many events in London, around the UK and internationally.

To quote myself from the official release:

The long overdue collaboration between J.Bo and Southern Hospitality has been a true labour of love, just over a year in the making... and even now, the only way to agree to a final tracklisting was to start planning volume 2 (and 3!) immediately. A representation of one of our favourite sub-genres of all, these are the jiggy jams that brought fun and females back to the clubs. Featuring such luminaries of the genre as Fabo, Jigga, Kells, Luda and Diddy in a musical celebration of all that is trite and trivial, frivolous and flagrant. If the Fresh Prince is still looking for "a groove that soothes and moves romance" this 'Summertime' then here are 22 of em. Long live "Rap & Bullshit".

Go check the full release, the amazing original artwork by Upper Echelon, and the option of a track-split version of the mix, over at the Southern Hospitality site here:
http://www.southernhospitality.co.uk/blog/?p=10629

Finally, those of you in London (or willing to travel) get down to The Social on Little Portland Street W1 for the official launch party of this mix on Friday night, 23rd July. Southern Hospitality - Rap & Bullshit Special, free entry all night, details here and here.

But enough of that, here is the amazing mix itself...

J.Bo & Southern Hospitality Present: Rap & Bullshit 101 - 2010
Source: Serato Scratch Live
Duration: 1h18m00s
Format: MP3-VBR
Size: 140.6MB [single MP3 file plus CUE sheet]
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V3AW5CIU

UPDATE: For the YouTube addicts, there is a Video Playlist of Rap & Bullshit 101 here.

UPDATE UPDATE: Photo gallery from the awesome CD Release Party is now up here. Thanks for everybody who came down and made it one of the best parties ever... hope you all enjoy your very exclusive free hard copy of the mix!

Keep up with the latest in the world of J.Bo Tapes at Twitter and Facebook...

Get involved!

J.Bo Tape #22: DJ Sy - The Scratchmaster's Obsession - Jungle Drum And Bass - 1995

2010-07-15T01:12:00.031+01:00

You think you're big time?
You're gonna f***ing die big time...

Croydon's finest, DJ Sy, is nothing short of a Hardcore Legend. Inspired by old school hip-hop DJs in the late 80s, he started spinning hip-hop and soul... explaining his unique style amongst rave DJs and nickname "The Scratchmaster".

Gaining a residency at Nottingham's Venus nightclub in 1990, he was taken by the emerging hardcore scene and had a popular pirate radio show on the city's Rave FM. Bookings around the Midlands followed - Nemesis in Leicester, Time in Birmingham, Amnesia and Eclipse in Coventry - before his unique style got him noticed by the big national rave promoters like Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Obsession and Fantazia.

Creating one of the hardcore scene's most prolific labels, Quosh Records, DJ Sy & Unknown produced a number of Happy Hardcore anthems, as well as other styles under a number of pseudonyms. Never wanting to be boxed in, Sy continues to DJ in other genres, such as House and Drum & Bass... a perfect example of which we have here.

This mix showcases Sy scratching over a set of heavyweight Jungle tunes, mostly from 1994, mostly on Formation Records, Tearing Vinyl and RAM Records. Believe me, the b-line on the first tune makes this mix worth the price of admission alone... trust!

DJ Sy - The Scratchmaster's Obsession - Jungle Drum And Bass - 1995
Source: TDK D60-Type I
Duration: 50m37s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 69.6MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DMXUHNRN

This is a journey into sound...

J.Bo Tape #21: Frankie Knuckles - Universe Big Love - 13Aug1993

2010-06-23T08:16:00.019+01:00

Dreamy sounds of the Underground...

Being lucky enough to catch the opening of Frankie Knuckles' new residency at The Crimson Lounge Chicago a few weeks ago, I was struck with the age range of partiers in the Windy City. Since House music emerged from disco at the dawn of the 80s, the city's residents have never stopped taking advantage of Chi-town's 5am last call to party hard, still going strong into their 40s. A lesson to you ravers that retired way before 30!

Frankie Knuckles is credited as the Godfather of House for his early groundbreaking sets at the Warehouse and Power Plant clubs as well as his genre defining productions (you may recognise this one...). A decade later, he moved back to New York, formed Def Mix Productions with David Morales and was soon churning out beautiful remixes for the biggest names in pop - Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Toni Braxton... Lisa Stansfield (!).

Universe were considered the UK's #1 rave promoters - priding themselves on value for money, huge innovative productions, and uncompromising DJ line ups - peaking with Tribal Gathering in 1993. Sadly, increased political pressure from the authorities and the police made it impossible to make money, even with 20,000 people attending events, and they were out of business before the end of the year. Here we go back in time to their final rave - Big Love - and Frankie's co-headline set from the Heaven stage...

Frankie Knuckles - Universe Big Love - 13Aug1993
Source: Memorex CRX II S60-Type II
Duration: 50m00s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 68.7MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X2F2R8IF

All Chicago Everything.

J.Bo Tape #20: DJ Krush - Back In The Base - 1997

2010-05-20T08:08:00.007+01:00

When you give it to me, yeah - give it to me raw...

DJ Krush is a pioneering Japanese legend, respected far and wide for his innovative use of turntables, sampling and the general advancement of instrumental hip-hop. Forming the Krush Posse in 1987 to push the music in his home country, he really made a name on the international stage with his solo DJ and production work after their split in 1992. Countless releases on scene-leading record labels (such as Mo' Wax and Ninja Tune) established him as a major player in the trip-hop genre that exploded in the late 90s. However, his music was always much more diverse and experimental - in his hands, turntables became musical instruments with unlimited possibilities. He also has this eerie ability to mix records at different tempos yet still have it somehow work...?!?

This particular mix is billed as a "A 60 Minute Remix Of Ninja Tunes Back & Front Catalogue". This could be seen as restrictive but it actually focuses Krush into producing a perfect hour of ambience with tracks from DJ Vadim, The Herbaliser, London Funk Allstars and Coldcut (tracklist in the comments and MP3 tags).

For years... and this is meant in a good way... this tape could send me to sleep anytime I listened to it! Useful during the daytime (when normal people were going about their business loudly) to pump up the volume, drown out the background noise and slip into slumber as Krush's blunted beatz, chilled cutz and hypnotic mixing take you down. Get your own copy of this modern day bedtime story, AKA ambient after-party mixtape, now.

DJ Krush - Back In The Base - 1997
Source: Memorex CRX II S60-Type II
Duration: 56m04s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 77.1MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D8GT7QVV

Love is what we need.

J.Bo Tape #19: DJ Easygroove - The Technodredd #9 - 1992 EXCLUSIVE

2010-05-01T10:51:00.003+01:00

The going is rough, it's gonna get rougher... run dis!

By popular demand, here is another tape from everybody's favourite year in music - 1992. And after listening to this, it is once again easy to see why. Some of the proto-jungle riddims on this tape are just ridiculous... it is exciting to be posting this J.Bo Tape!

From the legend that is Easygroove, a DJ that everybody has a story about. From headlining all the biggest raves - Fantazia, Obsession, Dance Planet, Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Raindance, The Eclipse... even getting the coveted midnight New Year's Eve set at these huge events - to the more recent rumours of prison and drug addiction.

But forget the negative and listen to his cutting edge mixes - famous for being the only DJ who could, or was brave enough, to mix all the different sounds into one set. Whether it was hardcore, jungle, techno, happy hardcore, ragga, soul, house, hip hop, he would play whatever felt right. Known for being able to dig out the most obscure of records and fit them into a mainstream set, the crowds never failed to respond.

Here we have a tape from his successful Technodredd series (this was possibly the last as I believe he moved onto CD releases soon after this with titles like Cyber-Techno-Dread!!!). Side A focussed on the newly emerging jungle techno breakbeat sound whereas Side B comes with a more experimental mix of flavas... but rest assured that the whole thing is big, hard and HEAVY...

DJ Easygroove - The Technodredd #9 - 1992
Source: TDK AD90-Type I
Duration: 1h22m31s (43m31s + 39m00s)
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 112.8MB (59.8MB + 53.6MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=58UNZ4QT

WATCH DIS!

J.Bo Tape #17 & #18: Nick Warren & Jody - Way Out West - Best Of 1994 - Galaxy 101FM EXCLUSIVE

2010-04-18T23:58:00.009+01:00

Trippin on, trippin on, trippin on, trippin on, trippin on, trippin on suuunshiiine!

Bristol has been holding down this blog of late. And to thank you for the huge download responses to the Roni Size & Krust Full Cycle show and the DJ Lynx 3PM Experience show, here is yet another of Galaxy 101FM's contributions to pushing underground music in the 90s...

DJs Nick Warren & Jody Wisternoff came together in 1994 to create the now legendary progressive house group, Way Out West. By 1996, they stepped past the prolific-remixer tag and released their own huge cross over anthem, The Gift (the 2010 remixes of which have just hit the stores). Four well received studio albums followed on leading labels Deconstruction Records and Distinctive Records, along with a series of solo releases and mixes from each (prior to WOW, Jody had Hip Hop success as Tru Funk Posse with his brother, and Hardcore success as Sub Love with DJ Die!). But before they joined the extensive roll-call of Bristol artists meeting worldwide success and acclaim, they presented this weekly Monday evening mixshow of the latest and greatest tunes from their scene...

Here we have two of their shows from early January 1995 - luckily for you listeners these were the special "Best of 1994" editions made over two shows, two mixes and two J.Bo Tapes! It seems the first was mixed by Nick Warren and the second by Jody... but grab em both and relive this classic year right herrrrre:

Nick Warren & Jody - Way Out West - Best Of 1994 - 09+16Jan1995
Source: Scotch BX60-Type I
Duration: 55m57s + 57m01s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 76.9MB + 78.4MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=22B016B0 [PART 1 - 09Jan1995]
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=897YATHG [PART 2 - 16Jan1995]

To the beat of the drum... BANG! To the beat of the drum... BANG BANG!

J.Bo Tape #16: DJ Lynx - The 3pm Experience - Galaxy 101FM - 16Dec1995 EXCLUSIVE

2010-03-21T15:00:00.015Z

Givin' more bounce to the ounce - DJ Lynx...

Finally, a hip-hop tape on this blog! Believe it or not, the J.Bo Tape collection is very diverse... but so far, the life changing tapes published here seem to focus around drum & bass. However, we have been inspired to branch out by the incredible reaction to the previous Roni Size tape - that mix received over 100 downloads in the first 24 hours and was reblogged, twittered, facebooked and forumed everywhere! To celebrate, we now bring another tape-based gift to the Bristol massive. You have already heard about the significance of Galaxy Radio in the West Country and South Wales during the 90s, well here is another perfect example of their music programming policy in action.

Bristol is probably best known for the sounds of Trip-Hop, later Drum & Bass, and maybe now Dubstep, but these mainstream breakthroughs were only made possible by the long and very strong history of sound-system, dub and hip-hop crews in the city breeding a diverse depth of talent looking to twist the latest developing sounds of UK music to give it their own flava. If you want to understand this city's place in pushing things forward, you have to also look back at this past.

Here we have one such legendary Bristol hip hop crew, 3PM - DJ Lynx along with MC Krissy Kriss and Kelz - showcasing their talents by taking us on a weekly journey through the latest mid-90s hip-hop sounds. Expect Heltah Skeltah, J-Live, Show & AG, Wu-Tang... all mixed with the two-copy turntable tricks that you'd expect from a lifetime hip-hop head like Lynx.

DJ Lynx - The 3PM Experience - Galaxy 101FM - 16Dec1995
Source: Memorex CRX II S60-Type II
Duration: 55m14s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 75.8MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L8G1U3LB

I leave em froze like hero'n in ya nose.

J.Bo Tape #15: Roni Size & Krust - Full Cycle Show - Galaxy 101FM - 24Nov1994 EXCLUSIVE

2010-02-07T18:39:00.005Z

Sounds of the drum'n'bass, at the Full Cycle pace...

As mentioned with this previous Roni Size tape, Bristol's Galaxy Radio was the main sources of J.Bo Tapes back in the day. So digging out this one was met with great anticipation - an absolutely tearing mix from Roni Size and Krust as part of their weekly Thursday night Full Cycle show. Recorded back in 1994, way before the Reprazent supergroup was formed and Roni Size became a household name, all Original Junglists (and especially the Bristol massives) will go crazy for this tape. So less reading and more downloading please...

Roni Size & Krust - Full Cycle Show - Galaxy 101FM - 24Nov1994
Source: TDK D90-Type I
Duration: 54m19s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 74.6MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TBZP4F5Y

*** VERY SPECIAL BONUS ***
As Full Cycle was a 60 minute show and this was a 90 minute tape, you may be wondering what filled the remaining 30 minutes. Well, thankfully for J.Bo Tapes listeners everywhere, there was a special half-hour jungle mix broadcast on the same station the following Sunday lunchtime. Looking back, Galaxy FM really have to be commended as a commercial station that dedicated as much airtime as they did to underground dance music from across the genres - it was sorely missed when it stopped broadcasting and become Vibe FM and then Kiss FM a few years later.

Here we have special guest DJ, The General, with an almighty mix of the biggest tunes of 1994, all of which are now all time classics. The General may not be as well known as the Full Cycle/Reprazent crews but don't let that put you off downloading this absolutely tearing mix... honestly, rediscovering this has J.Bo Tapes as excited as any other release on the site!

The General - Galaxy 101FM - 04Dec1994
Source: TDK D90-Type I
Duration: 31m15s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 42.9MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZNUXXPZ3

They play that bloody Jungle music all night!

It's alive... IT'S ALIVE!!!

2010-02-01T12:53:00.005Z

No posts for a month... but fear not. J.Bo Tapes is alive and kicking, as the attached photo shows. This is just one of three more boxes of tapes found during an Xmas Attic Rummage. So just hold tight and watch the ride...

By the way, a few people have reported broken links when they see the Megaupload message "The file you are trying to access is temporarily unavailable." I have no idea why this happens BUT I do know that if you try the link again later in the day that it will probably be working. So don't give up - the J.Bo Tapes are worth waiting for.

J.Bo Tape #14: Darren Jay - Randall - Kenny Ken - Dr S Gachet - Mickey Finn - GQ - Fearless - AWOL Live @ Ministry - 1995

2010-01-01T01:11:00.006Z

Easy does it...

A.W.O.L.

A Way Of Life.

One of a handful of legendary London raves that truly defined the jungle scene in the early 90s. This mix was recorded live at AWOL soon after its move from the Paradise Club to the world's most famous nightclub - Ministry Of Sound. On a very special Thursday night in early 1995, those in attendance were treated to a very special set. All five residents played back-to-back for the first time... Darren Jay was followed by Randall, Kenny Ken, Dr S Gachet and Mickey Finn. Each played three exclusive tracks, all VIP mixes made just for this recording (details in comments and MP3 ID3 tags). GQ and Fearless held down duties on the M-I-C and kept the crowd hyped for the rewinds.

If you haven't finished your New Year's Eve celebrations then get your whistles and horns out, download this mix and rinse out...

AWOL Live @ Ministry Of Sound - 1995
Source: TDK SA90-Type II
Duration: 1h11m08s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 97.6MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XJXTBZ4T

BROCK OUT!!!

J.Bo Tape #13: Grooverider - Fantazia takes you into the JUNGLE - Nov1994

2009-12-28T10:32:00.005Z

All Junglists - a London somet'ing dis...

The final release from this Fantazia pack features another heavyweight mix from the drum & bass don, the great Grooverider... and he doesn't disappoint, coming correct with classic cut after classic cut, tracklist in comments and MP3 tags.

There is such a variety of sounds across this mix, and in fact across the whole collection, it is exciting... not really something you hear from the top DJs in the scene anymore. Fantazia takes you into the Jungle might be the best d&b mixes released.

Grooverider - Fantazia takes you into the JUNGLE - Nov1994
Source: Memorex CRX S60-Type II
Duration: 59m53s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 82.3MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OSUL2SH9

Can you feel it?

J.Bo Tape #12: LTJ Bukem - Fantazia takes you into the JUNGLE - 1994

2009-12-25T09:38:00.013Z

Pure sub-bass: a slow motion skank that seizes your spine before metallic breaks flash...

Part 2 of this Fantazia pack sees Bukem blazing across a thirteen track selection. Coming before he had refined his signature sound, this is something all fans of his need to hear - a truly unique mix, nothing like some of the near identical mixes (sorry) from later in his career... no MC in sight and only one record from his own imprints (see MP3 ID3 tags and comments for tracklisting).

And yes, this is the mix referred to in this previous Bukem post.

A must listen - a tearing yet emotional mix... J.Bo Tapes recommends rinsing this one right after your Christmas dinner:

LTJ Bukem - Fantazia takes you into the JUNGLE - Nov1994
Source: Memorex CRX S60-Type II
Duration: 56m27s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 77.5MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DT84LFXZ

Moving up and down to the sound.... ooooohhhhh!

J.Bo Tape #11: DJ Rap - Fantazia takes you into the JUNGLE - Nov1994

2009-12-21T02:00:00.010Z

All the ambitious girls here... inna good condition...

The year was 1994, the jungle scene was ready to take over - the sheer speed of sonic innovation was something to behold. Record labels were falling over themselves to be the one that captured the attention of the masses with these new sounds. Fantazia came with this stonking triple pack of mixes from the scene leaders - Grooverider, LTJ Bukem and DJ Rap. All individually fantastic documents of the time, J.Bo Tapes will be bringing you the whole set over the next week or so.

First up is actually the third part and features DJ Rap coming with yet another tearing tape of perfectly selected and mixed tunes. She even manages to showcase herself with seven of her own productions from her own Propa Talent label included in the seventeen track mix... well this was the first chance for these producers to get their hands on some of that licensing money, right? See the MP3's ID3 tags or comments for details...

DJ Rap - Fantazia takes you into the JUNGLE - Nov1994
Source: Memorex CRX S60-Type II
Duration: 59m23s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 81.6MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZESV7N6M

Watch dis... it's Junglist!

J.Bo Tape #9 & #10: Paul Oakenfold - The Goa Mix - 18Dec1994

2009-12-18T00:01:00.018Z

Exactly 15 years ago (to the minute!), BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix broadcast this groundbreaking mix. Widely regarded as the finest Essential Mix yet and even by some as the best DJ mix ever put together anywhere. It was selected as the best Essential Mix of all time and was presented for rebroadcast by Pete Tong in 2007 (in full digital quality). It has also won a Sony Radio Award as well as numerous magazine and fan honours.

Don't believe the hype? Then check with the sum of all human knowledge for confirmation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Mix

Paul Oakenfold delivers a mind expanding combination of the deep trippy sounds of Goa Trance, mixed in with more accessible progressive house and a sprinkling of eerie movie samples - this mix still sounds as fresh today as the day it was first transmitted. To see the depth and the breadth of his setlist, check the comments or MP3 tags.

Paul Oakenfold - The Goa Mix - 18Dec1994
Source: Memorex CRX S60-Type II
Duration: 1h58m08s (53m35s + 1h04m33s)
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 162.2MB (73.6MB + 88.6MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CY2TSPHV

Once heard, never forgotten...

J.Bo Tape #8: LTJ Bukem & MC DRS - Essential Mix Live @ Cream - 25Aug1996

2009-12-13T23:44:00.017Z

Got sounds, like the NFL we touchdown...

Just one year after LTJ Bukem's first breakthrough essential mix and drum & bass had taken over the UK dance scene so much that even the northern super clubs could no longer ignore it. Liverpool's legendary house night, Cream @ The Foundry, reacted with a Logical Progression residency in its Courtyard. Those that never got to experience this atmosphere first hand can now enjoy this second half of an Essential Mix Live (Pete Tong broadcast from the main room himself for the first hour).

Yet another mellow d&b mix, yet another Essential Mix, yet another Bukem tape... and yet another tracklist available in the comments and MP3 tags. Enjoy. Also, listen out for the final track where you just get a teaser of Grace's "If I Could Fly (LTJ Bukem's Roll It Mix)" from Perfecto. Sadly, the show finishes before the unfiltered break busts out to sends shivers down your spine. When this remix finally reached the shops, the pressing was so bad that it just didn't have the same impact as when LTJ rocked his dub plate. If anybody has a nice crisp clean MP3 of this, drop a link it in the comments please!

LTJ Bukem & MC DRS - Essential Mix Live @ Cream - 25Aug1996
Source: Memorex CRX S60-Type II
Duration: 57m22s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 78.8MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CZ6KPSRG

If I could fly away...

J.Bo Tape #6 & #7: LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad - The Essential Mix - 16Jul1995

2009-12-06T12:33:00.018Z

Believe me, like, I don't want to go into a long thing about our next artist because he really expresses it musically himself...

The. Most. Essential.
Essential Mix. Ever.

1995 was the year that drum & bass forced its way out of the underground. A week before One In The Jungle exploded across the airways, the world renowned Essential Mix show featured the LTJ alongside MC Conrad. So underground was this sound that even Pete Tong, himself about to push the genre over the top with the release of Goldie's Timeless on his FFRR imprint, had no idea who Bukem was and pronounces his name wrong throughout the show! The tracklisting that appeared in Mixmag the following week backed up the fact that this sound was on the cutting edge as it mostly read along the lines of "unknown - untitled (acetate)"... of course, you can now view the full tracklisting in the ID3 tags of the MP3s and the comments below.

This mix blew people's minds wide open, especially those who had been dismissing the jungle/d&b scene up until then. Those not in the know couldn't believe that music running at 160bpm could be mellow and relaxing and that an MC could enhance and relax the ambiance in the way we hear here, rather than just hype the crowd. For those that listen and think it sounds like the Bukem they know, remember that at the time it was all new and the first time many people, even those deeply into jungle/drum&bass, had heard anything like it. To show how new it was and how quickly it progressed, I have a Bukem Fantazia mix from just half a year earlier that was a totally different sound... that was a favourite tape too so it will be posted with priority. So all in all, this is an unmissable moment in history that you just have to hear:

LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad - Essential Mix - 16Jul1995
Source: Memorex CRX S60-Type II
Duration: 1h58m35s (58m50s + 59m44s)
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 162.8MB (80.8MB + 82.0MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=017W2XNH

Ease the pressure, ease the pain - let the vibe hit the main vein...

J.Bo Tape #5: Alex Reece - One In The Jungle - 19Jul1996

2009-11-29T15:43:00.018Z

We gotta expand...

After the success of the One In The Jungle showcases in 1995, BBC Radio 1 came back with a full series of the show in 1996. It ran as a weekly two hour broadcast with a one hour guest mix in the middle. It kept going right through to 1998 when it morphed into the Fabio and Grooverider show.

Here we have a beautiful jazzstep mix (tracklist in comments and ID3 tags) from the 1996 run mixed by Alex Reece. Despite the fallout with Goldie (including a rumoured club fight) and his virtual blacklisting from the d&b scene, he still comes with a classic Hotmix to promote his debut album, So Far, released on 4th & Broadway the following month...

Alex Reece - One In The Jungle - 19Jul1996
Source: TDK D60-Type I
Duration: 59m51s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 82.1MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QDDBKB2J

This could well be the last One In The Jungle tape on this blog, at least for a while, but if you want more, head over to the One In The Jungle Archive, which is trying to put together a complete collection of this groundbreaking show. They have even added the first three shows now, as they were lost and missing before they appeared exclusively on this blog :-D

While J.Bo Tapes gives you this Alex Reece hotmix only (but in slightly better quality!), you can get the full two hour show with charts, rave guide etc intact if you head over there... web address http://www.oneinthejungle.com/
Big up your status, mate!

J.Bo Tape #4: DJ Raskal - Flex 103.6FM - 29Oct1999 EXCLUSIVE

2009-11-28T20:50:00.026Z

Can you gimme some, can you gimme some, yum yum, just to fill my tum, just to fill my tum?

Never has finding a 10 year old tape made anybody so happy - this particular tape, thought lost forever, appeared from the archives and is now presented to you in fully remastered glory. Randomly recorded after arriving home on a Friday night from a garage club, switching the radio on, having the clarity of mind to realise that the sounds were something special and being sober enough to find a cassette to throw into the tape deck and to hit the record+play buttons... this was a personal favourite a decade ago and still sounds like a breath of fresh air today.

Coming from the legendary London pirate, Flex FM. The first 15 minutes are all about the inspired MC Diamond White (see comments) and then it slides into the perfect chilled drum & bass mix from the one like Raskal, that cheeky ragga man.

DJ Raskal & MC Diamond White - Flex 103.6FM - 29Oct1999
Source: TDK SA90-Type II
Duration: 1h34m18s
Format: MP3-192kbps
Size: 129.5MB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OK1D7CX6

By the way, the occasional quality problems are from the FM broadcast, not from the tape or the conversion!