When you're out raving it can often be like doing cross country at school, or going for a proper hardcore gym session. You dance and dance until your legs go numb, stop, take a breather, go to the bar and then head back to the dancefloor to rave it out some more.
Towards the end of a good DJ's set is when you really start to feel the burn. Certain DJs will keep you, and the rest of the crowd, on the dancefloor throughout their entire set - by the end of which, you might just be so tired that you can't dance anymore.
That's when a tune like this comes on and you suddenly get a last burst of energy.
I'd heard Waterhouse Dub once or twice on radio before I finally heard it played live and in full effect at the Thekla in Bristol (which, if you don't know, is a club on a boat). Bailey dropped it at the exact moment I've described above - last tune of the set, as soon as I heard it I was re-energised and dancing my nuts off like it was the beginning of the night.
This guy smashed me with Soul Beat Runner in 1996. As for Still... immense is an understatement.
Boymerang was a majorly talented musician, Balance Of The Force was his one and only album - which is a damn shame.
I guess sometimes it's best if someone cracks out a few classics and then disappears into obscurity, rather than pushing on and maybe losing that spark that made them so popular in the first place.
Lives up to expectation in my opinion - 14 quality tracks, varied, well produced with a couple of sure fire chart hits thrown in for good measure.
I have to say Getting Nowhere (featuring John Legend) is something special. Everyone who loves Dubstep already knows the potential it has to support such musical luminaries as John Legend, but hearing it for real is mindblowing.
I can't recommend the album enough and I really can't wait to see these guys perform on their tour later in the year.
Magnetic Man is out on 4th October. Buy it!
This is one of my faves off the album, noisy, rolling... MAD.
And, as a complete contrast, I heard Fabio play a remix of this tune at Swerve last night - still just as good as it was 14 years ago. That's the beauty of good music, it never ages.
LTJ Bukem is widely-regarded as a musical genius and he's responsible not only for some classic Drum and Bass anthems, but for producing electronic music at the very highest level - inspiring an whole new aspect of Drum and Bass through his prolific Good Looking Records label.
For example, Atlantis.
After a crappy Sunday and Monday, this song lifted my spirits on the way into work on a dreary August morning.
I can imagine it has done the same for countless others since it was first made back in 1991.
Forgot to add this to the last post - I was going to edit it and throw this in, but it's so good it deserves its own post.
I remember having the piano part of this classic stuck in my mind for years and years after hearing it on an old school set, or possibly during one of Fabio's 'history lessons' on his radio show. Either way it would pop into my mind every once in a while and I'd always remember it was NHS by Doc Scott.
Finally I tracked it down on YouTube just a few months ago and here it is.
Doc Scott is a legend and responsible for some absolute classic Hardcore and Drum 'n' Bass anthems.
I recently interview Dubstep producer/DJ Caspa - we had a good little natter about the rise of the music over the past few months and its history, plus lots of other bits and pieces. Of course it was cut down and made to fit into my publisher's particular style, which is cool, it still got the point across.
But, I'm going to transcribe the whole thing over the next week and post it up on here, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, please listen to this Deadmau5 remix that Caspa produced. 5.35 minutes of aural bliss...
Oh and Caspa could well hit the charts with his Back For The First Time track (which Mr Hudson vocalled).
Sometimes you only have to hear a tune once for its beat or vocals to stick in your mind and that's what happened with this creepy little number by Instru:Mental (a remix for Jimmy Edgar).
First heard it on a Loefah set (@B.LOW in Spain) - stuck with me straight away, probably says a lot about the kind of person I am that the song is called Hot, Raw, Sex and it was that very sample that has become embedded in my brain.
Anyway, here it is... Infectious, melodic, sleazy, and utter class.
Tinchy Stryder might be doing it for the commercial side of things, and fair play to him, but it's good to see his old crew Ruff Sqwad are still on it and making bangers.
Dirty Danger, Rapid, Slix and the rest of the firm are still about - and part of me thinks it's a shame that they weren't brought through with Tinchy. I guess the record company thought it was best Tinch went it alone or maybe they just didn't want anything to do with it.
Nevertheless Dirty Danger has caught my ear with a couple of tunes recently, firstly Hard Bodied. A nice little bubbler.
Secondly, he's on the hook for Roachee's The Fuckery's Started...
It's good to see the crew that brought us Anna, Cleo, Move 2 Dis and Guns And Roses (Vol 1 & 2) still getting busy.
Oh, and here's an old vid that cracks me up all day long.
A few years ago I never thought young Devlin would've been making moves like he is now.
And that's not because I didn't rate him - anyone who can step up to Wiley at the age of 16 and pretty much dead him is obviously good at what he does. He's always been a skillful MC with a different kind of approach that put him ahead of the pack.
But Grime wasn't really getting any interest from anywhere, so why would I have ever thought Devs would get signed and be doing as well as he is now?
Anyway, he's on Island Records now, fucking brilliant.
And he dropped this F64 on SB.TV recently, SOLID.
Oh, and for all the people commenting calling him the 'best white MC' - SHUT UP. It ain't about what race you are, talent is talent. No one calls Ghetts the 'best black MC', so leave it out.
He's launching debut album Bud, Sweat and Beers in October this year. Look forward to the show at Camden Underworld...
In recent years a lot of Grime followers have been through a dark period, with many announcing the death of the music.
And, to be fair, over the last couple of years it hasn't quite been as strong as it was when it first came to my attention back in 03 or 04...
However, recently the mainstream media and some of the bigger record labels have got themselves reacquainted with the Grime scene and things finally seem to be moving forward in the right direction. I think this, coupled with some of the scene's more prominent MCs growing and maturing as artists in their own right, has led to what's been happening over the course of the year.
So, where to start?
First up, a few days late I know, but Diddy and Skepta's track - an official Grime remix of Hello Good Morning. HUGE.
It's probably the first time for ages I've heard a commercial Grime track that actually still sounds gritty and kinda raw (you'd have to go back to Kano - Ps and Qs or Dizzee's - He's Just A Rascal for something similar). Apart from the singing towards the end, it's probably about as authentic as a commercial Grime tune can be - and hearing Diddy say "This is the Grime mix"... whoa, BIG. Skepta's definitely making moves in the right direction and good on him.
Next up, The Sun has been pushing Grime heads forward with its whole Brrrap Pack thing.
They've announced a second tour, after one in February which featured Tinie Tempah and Skeppy amongst others. This time Wiley is headlining, alongside the mighty JME, Migraine Skanker Gracious K, Fugative and female act Ruff Diamondz.
I spent most of yesterday writing biogs for Wiley and JME, mostly off the top of my head, having been listening to them and following their careers from day dot. Obviously I couldn't squeeze everything in, as Wiley in particular has such a colourful history that you could literally write a book on him.
It all kicks off in October - I'd get a ticket as soon as poss because the last one was a roadblock sell out at every venue.
Also, Scorcher (Not no talker, flick out the ting like Luke Skywalker) has signed a £1MILLION deal with record label Geffen/Universal ...kinda old news I know, but as we're talking about Grime artists making big moves, it's relevant.
And Devlin is now getting the shine he deserves after years and years on the grind. Former OT Crew member has been one of Grime's most talented MCs for a good while now, so seeing him being picked up by mainstream media at last is wicked to see.
Can't forget though, as much as these guys are creeping into the commercial field, there are plenty of unknown (to the mainstream) MCs who are more than deserving of their time in the limelight.. Wretch 32 for instance, sick. Double S, Frisco, Ghetto, P Money, D Double E... the list goes on and on.
I guess a lot of these guys will remain on the underground, but as long as they keep making the music that Grime followers like, then it's all good.
I'm not totally up to speed with dance music, I must admit.
But Swedish House Mafia's single One has been stuck in my head for the past few weeks since I went to the EXIT Festival in Serbia and heard it blasted out by several different DJs in the Dance Arena.
Well, their collaboration with Pharrell Williams of N*E*R*D/Neptunes fame (entitled Your Name) has hit the UK charts at number 7 - it uses the One instrumental, with Pharrell singing over the top of it.
Have a listen to the instrumental below:
To be honest, I prefer it without the vocals - but apparently it's one of the summer anthems in Ibiza this year.
Anyway, as an aside, Steve Angello, who is one the members of the Swedish House Mafia (SHM) - as well as being a hugely successful DJ/producer in his own right - has released his latest solo effort, Knas, this week and I've written about it for The Sun Online.
It's huge, so have a look at the article and enjoy.
So, Magnetic Man's much-hyped single I Need Air hit the UK singles chart at number 10 this weekend.
Fantastic, about time!
The tune got massive support from Radio 1, plenty of airplay, and deserved to go all the way to the top in my opinion. A real piece of music made by real, talented musicians.
I must say well done to the guys behind the project, Skream, Benga and Artwork.
I Need Air - Magnetic Man
There's been an annoying reaction from certain Dubstep fans/purists who've criticised both the track and the team behind it. As always happens with music that started out as underground, people who follow it and see some of its pioneers make the charts decide that it's selling out or watered down... it's happened with Garage, Grime and Drum 'n' Bass, so it's unsurprising that the same thing has happened with Dubstep.
Skream, Benga and Artwork aren't just some bandwagon jumpers who've made a song purely with the intention of riding on the coat tails of other more prominent Dubstep artists. They're three DJs/producers who've been involved in the music since its, post-garage, embryonic stages and have helped push it forward to the stage it's at now.
So, if they want to make something that's a little more appealing to a mass audience, then who the hell can judge them?
Personally speaking, I like the tune, it's not my all-time favourite, but it's a good tune and does what it needs to do without moving too far away from the foundations of Dubstep.
In April 2008, when Dubstep was still relatively unknown, I interviewed Skream for the Sun Online and predicted that he was destined to make it big.
Well, in fact, most weeks I listen to a fair amount of Grime music.
Tempa T AKA Tempz has got to be one of the Grime scene's most popular MCs right now. I first became aware of him in 2006 (I think) when he dropped a crazy, unforgettable freestyle on the Risky Roadz 2 DVD.
He had me in stitches and, three years on, his monster single Next Hype hit the scene, he'd attracted a huge following and he'd really made a name for himself.
Tempz's high-energy style really creates a massive buzz wherever he performs, or where his tunes are dropped, which for me totally sums up what Grime is about.
Apparently he's being chased by a few majors at the moment, how that will pan out is anyone's guess...I wouldn't say he's one of those MCs who could be moulded and re-sold to a commercial audience. Next Hype sent the crowd crazy at Wireless when he performed it there, which is brilliant. Personally speaking I think he'd have to be left as he is, otherwise he just wouldn't be Tempz. Anyway, watch this space...
As well as Tempz, I've been listening to a huge amount of old and new stuff by Big H and Meridian/Bloodline Crew. Again, they really keep true to what Grime is all about - no watered-down pop anthems here, just straight head nodding, 'banging the walls' energy and gully lyrics.
Here's a little selection of what's been pumping through my headphones on the way to and from work this week...
And here's Tempa T's freestyle from Risky Roadz 2. Hilarious...
