Breakbeat Madness!

Drum & Bass grew out of the early 90s rave scene in Britain, and for a few beautiful years it all existed together and was simply called hardcore. Some tracks would use a pounding kick drum, others would be built around a break beat; DJs would mix between them and no-one cared to make a distinction between the two. After the scene had split and Jungle and hardcore had gone off on their separate paths, the jungle sound still echoed for a few more years in hardcore music—before it developed into the tough gabber-inspired "happy hardcore" genre—and tracks would frequently feature an "Amen, Brother" breakbeat behind a pounding four-on-the-floor kick drum. It's an energy that still gets me excited today. Most of the music in this set predates my own raving days by a few years, but I still managed to acquire a few of these records into my collection. Put your trainers on, slap a big gurning grin on your face and enjoy!