Chicago was once the most important frontier of the American drum & bass scene. I was fifteen in 1995 when my mother drove me and my sister across the country to start our new life in the Midwest. I was already obsessed with rave culture, and as we approached Chicagoland I carefully scanned the FM radio dial, hoping to find the bleeding edge of electronic dance music—and I found it, on 89.3.
The Strictly Jungle Show, broadcast from Evanston’s Northwestern University, was the first weekly drum & bass show in North America. Hosted by DJ Snuggles and Christopher Robin, Strictly Jungle sparked the intense interest of British producers and DJs, and the fascination of young fans like myself. This London-to-Chicago pipeline made Cook County the stateside epicenter of this emerging genre.
The drum & bass scene peaked from 1994 through ’96, until it abruptly crashed in 1997. The Windows series pays tribute to jungle’s brief but sparkling golden era, when the music captured the imagination of many a young Midwestern junglist. All selections in this series are from ’94, ’95 or ’96.
The cover art comes from a flyer for a Chicago rave called Planet Jungle II.
Bryce 3D debuted in 1994 and within a few years it became stable for use on a Windows 95 PC, which led to an explosion of rave flyers in this graphic style.
The Strictly Jungle Show, broadcast from Evanston’s Northwestern University, was the first weekly drum & bass show in North America. Hosted by DJ Snuggles and Christopher Robin, Strictly Jungle sparked the intense interest of British producers and DJs, and the fascination of young fans like myself. This London-to-Chicago pipeline made Cook County the stateside epicenter of this emerging genre.
