Potential Badboy - The Lesson
- JDNB
- Aug 24
- 2 min read
Release Date: 19/08/2025
Label: Tru Thoughts
Catalog Number: TRUDD669
London jungle pioneer and longtime rave innovator Potential Badboy (aka Chris McFarlane) returns with a seismic new single, The Lesson, landing Tuesday 19th August. A foundational force in UK underground music since the early ‘90s, Potential Badboy has been instrumental in shaping the evolution of jungle, drum and bass, and garage for over three decades. With The Lesson, he delivers a warped, bass-loaded blazer engineered to set dancefloors alight. Its skittering synths, dub delays and deep, twisted sub lines hit with full force - built for big systems with relentless rave energy.
The Lesson is lifted from his forthcoming album Elusive, a project that sees him continuing to push the genre forward while honouring its roots. The album also includes previous singles such as the dubwise Ticker featuring JODIAN NATTY, Do What They Say featuring Indigo Reign and Syren Rivers, and Rise with Blackout JA, Talisman, and Coozie Mellers. With Elusive, Potential Badboy proves once again that his sound is as uncompromising and essential as ever.
“This track began as a jam session, and the tutorial quickly turned into something more. There was a natural vibe that took over, and the energy shifted,” Potential Badboy explains. Sharing the moment with a close friend, someone I trusted to share my techniques with, he reflects, “The Lesson is what emerged from that moment of creative exchange.”
The single is taken from Potential Badboy’s upcoming album Elusive, his debut project on Tru Thoughts. Speaking on its creation, Chris describes a period in which he became “increasingly hard to reach, intentionally. For the first time, I had the freedom and autonomy to create without outside expectations.” The result is an album that reflects the sounds and styles he’s most passionate about. A departure from his usual output, while remaining grounded in jungle and drum and bass. It takes a raw, honest approach, with carefully chosen collaborations that resonate with his vision, including features from Havan, Uncle Nuts, Junior Dangerous, Mikey General, TrueMendous and Ragga Twins. “I named the album Elusive as a reflection of that period of transformation, when disappearing became a way of reclaiming myself creatively,” he adds.
For Potential Badboy, it’s another chapter in a career that’s been pushing boundaries for over 30 years. From early anthems like Work The Box and Greetings, to his ground-breaking work with SOUR Records alongside Shy FX & T.Power, and later his shift into UKG as Chris Mack (remixing the likes of Shaggy and Mary J. Blige), McFarlane’s output has always been one step ahead. His return to jungle in the 2000s with DJ Hype’s Playaz camp spawned bangers like Play It Kik It, Girlz, and You’re Mine, solidifying his place as one of the most versatile producers in the game.
These days, his independent label Hungry Hill is turning heads too; a platform for authentic, forward-facing jungle that’s already clocked up seven solid releases and earned support from tastemakers including Ray Keith, Molly Collins, Jamie Rodigan, Don Letts and Charlie Tee.
Posted by Poynt Too
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