Jungle pioneer Lenworth Green, better known as Lennie De Ice, has died.
News of the East London producer’s passing was shared on social media yesterday, 10th December, by his friend Matthew Copeland, aka the DJ Mystic “Dubplate” Matt. “You will be missed brother,” he wrote. “You will forever be the soundtrack of our generation. God bless my brother. Fly high and keep the party going up there.” Sources close to Green have since confirmed the news to DJ Mag. At the time of writing, no cause of death has been disclosed. He was 54.
Lennie De Ice is best known for his 1991 single ‘We Are I.E.’, which is often cited the very first jungle track. The song is constructed from a wide range of samples including the Amen break, 808 State’s ‘Fire Cracker’, Algerian raï song ‘N’Sel Fik’, Spaghetti Western gunshots, backspins and the “let me hear you scream” vocal from ‘The Bugger Groove’. In a 2015 interview with Red Bull, Grooverider said: “‘We Are I.E.’ changed the game. After that, people started to talk about jungle.”
Green started out as a rare groove and hip-hop DJ in the late ‘80s, having been influenced by acts such as Mantronix, Jonzun Crew and Afrika Bambaataa as well as acid house DJs such as A Guy Called Gerald. He later joined a sound system and became involved with Forest Gate’s legendary De Underground record shop, where he started producing under the mentorship of Uncle 22.
After producing ‘We Are I.E.’ in 1989, it was released in 1991 and became a regular fixture in sets by fellow jungle pioneer and co-owner of De Underground DJ Randall. The track quickly began circulating among DJs on the circuit and as Randall explained to Spinzcycle in 2012: “Before we knew it, jungle and drum & bass were forming. It was a real moment.”
Green’s influence extended beyond ‘We Are I.E.’. Throughout the 1990s, he released music under aliases such as Body Snatcher and Lick Down Crew and collaborated with collectives including CIS Production and Madd-Ice. Much of his work appeared on his own label, Do Or Die Records.
In a tribute shared on Instagram in the wake of Green’s passing, Exit Records founder dBridge wrote: “Lennie was part of the Armshouse Crew back then and I remember they used to host the Drum and Bass stage at Notting Hill Carnival in the early ’90s. He released our first Dubb Hustlers record and introduced me to other labels I would later release music on…. I’m pretty sure Lennie was the first person to take me to Music House too… I owe a lot to Lennie and the world he introduced me to.”
Green’s output slowed in the 2000s and he eventually stepped away from music production. Reflecting on the track in the jungle drum & bass history book Who Say Reload in 2021, Green said: “To be considered one of the pioneers for the template of jungle is an honour.”
Tributes have come throughout the scene following the news of Green’s passing. Copeland described him as “the man who introduced the Amen break in jungle” and “a true gent”, while UK DJ and rave figure Billy Daniel Bunter also paid tribute, calling him “the visionary who created [a] groundbreaking classic” and a pioneer whose influence shaped generations of producers.
Read more tributes and listen to ‘We Are I.E.’ below.
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