Music

“Who said grime doesn’t pay” #10yearsofgrime

By Mixtape Madness Team

3 May 2012

What’s good everyone, your host with the most DJ Kenny here back with yet another blog which some may agree is long overdue, and its only right I hit you lot up with one at such an important period of time for the UK music scene of course. For those who don’t have a clue what I’m on a about I am talking about “10 years of one of the greatest sounds on earth” GRIME. Now guys, believe me when I say it’s virtually impossible to sum up 10 years of grime through one blog so much has happened from the birth of the sound in 2002. But firstly I would like to just sum up my involvement within the Grime scene.

For those who don’t know, I started off as a Garage / Grime DJ under the name of ‘fusion’ mixing 7 inch vinyl’s on a 12 year old technique system and juggling CD’s on a Numark CDJ set with no cue button or jog wheel, those times I was still in secondary school year 9 to be precise, so I didn’t even have headphones to mix, which was far from affordable on a £3 a day dinner money budget, however the passion we had for the sound back then was so crazy, as a DJ I looked up to groups and artists like Roadside G’s, NAA, Fatal Assassins, Essentials Crew, Bearman, Lioness, Nikki S & Nike remember guys I grew up with in south London and at the time these guys were pioneering in the South London grime scene. A year on me and my good friend Rick met up at our local chicken shop and had an idea to spread the grime scene in South East London across the capital. So we jumped on a pirate radio station called Grimeonline.co.uk and decided to do open sets and invited everyone who was anyone and felt they had bars to kill the airwaves and rep Blue Borough powerfully.

When Maxsta came through back in the day

Killa P

Our Grimeonline show produced platforms for MC’s like Kozzie

who of course has gone on to being managed by Boy Better Knows very own Sam and tour all over Europe. We also were blessed with the presence of artists like P-Money, Jendor, Koder, A2 and many more underground grime artists. The one thing that strayed us away from the genre was the negative press the media placed upon us, me and Rick was hell bent on taking our pirate radio sets to the youth clubs but got shutdown instantly which just frustrated us.

5 years on, I find myself reminiscing on the old grime sounds which motivated me to touch a CDJ in the 1st place listening to classics like Musical Mobs – Pulse X and downloading all 6 Tunnel Vision volumes blazing the bassline so loud even mum was feeling the wave. For those who are interested in finding out more about the grime journey I would strongly advise peeps to take a listen DJ Targets 10 years of grime documentary on BBC Radio 1xtra, which is quite self explanatory, Target documents the start of the sound, the changes the scenes had to deal with and most importantly embraces the sound the way it deserves to be embraced. Listen to the Target documentary HERE

Now if you’re wondering how mixtape madness are representing the #10yearsofgrime story, we will be bringing you grime fans a 10 volume mixtape compiled and mixed by myself entiltled “The Grime Files” and the 1st volume will be hosted by none other than Grime producer Steel Banglez.

Steel Banglez Feat. Ghetts, Wiley, Big H & P-Money – Break Down Banger!!!

Steel Banglez – Tidal Wave Instrumental

The Elusive Studio Session (Feat. Wiley, Zdot, Dan Dare, Richard Turvey, Steel Banglez, Blizzard)

30+ tracks from some of the scenes finest MC’s and producers, on this mix CD you will hear new grime mixed with the classics, the only way to hear it is if you download it 100% FREE on the 20th of MAY exclusively here on mixtapemadness.co.uk
For more information follow me on twitter: @KennyAllstar

But now guys I shall be leaving you with my personal top 10 greatest grime tracks of all time, SO KEEP IT GRIMEY #10yearsofgrime with DJ Kenny PEACE!!!!!

10. Wiley – Eskimo (Instrumental)