DJ Crystl - The Remixes Album & Interview
"BBoyism is an attitude, a way of expression that I like to embody in my work," DJ Crystl reveals.
The effect of Warpdrive by DJ Crystl on me as a young jungle drum and bass dj was undeniable because the tune felt bold and iconic while maintaining a dj friendly flow. It turned out that Warpdrive stood the test of time: An originally twisted amen pattern paired with a mad noise loop on top of accented sub bass drops until the tune serves the iconic breakdown into a mystic two tone pad that built nothing but euphoria before the beats kicked in again.
I bought the tune when it came out on the Drum & Bass Selection 1 compilation of Breakdown / Suburban Base Records in 1994 and it stayed with me as a secret weapon for years. From then on then I had bought every tune from DJ Crystl on sight but not for long as he didn't make new tracks. In a recent interview with Derek from Slowmotion blog he tells the story of his upbringing into hardcore jungle music, explained what happened when he was offered an album deal from a major label and how he got back in the game just two years ago – it's a great read.
I linked to this interview in last week's notes as I was excited to learn anything about Dan Chapman aka DJ Crystl. On Instagram I tagged him when I promoted the blog post and to my surprise he reached out. The result of that awesome interweb moment is a new interview* with him and a review of his Remixes Album Project below. Alright, let it roll!
Are you a night owl or an early bird?
Early bird. My day starts at 5am.
What music are you listening to when there's no set to prepare?
I often listen to a lot of dj sets from djs I like. Loxy, Bailey, Storm, Benny L, Digital, Outrage, Kiljoy, Dom & Roland to name a few. Other than that I'll regularly tune into Kool FM for certain shows like Bailey Intabeats and Storms show. Other musical interests when not listening to jungle and dnb is late 90's hip hop, I often catch mixes from my good friend DJ MK to hear what's going on in hip hop both old and new.
What's your favorite breakfast cereal and favorite comfort food?
Weetabix and shreddies. Spag bol and I love chocolate. Sorry actually I meant to say bone broth and tofu lol.
Do you feel jungle is more like an over-fit grandparent that can't let go or rather an undead relative powered by expectations and rejections of other new genres?
Jungle and drum and bass is what it is. A genre and culture unlike anything else. It stood the test of time and only continues to grow bigger and stronger in all its glorious forms. Nothing can touch it. It doesn't care what people think.
Is there a future beyond warming up early 90's jungle and where would you enjoy to see it evolving towards, how will it hopefully sound like?
The old with the new, the rough with the smooth as DJ Storm says.
Where the scene is right now is very special and I see it continuing to evolve with even more artists old and new introducing more breakbeats and late 90's to naughties influences. The old with the new, the rough with the smooth as DJ Storm says. The future of drum and bass is keeping it original and fresh with nods to the OG foundations. Never forget where it came from.
Who's one to watch, may it be old skool heritage or fresh steps taken? Where to find the exciting beats and inspiring sounds?
The one like Fierce is coming back. He also has done a remix for my album which is slamming. I don't really follow too much in terms of who's new and up and coming but my mate and breakbeat enthusiast John Rolodex has some very fresh talent coming from his stables on his label Machinist Music. He also has done a fantastic remix for my album.
Did some producers in the past approach you to remix some of your classics? And how did you handle that?
Yes I've had many producers over the years ask me if they could remix my old tracks. At the time it probably wasn't something I wanted to explore.
The 2023 Golden Era Collection USB (sold out) contains a remix of Warpdrive by DJ Trax, it is not part of the actual Remix Album – why is that?
Oh yeah, this was a wicked montage of both of my OG versions of Warpdrive that DJ Trax did as a special dub plate. He approached me with it and I loved it. It wasn't an actual “official” remix and we wanted to keep it as a dub plate – although I did add it to the Golden Era Project but it isn't uploaded anywhere as an official release to download. My new remix album 2025 is a more “modern” dance-floor take on my old classics so the more retro sounding vibes wouldn't suit this project.
BBoyism is an attitude, a way of expression that I like to embody in my work.
In the credits to the Golden Era Collection USB you called DJ Trax "an all round oldskool bboy producer of the highest level". How important is bboyism as a state of mind to you?
BBoyizm is everything I have grown up with, it's something that's just there in my blood running through my veins. It plays a massive part in the way I go about my production, everything from how something drops to the use of a simple stab sample to the way I make my drum patterns and filter effects. It's an attitude, a way of expression that I like to embody in my work. Both music and actual art.
Although you did hip hop inspired artwork for labels like Lucky Spin you commissioned 'OG MEAR' for the artwork of The Remixes. What is the story behind the reference to graffiti and the artist you chose?
I wanted to make something special for the remix album. Something that would feel like and look like it's a part of me and what I love. Grafitti has been a part of my life just the same as everything else bboy related. But this time I wanted to bring in an artist and I chose UK artist and writer MEAR. I've known of him since the 80's back in the days when I used to ride the northern line. Thanks to social media I started following him on instagram a few years ago and liking his works. I asked if he could get involved in creating the Album cover which he agreed to. I had no doubt he would come through with something special.
Why don't you like djing despite your name?
It's not to say I don't or will never dj again. I will return to the decks one day but for now fully focused on making new music for the people dem.
When you dj, do you use the loop function or sync button or both?
If I did dj – I wouldn't use either.
Apart from a recent remix you did for Keep Your Nose Out only 5 tunes from your works are available on streaming platforms, a little bit more can be found on popular download shops. Most of the Golden Era tracks are available on Hardcore Junglism. Your general release strategy evolves around exclusivity on Bandcamp though where you put tracks, stems, exclusive mix sets on USB cards with no previews at all. What is the reason behind all that?
I have always preferred exclusivity and a bit of mystery. I'm not a fan of streaming or uploading much digitally to those kinda platforms. I will however at some point release all the remixes digitally and streaming so it can reach wider but not until much later in 2025. The album project is physical only and it's created as a collectors edition.
Currently you are working with Digital and Outrage on a release for Function Records. What is your relation to both and what kind of tracks is to be expected coming from you?
It was a natural progression to end up working with Digital and Outrage seeing that Outrage just remixed Meditation and he is part of the Function Records family as is Kiljoy. Phase 02 of my Remix Project was to release some singles from the remix album on vinyl throughout 2025 along with a collaboration. I decided to offer Kiljoys ‘Let It Roll' remix to Function Records and that then progressed into Digital and Outrage suggesting to also add the new Mediation remix to this release plus a collab by all three of us. What's crazy is although we had all been a part of this scene since the beginning – I'd never had the chance to actually meet them until now. We got a date in the diary for the collab and all met at Outrage's house/studio. Needless to say it was pure vibes from the start. We smashed out a naughty little banger which is more than a nod to the magical Blue Note Metalheadz era. Something we all realised we shared the love for. The track is called ‘Killa' and it's a true heavy stepper with hard thumping amens and deep sub basses. This will be available in 2025, no set date as of yet. We have since got together again and created yet another banger in the same direction as Killa. Expect a lot more throughout 2025 from Digital x Crystl x Outrage.
* Thanks to LXC and LUI from the Leipzig Rum'n'Bass chat group who came up with additional questions for DJ Crystl.
DJ Crystl - The Remixes Album
The remix album is available as a merch item only on his Bandcamp, no streaming platforms, no official download shop release – just a beautifully designed USB card with 14 tracks in highres audio format. With DJ Crystl's permission I created audio previews each containing snippets from the original track and then the remix. This way you may get a feel for the remix work that has been done considering that between the originals and the remixes are three decades of jungle drum and bass evolution. You witness not just a pitch to higher bpm's but a whole new level on production quality of what is possible today. Some things don't change though and the prominence of the Amen break is a testament to the genre's robust foundation.
If you're curious about the original tracks by DJ Crystle, here's a YouTube playlist of all of them including the reworks from 2004 released on Photek's label. His Golden Era Collection on USB is sold out unfortunately but have a look on Hardcore Junglism for more of his early music.
Quick rewind to what DJ Crystl said in the interview about the remixes:
My new remix album 2025 is a more “modern” dance-floor take on my old classics so the more retro sounding vibes wouldn't suit this project.
And now the full track list:
- DJ Crystl - The Dark Crystl (Dom & Roland Remix) 6:47
- DJ Crystl - Inna Year 4000 (Tech Itch Remix) 8:48
- DJ Crystl - King of the Beats (Fierce Remix) 5:39
- DJ Crystl - Mindgames (Dj Crystl Remix) 10:21
- DJ Crystl - Paradise (Voyager Remix) 7:11
- DJ Crystl - Warpdrive (Benny L Remix) 6:44
- DJ Crystl - Let It Roll (Kiljoy Remix) 6:30
- DJ Crystl - Meditation (Outrage Remix) 6:52
- DJ Crystl - Experience (Dj Crystl Remix) 8:06
- DJ Crystl - Deep Space (Tech Noir Remix) 5:42
- DJ Crystl - Crystlize (Friske Remix) 6:32
- DJ Crystl - Your Destiny (John Rolodex Remix) 6:12
- DJ Crystl - 183 (Dj Crystl Remix) 4:39
- DJ Crystl - MindGames Special VIP (Scar Remix) 4:56
The trademark thunder kicks on Dom and Roland's amen breaks are rolling into the intro pads and for anyone familiar with his dystopian take on drum and bass this feels like home but with that DJ Crystl pads touch. After the second drop he turns the carnage knob considerably.
This is another perfect example of an escalating second drop, Tech Itch takes his time working the amen with a hint of how Dillinja used his own vox samples as a kind of overdub commentary. Heavenly brutal remix.
I love the original drum cascade and how it is pitched lower towards the end of the pattern and it feels like it is drowning in itself. In his remix Fierce is focussed razorsharp on the main characteristics of the rhythm pattern, I dare say it reminds me of how Doc Scott used to lay out beats.
DJ Crystl himself elevates his atmospheric Good Looking tune with a playful and funky bassline into a bolder version, stripping the motif to its bare essential and adding an amen to that – 2025 style.
Paradise is such a gem, the bell melody is immediately recognisable and the second generation think break feels perfect in combination in the original. DJ Crystl's co-producer & engineer Voyager decided to go with the cold sweat breakbeat for the remix combining it with another funky breakbeat for more depth. The atmospheric roller remix is a great ode to the original.
Enough said about the epic Warpdrive tune, here comes the remix by Metalheadz late generation artist Benny L. It's a true "the remix can't be better than the original" type of situation, the stakes are high and all. But he knocks it out of the park because he took the amend pattern AND made it his own, big one.
I love the original because of it's inherent bboy feel, imagine how one could boogie to this. To appreciate the remix by Kiljoy to the full extent you need to know he's a Function Records artist, the label of Digital who had a long and legendary producer partnership with Spirit. The duo started the Phantom Audio label with Phantom Force 12" which felt like a much needed return to organic and raw breakbeats in 1999. Kiljoy's Let It Roll Remix is a genious mashup of two north star tracks of jungle drum and bass music: Let It Roll and Phantom Force. If that reads as if that sounds a bit messy – listen to his master stroke.
Outrage takes the original atmospheric jungle tune to contemporary production heights and adds drum edits with an edge that support the overall flow so well – definitely one of my fave remixes.
The original track was re-released in 2022 on Deep Jungle Records which offers everything an excellent jungle tune needs: piano, vox sample and amen breaks. DJ Crystl takes Experience to standard dnb tempo, retaining almost exactly the amen edit while going in a little bit harder.
If you listen to the original it's barebones jungle drum and bass at its best, with typical mystic pads and the energizing bboy stab. Tech Noir is the project of Metalheadz artists Mikal and zouk bass pioneer Riot and together they decided to come up with a new devastating bassline, making it a real headz remix.
The original was released in 1993, the version on Deep Jungle is an unreleased version, likely a vip mix for Bukem. The continuous bleep sound is like a buoy in an ocean of amen waves and Friske incorporated it as well although slightly different and more like a submarine ping. Top notch remix in my book.
Your Destiny is a hardcore tune at 155 bpm and John Rolodex decided to up the tempo to 165 bpm – a very fine range for jungle imho. I hope I don't offend anyone when I say the remix has this Paradox bboy feel to the breaks and the bass I absolutely love. The second drop with the layered breaks is a perfect weighted hommage, this is probably the most played remix this week.
In the original part I used the Head Nod Dub rather than the real thing. The boom bap version is so good and underscores why hip hop and the ethos it comes with feel like home for Crystl. It is fascinating to see how well the rhymes work on double time at 172 bpm as it has that live MC working the club over a baaad tune vibe. This is still a DJ Crystl tune mind you!
In contrast to DJ Crystl's new version the Scar duo (Survival and Script) decided to go full tech step with a switch up pattern on the drums and a bucket of filter sweeps.
I hope that DJ Crystl's album will re-engage old fans and attract new ones. The parallels between BBoyism and jungle drum and bass music also play a role in my universe, so I feel very connected to this attitude. I look forward to more of his music, maybe I'll see him behind the decks once in my life.
