Released at the height of the label’s popularity, No U-Turn’s artist compilation Torque is a pummeling, rock-solid introduction to the force that brought darkcore jungle to a new level of menace in 1996. Home to Ed Rush, Nico, DJ Trace, and newcomer Fierce, No U-Turn’s (as well as NUT sublabel Nu Black’s) steady output — all muddy, hissing electronics; unruly, superdense, overlapping basslines; and splintering, driving breaks — arguably dominated the jungle scene in the latter half of 1996, spawning hordes of imitators. The album features several new tracks as well as a few classics from the catalog, with the CD-version adding a bevy of additional tracks as well as bonus disc of NUT material mixed live by Ed Rush (including the previously unreleased Boymerang remix of Rush & Nico’s “Technology”). – Sean Cooper