Arguably the prime innovator in the development of jungle from its early status as an offshoot of hardcore techno into the respected, stylistic genre it became by the end of the 1990s, LTJ Bukem gained fame as an auteur in all fields of the drum’n’bass movement: as a top-flight breakbeat DJ, owner and label head of the
Good Looking/
Looking Good stable of labels and, of course, for his recordings — inspired by the lush strings and natural ambience of ’70s jazz fusion masters like
Lonnie Liston Smith and
Chick Corea as well as elegiac Chicago house and moody Detroit techno. Allied with the early-’90s rave and hardcore scene, Bukem began working on production near the end of the ’80s; though his light, airy sound made little sense to his contemporaries, Bukem’s style was emulated much more as the jungle scene gained momentum during the mid-’90s. While such producers as
Roni Size and
Goldie were in the limelight for their solo work, Bukem purposely downplayed his own artistic career in favor of mix albums and label-spanning retrospectives that highlighted dozens of artists from his labels.
After a subsequent DJ tour of America (his first), Bukem showcased a new direction in late 1996 with Earth, Vol. 1. Another compilation (this time spanning his catchall subsidiary
Earth Records), it concentrated on midtempo tracks inspired by hip-hop, soul-jazz, and funk — again featuring very few tracks actually by Bukem. The sequel to Logical Progression continued the same share-the-wealth strategy — it was helmed and mixed by
Good Looking right-hand man
Blame. Besides inaugurating yet another mix album series (Progression Sessions) in 1998, Bukem released several additional volumes in both the Logical Progression and Earth series. Journey Inwards, his first full-fledged solo album, followed in the spring of 2000. Producer 01 was issued a year later.
Good Looking‘s release schedule hasn’t waned in the years since, with Bukem remaining as active as ever.
~ John Bush, Rovi
