Rumble in the Jungle Captures Miami's Underground Sound

Local music scenes in big cities like Miami are dynamic. New talent emerges and stalwarts leave for new cities. That makes it difficult to capture its full breadth. A tight-knit trio of Miami-based DJs/producers, Topher The Alien, DB Cooper, and DJ Tamsom, share an archival snapshot of Miami's current underground music scene in their inaugural compilation, Rumble in the Jungle Vol. 1. Known collectively as the Rumble in the Jungle crew, they give credit where it's long overdue.

The compilation, featuring 30 tracks from primarily Miami-based producers, is a testament to the crew's dedication to bass music and passion for Miami's creative community. New Times caught up with all three founding members on the heels of its official release, which included a release party at the Boombox.

"Releasing a compilation is a big deal for us," Topher says. "We're really proud of what we've been able to put together." Since the collective started in 2023, they’ve carved out huge inroads. After finding themselves in each other's orbit, their collaborative effort made perfect sense.

​“I've known Jared [DB Cooper] for a few years,” Topher recalls. "We've been going to the same parties for quite some time. We were never super tight, but we would always be on the same bills. We eventually met Brandon [DJ Tamsom] at an American Grime party, and the three of us just hit it off." After connecting, they discovered a shared natural connection. "We were kind of unsatisfied with how things were going in our city regarding the genres we're interested in. All three of us brought something different to the table. We threw a party together, it did really well, and we figured we might as well keep doing it."

Though the trio loves bass, they refuse to pigeonhole themselves. "We're not just playing one type of music," Tamsom explains. We're trying to create a space where people can come together and enjoy different styles." While it's not always feasible to book the artists they love, the compilation allowed them to share their music. It also reflects their sound, a deadly combination developed by the founding members' backgrounds. Topher's love of EDM and dubstep, DB Cooper's roots in breaks and electro, and Tamsom's forays in drum and bass and jungle forge the crew's collective identity.
​The release demonstrates the versatility of Miami's underground music scene. "We've got a great mix of genres and styles, from jungle and drum and bass to breaks and UKG." It features a range of tempos and moods, from unbridled and wild to more atmospheric soundscapes.

The crew selected tracks from a massive pool of submissions. The sheer amount of talent in Miami led to the compilation's expansion from 10 or 20 to 30 tracks. It features submissions from underground luminaries like Sel.6, Rara, and Brightwing, and rising talents like Playshado.

Beyond ensuring submissions weren’t heavily sample-based to avoid distribution hiccups, there were no rules to follow. The nature of many electronic music genres, from jungle to plunderphonics, can make it difficult to sidestep. Producers and DJs were free to explore any mood or style they desired.

The trio gained valuable knowledge, teaching themselves how to master tracks better. "We definitely stepped up our game because it's different when you're just working on your own tunes," Cooper, who managed a lot of the technical logistics, explains. After submissions began rolling in, the whole picture emerged naturally without endless sequencing.
The cover art is a photo from a live Rumble show. It's an intentional deviation from the typical compilation art on platforms like Bandcamp, often made to imitate vinyl releases with simple stamp-style artwork. Staring into the black-and-white photograph transports you into the crowd pictured on the cover. The focus is squarely placed on the importance of their parties, one of the only places Miami partygoers can consistently hear bass-laden genres. These are the sounds you'd be hard-pressed to hear in the terrace upstairs at Club Space.

​Cooper says, "Sometimes the parties in Miami get too cool for school. Everybody's got their sunglasses on, and there's a time and a place for that. You can go out and be seen. Sometimes that's the energy they want to give. But we also want to give an environment and a platform to people to have fun. Because if we're not having fun, what are we doing?"

Topher echoes Cooper's sentiment. "I feel like some parties take themselves too seriously. And it's cool to know what the next thing is, this song you've never heard, or this artist you've never heard of. But it's cooler to have fun doing it. That's why I think our party's taking off. Because people love jungle, even if they don't, sometimes they like songs they recognize. Or we're doing dumb stuff on stage, but they see we're having fun. They have fun and they're like, 'Man, I don't really like that music, but I had a good time. I'm going to come back.'"

Rumble in the Jungle, Vol. 1 reminds us that South Florida's rich electronic music heritage predates current trends. The Rumble crew uncovers the substance beneath Miami's flashy surface.

​Rumble in the Jungle, Vol. 1 is available now via bandcamp.com.