Angela Lewis on pop

It was inevitable. At the Notting Hill Carnival, the boom of jungle, jungle and more jungle dominated the sound systems, re-inforcing the fact that the narcotically high, techno/rap/reggae hybrid has been the sound of 1994. All this despite the exasperating problem that still practically no one except John Peel and one two-hour Wednesday Kiss FM show spin it on legal radio stations. All respect must go to the pirates like Kool FM, Dream FM and Shocking FM (whose frequencies cannot legally be published), which are easily picked up in south London on a Saturday night. Needless to say, most kept broadcasting until the early hours of Monday morning.

My local jungle outlet, Wax City in Croydon, was packed with more pinched-looking, working-class, mainly white youths - jungle's main support group - than I've seen in months the next afternoon, as the fever to find tracks heard over the bank holiday weekend Carnival had set in. It's likely, also, that the general rave scene will get a shot in the arm. Probably the organisers of Desire, who regularly put on all-nighters, will be the first to benefit. Tickets for these raves, held in north London or deepest Hackney, are usually over pounds 10, but the next Desire fling is pounds 7 in advance. Its theme is The Payback, the idea being, according to the organisers, to pay back the 'Desire Massive' for the 'tremendous support this year'. Maybe it's just a subtle admission that they fear clubbers drifting away as competition from other events grows. Whatever, the MCs, as usual, feature the most acclaimed voices of jungle stations, especially from Dream FM, including Hype, Slipmatt and Randall. It's been a long, hot summer for jungle but it looks like the vibe is set to rumble on and on. . .

Desire (The Payback), 10 September, 166-220 Holloway Road, N8 (Holloway Road tube), pounds 7 plus pounds 1 booking fee, 081-808 8972/081-524 7282

(Photograph omitted)