The Rhythm Society: Dance Camp '26

It’s hard to believe it was 32 years ago when I discovered Jungle, Drum & Bass, Liquid, Techstep, and all the other branching sub-genres of what started as a mashup of dub, dancehall and rave culture. At the time I was briefly living in Los Angeles and discovered Aron’s Records on Highland Ave - one of the stores stocking all the Drum & Bass coming out of England. It’s here I met Tomas Palermo, DJ and music writer with deep wisdom on all that touched Jamaican culture. He was working at Aron’s and pointed me to countless gems.

Fast forward to 1999 and I was invited to play the chill room for our summer all-night Rhythm Society event called “Playtime.” I played a “chill” set of atmospheric Drum & Bass — many in the set sourced from Aron’s. It became one of my favorite of my mixes because it perfectly encapsulated what I love most about the genre: the dual nature of slow and calming melodies with energetic double-time rhythms. When the two are on equal footing, my brain does a happy dance.

For our Rhythm Society summer campout, I felt inspired by a recent release by IZCO - a young London-based producer reviving some of the most interesting sounds from the early Jungle movement. Meanwhile there’s been a revival in liquid Drum & Bass that’s caught my ear. Drum & Bass is constantly reviving and falling back into obscurity — it’s part of its dualist nature.

The end result is something that feels wonderfully familiar - almost a companion piece to my Bliss & Tumble mix from 1999, and a throughline back to 1994 at Aron’s and the moment I fell for this quirky genre. I guess it’s one of those “if you know…” mixes - this one is for you.

If you like it, go to Mixcloud and give it some love.