The warm-up for the first full artist album by Mikail Tafari aka Congo Natty aka Rebel MC in twenty years – the brimstone-heavy “Jungle Revolution” – continues with the first full single taken from the record.

Engaging with the new trend for 150bpm jungle, “Jah Warriors” twists the form into a righteous roots reggae tune that rolls out in its second half with all the power and propulsive force you’d expect from a Jungle legend. Featuring the sweet tones of Nanci Correia, quality reggae stylings from YT and hype man duties from Tafari’s teenage son Yosief, it’s a superb marriage of junglistic style and fearsome bass which sounds both timeless and utterly contemporary.

The first remix comes from Joker, originally introduced to Tafari by Buggsy, who has worked with both men. He keeps the reggae feel of the original (how could you get rid of it?!)  but gives the whole thing an irresistible, stoned, purple slide. Machinedrum is next up. The sometime Azealia Banks producer and new Ninja Tune signee is a massive jungle fan and opts to pay respect to the tradition with a very clever re-work of “UK Allstars.” The junglists are fully represented, finally, by mixes from Benny Page and Serial Killerz, both of whom take the tempo back up to more familiar jungle territory, pile on gigantic b-lines and let the party really start. 

Widely acknowledged as “a fearless social commentator and righteous Rastaman… a pioneer” (The Wire), Congo Natty is not a man to sit back and rest on his laurels or succumb to the temptations of the heritage circuit. Jungle is the first truly homegrown British bass music and was never co-opted or commercialized by the mainstream. Now one of its true leaders and heroes returns with the album the form has perhaps always needed. The warrior has come.

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