Kaya Fyah: 1994 (Born In The Jungle) (digital, Supa Subs, November 2024)

The title of this record is a reference to the fact that Kaya Fyah was born in 1994, which was essentially the year that jungle emerged as a popular form. (Apparently this makes her thirty — subs please check, ‘cos that doesn’t sound right at all…) Oh, and her dad just happens to be Congo Natty, who guests here along with old muckers like Top Cat and Ed Solo. It won’t come as a surprise that this is unashamedly retro. That was never going to be a problem for me if it was done well enough, and this is absolutely cracking. But this isn’t a straight tribute act: it’s not afraid to explore the jungle’s Jamaican roots in some depth, and some fascinating and very satisfying music results.

Stylistically, I’d say (and bear in mind that I am, as ever, shit at genres) that we have a combination of ‘classic’ jungle, some ragga jungle, and some tracks with a more laid-back party vibe that lean into ska or possibly rocksteady, only with breaks. And the breaks throughout the record are just delightful, as is the vworgy bass when it appears. There are more sung vocals than I’d normally associate with jungle, and lovely they are too. There’s some nice toasting, too. Most of the tracks are catchy as hell, and many of them are also quite soulful, which is a neat trick. This is especially true as the album develops, growing more spiritual and introspective. The standard genre tropes of murderation and going home in body bags and so on are replaced by a strong Rastafarian influence. All of which is done while continuing to deliver banger after banger.

This record is almost an hour and a quarter, which is long by current standards. But it absolutely justifies this by being full of invention, with wonderful moments thrown at you with such style. A late but very strong contender for an album of the year slot right here.

I bought this from Beatport.