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Selected by The Waxonia Desk

The Waxonia Desk’s selection

Six records that all live at or near 160 BPM, from Chicago and from every British rave that got there first. Four of our rankings share a tempo, which is the whole claim a 160 set makes in practice.

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  1. Origin Unknown / Valley of the Shadows

    1993 · RAM

    Two spoken words and an Amen break. The moment hardcore is unmistakably jungle, and a record old enough now that playing it is a reference rather than a rediscovery.

  2. Metalheads / Terminator

    1992 · Synthetic

    The time-stretch that changed what a break could be. The technical leap is what gets written about; the atmosphere is the part that has actually lasted thirty years.

  3. Lennie De Ice / We Are I.E.

    1991

    Usually named as the first jungle record, two years before the word existed. Origin records are generally more use to writers than to DJs, and this one is the exception because it still works.

  4. DJ Rashad / Feelin

    2013 · Hyperdub

    Chicago arriving at the same tempo from a completely different direction. The overlap between footwork and jungle is the premise of this list, and this is the record that makes it undeniable.

  5. RP Boo / Baby Come On

    1997 · Dance Mania

    The first footwork track, and rhythmically the least accommodating thing here. A European floor has to be taught this one, and the teaching is the reason it belongs.

  6. Shy FX & UK Apache / Original Nuttah

    1994 · SOUR

    The crowd-pleaser, and included as the awkward one. A set built on this is a different set from one built on the other five, and both of them are honest.