We Talk To Nottingham-Based Promotors Bushdoctor About The Evolution Of Jungle Music

“Jungle is often assumed to be totally London-focused – but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” says Arms, one member of the four-strong Bushdoctor Promotions team, alongside his fellow artists Crucial, Junior and Tops. “It was first established in the capital but quickly spread to other parts of the country, inspiring new DJs and MCs – including DJ SS from Leicester and MC Spyda and MRB from Nottingham. We founded Bushdoctor in 1993 with the aim of bringing this genre of music to a wider audience – and we’ve continued to do so ever since.”

The two founding Bushdoctor members, Arms and Crucial, originally met as teenagers at Nottingham’s iconic live music venue, Rock City, through a love of breakdancing. “We were just really into the scene,” explains Arms. “It was always about the music – it always has been.”

Influenced by the reggae sound system era, jungle is born out of rave culture – specifically a genre of music known as jungle techno, a fusion of reggae dancehall, rave, techno and jungle house. Jungle is a fundamental part of British culture, woven into the fabric of rave heritage – alongside genres such as techno and house.

The song We are E by British breakbeat hardcore producer Lennie De Ice, recorded in 1989 and released in 1991 on a four-track EP from Reel 2 Reel productions, is said to be the first track to lay down the foundations for jungle music as we know it today. It was among the first tracks to feature a deep rolling bassline, synonymous with reggae music – along with samples taken from reggae dancehall tracks.

The commercial side of the genre can also be found in the charts, with tracks used for adverts and campaigns. From its modest UK beginnings, jungle is now an international scene.

The new and rapidly emerging jungle drum and bass movement was created in and around London in the early 1990s – but Arms and Crucial were determined to bring it to other parts of the UK, adding to the development and proliferation of the scene with jungle parties outside the capital. What they hadn’t bargained for, however, was the growing challenges they’d come to face in terms of logistics, planning, venues and more.

Despite being relatively inexperienced in promoting, Crucial and Arms decided that, rather than be put off, they’d continue with their mission. 

“We knew that there was a whole host of artists and music fans outside the capital that had contributed to growth and development of jungle music – and we owed it to them and ourselves to press on with our plans,” says Crucial. 

It was around this time that two new individuals were introduced to the Bushdoctor team. Junior and Tops, close friends of Arms and Crucial, had been involved in the rave scene from the beginning – and, luckily, also had experience of organising large-scale parties.

“Junior and I were raving from the days of free parties, pre satnav, travelling to unknown destinations to find parties taking place deep in the countryside or woodlands,” explains Tops. 

“We actually led the convoy of cars and trucks along the M1 from Chipping Sodbury to the now iconic Castlemorton. My car was the first on site for what turned out to be the biggest free party in history, all formed around us two!”

The infamous Castlemorton rave in 1992 was the beginning of the end of free parties, when the criminal justice act was introduced. The scene was forced to move indoors to licensed, paid venues – for jungle, the key locations were Bagleys film studios at King’s Cross in London and Sanctuary in Milton Keynes.

The development spurred Bushdoctor Promotions to host a series of national Jungle events, catering for tens of thousands of party goers.

The first was a huge Jungle Mania rave, held at the Sanctuary and featuring an impressive line-up of all the well-known and up-and-coming jungle drum and bass artists from across the UK.

Cleverly nicknamed Exodus, the party was intentionally aimed at bringing artists and fans out of London to celebrate this new, exciting style of music – bringing them together with music lovers from elsewhere. “We started off strong and have continued ever since,” smiles Arms.

Becoming more adept at promoting and organising raves, Bushdoctor quickly made a name for itself as a pioneer of jungle music, recognised by many as being responsible for bringing this underground scene to the attention of a new generation.

“Bushdoctor events have always had a strong focus on music, featuring a carefully selected line-up of DJs and MCs,” says Junior. “We curate each night as an artistic piece in itself. We also make sure our parties involve a high standard of visual production, with a strong emphasis on creating an uplifting experience – we want everyone to have an amazing time.”

Bushdoctor events have always had a focus on pure enjoyment and appreciation of music – but as the jungle scene grew, things got a little more challenging.

“Unfortunately, as jungle became bigger as a genre, more and more events were held that were run less tightly, with less of a focus on the music,” recalls Tops. “Difficulties included the complicated logistics of managing large groups of excited revellers – so we took a step back and evaluated how we could move things forward.”

Since then, Bushdoctor has worked hard to provide safe spaces for music fans from all over the UK and beyond to come together and rave safely. “We’ve always made sure our emphasis is on creativity and enjoyment – but in a safe space,” says Arms. “We want to bring joy, unity and peace through pure love of music.” 

The Bushdoctor team is proud to have grown up with the evolution of jungle as a genre. “The scene just gets better and better – the array and quality of the artistry, the purity of the genuine hardcore junglist, the proliferation of different events,” says Junior. “Jungle and its relatives form a spirit that’s very much alive, appealing to people across the age and cultural spectrum.”

The Bushdoctor team’s still going strong – currently ramping up for a special reunion event on 16 September with a star-studded line-up of artists, headlined by world-famous titans Fabio and Grooverider, known as the godfathers of DnB. The event marks 29 years since Jungle Mania, the first ever Bushdoctor rave, held at the Sanctuary in Milton Keynes.

“We’ve always regarded Fabio and Grooverider as two of the original jungle dons. It’s a pleasure to invite them to Nottingham as part of our Reunion event,” says Crucial.

“We’re proud to be the creative inspiration for artists new and old,” agrees Arms. “This event brings us right back to our strong foundation, and we’re so happy to share that with music lovers from all generations and backgrounds. We’re bridging the gap between legacy and future – with an emphasis on peace, love and sharing the spirit of jungle music.”

Buy your ticket for Bushdoctor's 29th reunion, which will be hosted at Hidden Warehouse, Long Row, here