30 Years Of Peace, Love and Unity

Posted April 15, 2026

Written by Yasmine Cherie

This track was created by the legend, DJ Hype, and features the soulful, undeniable voice of MC Fats. It is the track that committed my soul to being a Junglist.

I started DJing when I was just 12 years old getting paid to DJ at children’s events through an entertainment company. Usually, I’d accommodate requests for legendary 90s Pop artists like the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys etc, but my music love was Happy Hardcore. Living in a small town, pre-internet, the sources of musical information were rather limited. One of my favourite past times was my weekly visit to our one and only local record shop doing the whole ‘any Jungle in, Guy?’ (Human Traffic) but with Happy Hardcore instead.

Every Sunday, I tuned into Dave Pearce’s Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1 to discover the latest Dance music. One fateful Sunday, in between the House, Garage, and Trance that was played was this music with a dark, chaotic yet uplifting and hypnotising vibe that I was introduced to through Peace, Love & Unity. I still have the cassette tape on which I recorded this very show. Who knew that Dave Pearce would act as ‘Cupid’ between me and Jungle? This very track sparked a love affair with not only Jungle music itself, but an entire sense of ‘belonging’ which I didn’t know I was missing in my life.

There was a whole culture defined by a set of values I could finally believe in. Those were ‘PLUR’: peace, love, unity, respect. Its followers were harmoniously connected by their love for the music and an inexplicable empathy with, and mutual respect for, other Ravers. This is something that, even at 40 years old I still witness on the odd occasion I get a day off from being ‘Mum’ to go raving. Jungle and Drum and Bass has most certainly evolved from the legendary Korg M1, 808 and 909 music production technology, but the culture’s ethos remains the same.

Peace, Love & Unity was constructed using a combination of modern production techniques for that era producing (what’s now a nostalgic) Old School sound. Opening with the iconic rave choir of the 80s and 90s, and a snare hit with just the right attack/release balance to create an anthemic build, the atmosphere’s set, Ravers await the drop. That deep, gritty 90s Jungle Reese bass is enough to rattle the lows in that bass bin filling up your entire Ford Escort or Citroen Saxo boot. Popular samples of that time feature in the track such as; a classic (record) rewind and a dub siren. The snare hits with the choppy hats and percussion keep a steady kinetic energy going to get your Nan’s head nodding. DJ Hype strikes perfect harmony when arranging of MC Fats’ vocals’ which caters for even the most committed lovers of the dubbiest Jungle. With a hook containing a message that cannot be ignored, us ‘Peace Loving Creatures’ view this track as our culture’s anthem. It’s in our Junglist DNA.

Fast forward thirty years and this track still has the musical superpower to connect cross-generational Ravers, from those privileged to have witnessed first-hand what the scene was like back then to the ‘new day’ Ravers getting hyped by great modern artists like Mozey, Camo and Krooked, and K Motionz. Music production has certainly evolved during that time which has inevitably impacted the sounds we now hear today, but aside from the music technology, our appetite for raves boasting high-tech performances has increased. We live in an era where technology dominates as Ravers don’t just come to dance, they come to spectate, holding their phones up to capture their favourite DJ playing on a digital music controller with powerful lasers blinding them, and abstract graphics on a screen behind them. It’s certainly a full-body experience but one thing for sure is when a DJ spins that Peace, Love & Unity track, nothing matters anymore. No matter age, race, whether you love or hate Jump Up, or like to spend your Saturday nights going to bed at 10pm or having pre-drinks at 10pm, Peace, Love & Unity is known and loved by all Ravers, and PLUR remain our cultural ethics. 2026 will be welcoming an official remix by the legend himself, DJ Hype, which I cannot wait to hear.