Release Date: October 21, 2013
Jungle, the duo from England, produces some wicked funky beats. The group’s new EP The Heat is beyond groovy—the beats are a fun hybrid of R&B, funk, and disco, and no reaction other than dancing makes sense.
The entire EP is full of synths and affected vocals that give it a robo-funk sound. Each element sounds like it was produced electronically, with the exception of finger snaps on “Lucky I Got What I Want” and hand claps on “Platoon.”
Distance is created by the completely automated and electronic sounds, removing human characteristics from the music, such as a human voice the personal touch of analog instrumentation. Jungle is creating music in the Afro-futuristic tradition popularized by the sounds and philosophies of Afrika Bambaataa and Sun Ra.
“Ooh ooh ooh brotha/It’s how good ya are/I knock you down/Brotha please,” is sung over a drum beat and multiple electric guitar-like strums and chimes in the background of “Platoon.” This track is perhaps the biggest dose of neo-soul on the EP.
Each track is lyrically simple. The same handful of lines is repeated over and over while the music underneath it ebbs and flows.
The simplicity of the lyrics suits the more complicated music.
On “Drops,” the lines, “I’ve been loving you too long” and “So come down from the clouds/Come down,” are repeated throughout the track. It has interesting brass, and a much mellower funk to it. While Jungle’s style is coherent on these four tracks, the effects-ridden vocals feel played out by the end of the EP.
Organs, a drum machine, and a synth-produced beat compose most of “Lucky I Got What I Want.” This track is oddly serious compared to others on The Heat; echoes and hushed sirens give it an eerie quality. Ocean sounds creep in slowly, only to get louder then suddenly stop as the line, “Don’t you forget about me” is repeated.
“Lucky” closes the EP full circle, as the ocean ambiance provides a nice tie-in to the EP’s opening line, “Right on time/Right by the beach/Still gon’ bring the heat.”
The duo that makes up Jungle is pretty anonymous, with no bios to be found. The unknown nature of the artists makes the EP more interesting. Who are these people creating these soulful electronic grooves?
The music video for “The Heat” feature two men roller dancing in Adidas tracksuits. The video, and the EP itself, makes one wish roller rinks were still cool, because The Heat would be perfect background music. This mysterious EP is wonderfully funky, and even though it’s only 13 minutes long, it doesn’t get old with heavy rotation.
Jungle – The Heat – EP tracklist:
- “The Heat”
- “Platoon”
- “Drops”
- “Lucky I Got What I Want”
