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Drum & Bass pioneer Tango has died

D&B community mourns the departure of one of its innovators...

Jungle/drum & bass producer Tango, aka Jamie Giltrap, has died suddenly, it has been reported. 

Tango produced a string of hardcore, jungle and drum & bass tunes in the 1990s, and after taking a break from the scene after the early noughties - during which he became a chef - he returned recently with some new releases, and was thought to be working on an EP for Goldie’s gold standard Metalheadz imprint.

As hardcore swept the UK at the turn of the 1990s, Tango’s first release was on DJ SS’s label Formation Records, and as hardcore morphed into jungle his name became synonymous with the darkside sound.

With cohort Ratty he produced ‘Tales From The Darkside’, which included demonic breakbeat hardcore cut ‘Final Conflict’.

As drum & bass flexed into the mid-90s, Tango started making slightly more melodic ‘artcore’ tunes with a journeying Detroitian twist. ‘Understanding’, on DJ Pulse’s Creative Wax label, still boasted frenetic breaks and a killer “Understand” vocal sample, while he also started recording and remixing for leading scene label Moving Shadow. 

‘Let The Hustlers Play’ with Pulse was an early jazzy jungle cut, while the haunting ’Fever’, released by Moving Shadow in 1996 on their ‘Trans-Central Connection’ comp, was later licensed for a Lexus car ad.  

Simon Colebrooke from 2 Bad Mice, a friend and contemporary of Tango, told DJ Mag: “Our scene has lost one of its true innovators. He had an exceptional talent of turning his hand to any style of old skool, hardcore, jungle or d&b. He was one of the producers who was pivotal in the early rave scene — carving out a distinct and unique sound along with the likes of Midlands pals Fallout, Ratty, Doc Scott and FBD Project to name a few.

"I can still remember handing him floppy discs or DATs of Moving Shadow tracks and saying ‘Do what the fuck you like with the remix mate, I know it will be ace’. It's a terribly sad day for our scene but his music is etched into its history forever. That bassline from ‘Tales From The Darkside’ will still be smashing up dancefloors for years to come. He was great to work with, a gentleman, husband and father. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.”

The UK drum & bass scene was mourning Tango on Twitter.  

DJ Mag’s thoughts are with all of Tango’s family and friends at this sad time.