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Q&A: DIGITAL NIYABINGHI

Free download from Digital Niyabinghi

If you're into Ibiza Records — or jungle for that matter — you'll know who Paul 'Ibiza' Chambers is. Co-boss of the label alongside James Stephens of Noise Factory, the rave promoter set up the label to cross-pollinate electronic sounds within UK soundsystem culture. As a result, many credit him with the invention of jungle.

After consistently dropping riddims by the likes of Noise Factory, Potential Bad Boy and 2 Wiseman during the '90s, he's set up off-shoots like 3rd Party and Kemet to cater for diversity. And now, he's back. After working in the studio for four years with Jonny Dubs to develop “jungle dub” — a new jungle/dub hybrid sound at 160bpm — he's garnered over six-hours of exclusive tunes, constructed a 29-stack soundsystem known as Digital Niyabinghi especially and recruited a crew featuring Uncle Dugs, Ragga Twins and Potential Badboy, among others, to take the jungle dub sound on tour. We wanted to know more...

Give us an insight into your background as an early pioneer of the jungle scene?

“When we lost the freedom to party in the early '90s I decided it was time to bring my ideas into the studio. I joined forces with James (Noise Factory) and Ibiza records was launched. The concept was to fuse the sounds of the US breakbeats with European techno and reggae sounds — ‘jungle techno’ was born. This label became an instant success and ‘Limited E’ was launched to deal with strong demand for Jungle Music.”

Tell us about your new jungle dub sound. How did it come about, who is responsible for it?
“Being a music man like myself going to see Jah Shaka, Channel One and Abba Shanty, in other words going back to my roots, I found the music had energy but needed BPM to be notched up a gear. Being a junglist it made sense to merge the jungle with the dub and this has taken time to nature it and four years on the time is right. Myself and my engineer Jonny Dubs are the creators of jungle dub.”

What does it sound like? What has inspired it?
“Jungle dub is an extension of jungle music and has returned back to the soundsystem culture days of old, that’s why we refer to jungle dub as 'soundsystem music'. It is the musical fusion of dub, reggae, jungle, Niyabinghi beats, roots and culture.

What has inspired me to bring about Jungle Dub is that the Jungle music I helped to invent has totally lost its direction and meaning. I want to bring it back home to its original foundation of Soundsystem culture.”

What can we expect release-wise?
“Next year some time as it is a five year plan and we’re busy in the studio, working with artists, and promoting the sound.”

Where can we catch the Digital Niyabingh Soundsystem this summer?
“The soundsystem's spiritual home can be found at Jungle Splash at Brixton Jamm. You can also catch Digital Niyabinghi Soundsystem live in 2014 at a pre-carnival free party at Streetlife in Leicester 1st August, Brixton Slash Alldayer on 3rd August, Boomtown on the 8th August, Wray & Nephew presents Jamaica Rum Tings on 23rd of August and 30th August at Junglist Movement. For more info check out 
www.jungledubuk.com