Ragga Twins, Ragga Twins Step Out

Before dubstep and grime there was drum'n'bass; before that there was jungle, and before jungle there was this melee of accelerated hip-hop breaks, dub sonics, dancehall vocals and rave bleeps. In 1990, London MCs David and Trevor Destouche hooked up with producers Shut Up and Dance for a string of singles steeped in the under-the-radar culture of pirate radio and unlicensed samples. (SUAD later lost a sample-related lawsuit, so you can forgive this brilliant retrospective for omitting some of their cheekier pilferings.) The Twins flaunt their skills on Juggling but SUAD's atmospheric, ingenious production means that the virtually instrumental Spliffhead (Remix) and The Homeless Problem are no less gripping. It's urban music in every sense, built to echo around warehouses and tower blocks, full of fun and menace.