(From www.torontojungle.com)

Musically Manipulated Mentalities of the Darkside Variety
Tack One?
Entry Date: 10/1/00

When I started to get into jungle it didn't have the "bad ass" connotations that it does today. At a party you could walk from the house room, to the techno room, to the jungle room, and notice no real difference between the people occupying each space. They were all just ravers, who, for the most part, danced to and enjoyed a variety of different musical styles, resulting in a united atmosphere of acceptance - symbiosis if you will.

Gradually things began to change. Whether these changes were the result of necessity, social trend, outside influence or promoters' decisions, nobody can deny that changes did, and continue to, occur. Of all the changes the scene has gone through, and all the complaints and debates these changes have spawned, few of them have amounted to more than self-explanatory trite.

One topic, however, intrigues me - how thug oriented jungle music has become. I mean it doesn't take a seriously intelligent person to piece together the perplexing mystery behind the lack of available venue space, or the government's snap judgement regarding the future of raves. Both issues stemmed from a few unfortunate tragedies that, when combined with people's ignorance of the scene as a whole, led them to take action. However, the over-thugification and the general "bad buzz" atmosphere that Toronto's jungle scene now has a reputation for, is a little harder to explain.

I got to thinking about why exactly this specific change had happened, taking into account both increased rave publicity, and the possibility that the screw-face massive started to come when they got wind that they could get away with drug use far more easily than at other places. I'm sure both these factors played a roll in the gradual change, but it's sort of a stretch to think that these people were coming on a repeat basis simply because the scene had become more popular, and that they may or may not be doing drugs inside. It wouldn't make any sense to pay the cost of the tickets just to stand around and get high if you didn't like anything about the scene. So that left me with the music. It must be the music itself that's attracting thugs and promoting the hard knock mentality that Jungle music has become so famous for.

Several studies have been done on the effect of music on both the mood and temperament of the listener. One such study done by a team of sociologists at the University of California, Berkley, concluded beyond any shadow of a doubt that music plays a vital yet subconscious role in human emotion. Test patients were first made to listen to music of different varieties and genres, and then asked to perform stressful testes requiring a lot of cognitive thinking and planing. The test subjects who had listened to "calming" music such as classical, jazz, or blues did far better at the tests and remained considerably more relaxed during the proceedings than those who were made to listen to heavier more "aggressive" music.

This study, like others done on primates, leads us to believe that tempo and melody affect the brain's subconscious inner workings, resulting in pseudo-emotions or hypersensitive emotional awareness. A practical application of this theory is used effectively everyday in movies, advertisements and even hospitals (tell me the next time you hear Slayer playing over the hospital p.a.!)

If it is a fact that music affects our emotions, it is a logical assumption that the general bad-vibe atmosphere that Jungle events have become known for is a direct result of the unprecedented move towards a singular style and sound, the dark sound. Where jungle was once bouncy, exuberant and drew from a variety of musical influences, it is now predominantly dark and evil sounding, which cannot, and does not do anything less than create an atmosphere of tension and anxiety.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the new school style as much as anyone else does. But, as someone who has seen the scene change from one extreme to another, I think the dark sound that has dominated the scene for the last two years has had a considerable influence on this change. Just look at all the other genres of rave music, nothing of this sort has happened to any of them, and why not? They're equally as popular, if not more so, they've got the same drug problems we have or had if not worse, they've gone through the years in the room next door and nothing of the sort has happened. It's because the music stayed uplifting.

I've heard a lot of complaints from oldschoolers who simply cannot relate to the "silly" mentality of new school junglists. For the most part comments like these come from people who don't like, and haven't embraced the new sounds of drum and bass. Jungle is emotional music, and now more than ever it evokes a feeling of confidence, power, superiority, individuality (which is ironic because 90% of junglists look like they got their cloths at one giant hip hop reject garage sale) and aggression. I am only human. I too feel these emotions sometimes, however, unlike far too many people in the scene today I hold above all else friendship, good times, and the smile on my face, which is what the music is really all about.

Stay positive and rinse it out proper. And for those in the know, hold tight, the sounds are changing and the prospects are on some next shit.

Onelove.
Damon Crate.
TaCk OnE?