“Looking through any crate of jungle and breakbeat hardcore records produced in the UK from the early 90’s, it's hard to miss the various characters inhabiting the centre labels and record sleeves. With their cap down, baggy jeans, fat trainers and occasionally stern demeanour, they illustrate a raw idea of the fashion, attitude and feelings that surrounded the music, in a way that other mediums not always can.

These often crudely hand-drawn caricatures of DJ’s and ravers are reminiscent of figures painted by some early hip-hop aligned US graffiti artists, but with a distinctive UK style. Their exaggerated nature gives heightened insight into the music and culture by echoing fashion tropes, facial expressions and body stances seen at the raves, record shops and recording studios.

Labels like Kikman, Kniteforce and Strictly Underground utilised these mascots at the forefront of their visual identity, creating DIY logos and record designs that have retained their iconic status years later. The characters serve as personalities that represent the music on the record or in the label’s catalog. However, this character style also appeared on related jungle and hardcore ephemera, including flyers, zines, magazine advertisements and merchandise as well as being adopted by some clothing brands popular with followers of the music at the time.”

By Resampled. You can purchase the zine here: