Now I know, you’re all prepared to blast me on the title. How can jungle be the next big thing when it already came and went 20 years ago? I’ll tell you how.

The word “nu” (and yes, it’s spelled correctly) carries a considerable amount of weight. That is, tacking “nu” onto the front of any old or outdated genre has the astonishing ability to not only inform us that this is not, in fact, that same as what it used to be, but also that this version of the genre carries with it some kind of distinguishing sparkle that the former never had. Disco became “nu disco” (they tightened it up and swapped out the live arrangements for electronics), rave became “nu rave,” and just like those that went before it, I’m fully expecting that we’ll soon be hearing word of “nu jungle,” en-route.

So why, you ask, is jungle going to be the genre to make a resurgence over, say Wisconsin Style Polka? Because dubstep is towing it in, of course! It goes without saying that the Wah Wah Square-Saw Wobble Native Instruments Massive synth sound played itself out in the dubstep world pretty quickly, and as such, the leaders of the pack (try Skream, Benga, and even Modselektor) have been turning their in different directions: more snare, less nasty, more catchy, and of course, ever more sub. I suppose you could say Jungle has been rearing its head as far back as Skream’s In For the Kill remix (the last 45 seconds or so are a break lover’s dream), but in the months following, its existence has become undeniable. Dubstep is now flooded with breaks, and though we’re only halfway there (most of the pioneering tracks are still being recorded at standard 140bpm dubstep tempo as opposed to the faster, 155 of classic jungle), I feel it’s safe to say that once Skream does something, a solid chunk of the rest of the scene is bound to follow. I give it 8 months.

Oh, and Datsik. You’ve got some thinking to do.
Edit–
Having received several heated emails from people who seem quite determined to prove that Modeselektor is not, in fact, dubstep, I figured I should share a few things.

I think the moral of the story is that people have lost the ability to differentiate dubstep from dudestep. Just because an artist doesn’t have wonky Rusko Datsik bass sounds doesn’t mean they’re not dubstep. I would even argue that Rusko and Datsik are even less dubstep artists than the aforementioned, as their sound is largely a bastardized version of what was originally called dubstep.

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Donae’o – Riot Music (Skream Remix)

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M Beat – Incredible

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Jahcoozi – Black Barbie (Modeselektor Remix)
(This one doesn’t quite fit with the rest in that it’s really more of a breakcore tune, and it was released in (gasp) 2006, but it still sheds light on the many unopened directional doors of dance music.)