Jungle fan turned jungle producer DJ Sew released “(Dis)Respect” in mid-September, available on DJ Sew’s own Bandcamp page. If you want jungle music that genuinely sounds exactly like it did in 1994, DJ Sew is your man!

“(Dis)Respect” begins with some poignant soft pads; a half-speed, pitched-down break clatters away under an ominous “all London crew” vocal. The pads become layered with some nostalgic piano chords before cutting out for a ragga sample of Buju Banton “Respect” 16-bar verse.

The drop features a rebounding whistle sound and dub sirens, followed by a Frankie Paul singing reggae classic “I Know The Score” vocal over a frantic series of nicely syncopated breaks.

The sub bass is a familiar reggae-inspired deep one calling for plenty of slow hip swaying.

Over halfway through the track, we have a well-timed Amen rinse out as DJ Sew shows his full understanding of the unmistakable sound of peak golden era jungle. Sounding like it has just come out of a Sunday Roast, AWOL or Telepathy rave. All from a producer still in his mid-20s!

DJ Sew takes a risky approach with complex breaks and intricate concepts of old-school jungle, but a risk worth having – as the producer convincingly ensures “(Dis)Respect” is not a cheesy half-effort or delusional pastiche. This is a party track for the true jungle heads.

Making a note on the mixdown, Sew opts for a track that is able to breathe through its flexible and natural dynamic range, avoiding the contemporary method of over-compressing and brick-walling everything. A consequence of this is the humanistic and natural sound we know and love from jungle’s heyday.

We look forward to hearing more from DJ Sew in the coming months.