That was until recently I stumbled upon the website and the group Kids of Grime (http://kidsoftheunderground.wordpress.com) which is run and maintained by Verena Stefanie. Evidently she’s honed her craft at some of the proper events, including for starters but not limited to the popular Tim and Barry Just Jam raves.

I caught up with her to get an insight as to why she has got involved with grime and how she sees herself and  the music.

 

I would say my heart! First of all! It’s always been a passion since I was a kid. For the strong communicative skills photography has. I would say thanks to my mom and my uncle. My biggest inspirations for this project are Martha Cooper, Jamel Shabazz (for what they did for the hip hop scene), James Pearson Howes and JJ Medina, Alessandro Zuek Simonetti and Alex Fakso as well as Robin Bharaj. They’re big, I love them with all my heart, for what they did and still doing which is all real!

 

Why have you focused on the grime scene in particular on your blog?

  

Actually the blog was born after this project had begun to take shape. The idea is the documentary, the blog is to show it and make people believe in it and in me. No proof of my work no trust! I was into grime before starting this project. It was from the love I have for the music, and what grime gave to me from listening to it that made me decide to start a ‘documentary’ about it which is in a way a kind of thanks from me. I know I have missed a lot about it, but I deeply believe there’s still a lot that needs to be documented before everything starts to become too popular and too commercial. Even if most of the people say ‘Grime’s dead’ (as I see in  a lot of social networks like Twitter) I truly believe grime is still well alive and still real! And it still has a lot to give. The opportunity to travel and live in different countries (like Italy and Spain) makes me see the different perceptions most of the people outside of the UK have about grime, and it’s low. I’ll  say ‘I’m working on a grime photography documentary’ and mostly what they respond with is: ‘What is grime?’. I mean sure they know about Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, Tinie Tempah (obviously due to their last albums) … but they don’t know their background, where they come from and what they’ve done to arrive at the level they are nowadays! I still remember when I had the ‘revelation’, about developing this project, a documentary about the scene, that involves all artists-emcees, moments, radio sets, studio sessions, something which goes behind the scenes and gives an insight into it, something to show in the future what was going in the present time! I quit with one of my jobs three days after, to have more time for this, because I really believe in it and enjoy it.

 

You have said that you are a fan of the music, what is your background with music in general?

  

My background if I’m honest is Hip Hop but its following that genre that eventually led me to discover grime. Well actually I wouldn’t call me a fan but more of an admirer. I admire a lot of the lyrics from several songs, they inspire me, give me strength when I feel down, and make me feel euphoric when I am happy. And the beats that you get in grime…… gosh! Love  at first listen! I think it shows that it doesn’t matter from which background you come rich or poor but what matters is what you want to do, how hard you work on it and where you want to go.

Any favourite artists?

 
It’s a hard question! It’s asking my favourite movie or my favourite food- I have many. I could say many names. Many artists, each one for a different reason. Wiley and Dizzee for starters (still remember when I listened for the first time to ‘Fix up Look Sharp’ in 2003/04 which got me listening to the music), D Double E, Tempa T, Nationality (RD, Blaze, Guyver, Jammin and A.K), Nico Lindsay, Ghetts, J2K, Ice Kid, Rival, all BBK, D Double S (Marvell), StayFresh (Macca, Casper, Movez, J1, Saf.One, Raider, Menaz, Pressure, Deadly, Moky, NatzsoBossy, SX) and *thinks*… oh gosh, a lot of them! There is too little time for me to mention all of the MCs I enjoy listening to.

Who else from the scene would you like to snap that you haven’t so far?

*Laughs* what do you think? Of course being a documentary I would love to reach  all the most important ones, that’s important for me to have a real documentary about it. But yeah, as I said, all the fathers of grime and of course all of the ‘kids’ of the underground! So for starters I would love to snap Dizzee, Wiley, Skepta, Bloodline… and to have everything perfect and well done, why not a snap of Crazy Titch one day. Once ‘somebody’ said: if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true!

More Links

Access the blog and see more pictures at http://kidsoftheunderground.wordpress.com/

Follow Verena/Kids of Grime on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kidsofgrime

That’s not where the mark he is making ends either! He is also featuring on ‘Quality Street’; the Butterz release that features household names such as Royal-T and Terror Danjah, an EP which will no doubt help cement him as a household name.

We catch up with him to find out a little bit more.

How did you come up with the name Mr Mitch?

My real name is Miles Mitchell and as you can see it just came from that really.

How long have you been involved in making music and how old are you?

I’m 21 now (although he is 22 next month) and I’ve been making music since I was about 13. When I was that age I used to mess about on fruity loops and just make beats for my own amusement. In the last year I’ve begun to take it seriously and let’s see where it can go.

You recently came to prominence at least to me via Butterz playing your stuff on radio, which other DJs are supporting you and how have you found establishing your name in the scene?

Yeah Elijah & Skilliam support my music quite a lot. I also get support from Dusk + Blackdown, Oilgang and DJ Blazey. They are some of the DJs that give me the time of the day when it comes to my  music. DJ’s are extremely important to a producer when it comes to establishing their name, so every DJ that has played my stuff helps a lot and hopefully it can snowball. There may be people who don’t identify with my sound yet or have heard of me, but every time I get played I have a chance for someone new to like my stuff- which I think is excellent.

I find a lot of your productions quite enjoyable without an MC on, do you make your beats with the intention of MC’s spraying over them or is that not your immediate priority when putting something together?

I make the majority of my music with the intention of being an instrumental. I try to structure my tunes in a way that people remain interested regardless of an MC being on a tune  or playing it on a set. I also want instrumental grime to be played in clubs in the same vein as dubstep and thats a big motivation when I’m producing. It’s a similar vibe to Elijah and Skilliam who are looking for those sort of tunes and have a similar view point.

You have a very different style to most other grime producers I have come across, for instance the track “Skittles” (click here to listen to it on Soundcloud), what is your inspiration, how do you see yourself as different and what is happening with that track is it coming out on the Butterz label?

Yeah that track is coming on the Quality Street EP on Butterz own label, alongside tracks from Terror Danjah, Royal-T and SRC. I get influenced by a lot of synth based music. Things from 80’s synth Pop to Disco and early R ‘N’ B and Soul records. I use a lot of the elements that I like from these tracks and intergrate them in my music. I try to steer away from the stereotypical grime track to offer a new dimension to grime.

That’s interesting because the track “It’s All Getting a Bit French” (Click here to listen to it on SoundCloud) you gave away recently via the forum as well as other outlets and stated that it was a cliché track. What was the inspiration around that putting that track up and giving it away?

That was me trying to make a cliché grime track as like I said I don’t normally. It has a familiar melody and the typical claps that you associate in a lot of the old grime tracks. Cliché is a french word, hence the name I gave it. I decided to give it out as it wasn’t the typical Mr.Mitch sound and was something I did for fun.

Your EP ‘Fright Night’ is due to be released on the 19th of September on your own label Gobstopper Records, how does it feel to be properly releasing something now?

Yeah it feels good man. I’ve set up Gobstopper Records myself as a way to get some more instrumental grime out there. I had some really good remixes of Fright Night get sent to me and Deset, F.A Kode, Moony and SRC all made ones that I wanted to release. In the future I will be bringing out some vinyl releases as well.

You have quite a few releases at the moment but is there anything else in the pipeline that maybe I haven’t mentioned that people need to know about?

Yes of course! I have an EP with Subdepth records and another with Fortified Audio which doesn’t have a release date yet but look out for them. I have also produced a couple tracks for the new Skepta album which I’m very proud of.

Any Shouts to wrap it up?

I just want to big up any DJ that has ever played any of my tracks, it all helps!  And thanks to anyone who supports my music, by just listening or purchasing any forthcoming audio. And thanks to Hij for hollaring at me and getting this interview done.

Mr Mitch Links

http://soundcloud.com/mrmitchmusic

http://www.twitter.com/mrmitchmusic

http://myspace.com/mrmitchmusic

Grime Forum recently caught up with top producer ZDot who has risen as Devlin might say “From the Bottom to the Top” where he was posting up material on the forum that everyone was rating to now being associated with some of the top MC’s in the scene with a reputation for them bangers.

Talking of which you can download a ZDot and Devlin freestyle CDQ @ the following link

As one of the originals on the Grime Forum a lot of people have watched your rise from an upcoming producer to one of the elite in the scene, how has it felt moving up and how do you make sure your always improving?

Ive been composing music for a while now so I guess it’s just natural progression & hard work. The forum was a great outlet for up and coming musicians when it first started to be able to have your music heard by DJs, MCs & grime fans alike & receive feedback on the music. It feels good at the moment knowing that my hard work is paying off, having the most productions on ‘The Calm Before The Storm’ (Ghetts 4th grime release) shows where the level of music is at the moment. I’ve achieved quite alot in grime, but as a record producer/composer I still have many goals that i want to achieve. You can never stop improving.

You work a lot at the moment with the likes of Ghetts and Doller Da Dustman, how did that collaboration come about and how did you get involved with them?

The link with Doller Da Dustman came about through a song called ‘Hard As Nails’  which featured Doller, Brutes, Warlock & Yello Boy and that tune appeared on ‘Return Of The Jedi’ (a CD by Doller). Since the creation of that song we’ve made 100’s of tracks.. Ghetts heard some of the tracks I made with Doller and liked what he was hearing so we linked up at studio & made ‘Artillery’ (one of the major songs from Ghetts ‘Calm Before the Storm’ release, which came with a full video), and that was that!

Which was the first MC to vocal one of your beats and what song was it?

I can’t remember who was the first MC to vocal one of my beats, but I know ‘Vader’ was the first artist to vocal a ‘Zdot Production’ who had a big name withn the scene. The track was a freestyle and he put it on his CD entitled ‘The Preview’

‘Route To Success’ (which you can download by clicking here) was an instrumental and a vocal CD which recently you gave away for free, how many downloads has it received so far and what has the reaction been like?

The mix tape has received just over 750 downloads in the first five days, so hopefully we can get that to over 1000 by the 30th of July. The response has been very good in my opinion. DJs have got loads of new music, the MCs who don’t want pay for beats are happy because they’ve got new beats to vocal & the grime fans are happy because they’ve got a free project with vocals from some of their favourite artists & instrumentals which they’ve not been able to get hold of. Although I would like more feedback, perhaps in the thread on the forum on whether people enjoy the format of the mixtape though, half vocals & half instrumentals? What do you think?

You have plans in place to release the “Fire Power Ep” (which is out on the 30th of August) is this an instrumental or a vocal release and what sort of vibe will it bring?
‘Fire Power EP’ is an Instrumental EP featuring the  ’Ghetts – Intro’  beat, Dirty Date, The Canary Remix Beat ‘Canary’, Pink Notes & The Artillery Instrumental.

‘Fire Power EP’ is out August 30th on iTunes, Tesco and many others so watch out for it.

You have a vocal album called ‘A New Light’ coming out in the future. How far is it away completion and what sort of tunes will be on the album?

The CD will feature all the people that you see me doing a lot of work with plus a few others to give it variety.To be honest it’s only about 20% completed, but I’m in talks with some people at the moment who will be able to speed up the process of getting it recorded and released.

You can download ZDot’s free download “Route to Success” by clicking on this link

Find  out more about ZDot on his Grimepedia

Buy his collaboration project with Doller Da Dustman “Go Getterish E.P” from Amazon now

So, ‘Street Fighter Riddim’ is doing the rounds at the moment, Swerve produced it, are you two going to work together in future?

Yeah really want to do another tune with Swerve. Right now he’s got a lot of fire for me.

The collaboration seemed to come a little about out of the blue…

Yeah I’d never heard Swerve’s production – I never knew he produced until Laurence said ‘Ere listen mate, got a beat ‘ere’ and I was like ‘alright then let’s have a butchers.’ And yeah, I’m here! Big up Laurence, big up Swerve!

Have Capcom said anything? Do they want you on the next game?!
Yeah man, hopefully all that stuff will come after the tune. It’s in the pipeline, I mean we had to holla at them for the legalisation, so they know about us, but we re-did the sounds and FX anyway and I don’t think anyone can tell the difference! HADOUKEN! Hahaha!

After releasing your ‘Woooo Riddim’ version and ‘Street Fighter Riddim’, anticipation for the forthcoming DEE solo project is high. What can fans expect?

Boy, you can expect pure heat. If you liked the ‘Woooo Riddim’, ‘Street Fighter’ or ‘Hard’, then know what sort of avenue I’m taking.

Guest spots?

Producer-wise there is a couple of guest spots there. Footsie’s there, I’ve got a couple of tunes from Cage, Swerve, Swindle, Noah D and Skream. It’s an A-list roster…It’s gonna be live!

You produce as well as MC, can we expect any of your production efforts on there?

Definitely in the future, but at the moment I’m trying to pump out my vocals on the best beats and get my levels up in the background. Production is more of a hobby for me.

Part of the Newham Generals ‘Bag of Greeze E.P.’ is being produced by Skitz. What was it like working together?

Skitz has been about for time and he lives around the corner from my house so I’ve known him for a long time. Skitz is bless and used to work with Slew Dem a lot back in the day who are like my family.

The ‘I’m a General’ tune featuring the late Esco must have been a lot to record. Was it an emotional experience?

Erm…It was kind of, but at the same time it was a good feeling to promote and showcase his talent again. We wanted to show love. He never got his chance to shine so we helped out a bit.

I read an interview you gave with the Guardian back in 2004 where you said you were tired of listening to 14 year olds chat about guns, and that you wanted to go lyrically deeper with your music. What does Grime say to you today and do you feel able to express yourself fully on it?

Grime has got a lot lighter, it’s still dark, but it has definitely lightened up. Stations like KISS, 1Xtra and Radio 1 are starting to play us now so we all have to straighten out a bit. It’s getting more professional and the production is levelling as well.

Does Grime still give you the same feeling as it did back in the day?

Definitely man, I can listen to Grime beats all day. It still hits me and I like the way it’s getting wider. Tunes like ‘Rescue Me’ by Skepta [for example] aren’t strictly ‘Grime’, but they have that element. It has that home base. I like anything that has that home base in there.

Talking of success, Chipmunk, Tinchy and Tinie are finding high chart positions, and Jammer, Skepta and yourself are starting to position yourselves for the same. However, whereas they made their music a bit sweeter, you guys have been able to stay true to your sound and still find new audiences. Did they ‘open the doors’ for you in that sense?

I think they have made it easier, but not because of what they’ve done. People are moving away from the scene, so the people like me left at the core are able to represent more fully. They aren’t repping what we come from. You hear a mixtape and there might be a couple of hard tracks on there, but their core fans don’t get Grime.

They are helping in the way that, if they have an interview they will talk about what they’ve done before and who we are.

You have been noted as being ahead of your time, and you’ve said that you still perform lyrics still you wrote at 15. What lyrics were they?

Err…yeah, you know “If you you, you you/ Wanna come against I-I, I-I” that was from then, “me nah ramp, me nah skin/” Ah there’s so many, I’ve got a big selection of lyrics.

Your lyric repertoire is big, but how do you keep going on sets?

It’s natural for me. I don’t really need to make that much of an effort to lift-off as I used to. It’s just there bruv. I could be here mucking about and say something and I could make it into the deepest thing.

Has that happened recently?

Yeah man, it happened with ‘Hard.’ We put that together quickly! ‘Street Fighter’ was so quick, all I need to do is feel free, have the beat playing and bubble.

How would you say you’ve developed since the Jungle days?

I’ve got more professional with the lyrics. On Jungle I couldn’t really go into depth ‘cos of the tempo, Hip Hop was a bit too slow and Grime was just right. I found I could go in more. Now I can spit at 140 (bpm), 160, whatever.

You and Footsie together with DJ Tubby have forged a niche spitting over Dubstep, and have become known for it. Is it more exciting to spit over than regular Grime?

I prefer to ride Grime because it gives me the time to do what I need to – maybe a bit too much time sometimes! You know, if a DJ’s playing for two hours it’s like ‘Rah I might run out of power’ on dubstep though, there are tunes there that you can’t ride, they’re too big. You’re still ready to leng, but you’re also a host.

With Grime it’s flat out. You can spit your heart out for half an hour with hype and then the tune you love best comes in and you’re like ‘shit!’ So yeah, I think Grime is better to practice and MC to.

What do you think about other MC’s jumping on it?

It’s alright, it’s a good move but I think Dubstep is slightly different. You can’t really do too many deep songs on it; the instrumentals have as much power as the vocals. With the beat already there, as an MC you need only add a couple of spicy lines and it’s gone, maxed out. With Grime you have to add your own energy and build on the beat.

Some people sound good on it, some don’t.

As a FWD>> veteran, what has performing there done for your repertoire?

FWD>> was my introduction to Dubstep. Tubby and Footsie brought me in on that, I was all Grime-d out, whereas they were into their Dub. But FWD>> was a time where I got to see another world and build on it. Now, Dubstep is massive and it’s cool man.

You’ve worked with Breakage and Skream, are there any other people you would like to work with?

Yeah, I’m working with Noah D, I want to do a tune with Chromestar, Caspa, Plastician…anyone that has the bangers. They know what I can do!

Let’s talk about ‘Generally Speaking.’ I heard you spit on DJ MK’s kiss show and you said ‘Generally Speaking means a lot to me.’ What does that CD mean to you?

It’s a benchmark. It was the first official release and there will be a lot more to come. That was number one…

What was the recording process like?

It was long – over quite a stretch of time. Some of the tunes that were on the finalised track listing were some of the last ones we recorded. We had so many to consider, it was like a puzzle trying to fit it all together.

Will any of the off cuts make it onto the new CD?

Nah man, that’ll all be fresh stuff. We got some tunes that we’ll pump out in the meantime but the next album from New Gens will be all brand new material.

How do you think ‘Generally Speaking’ was received?

I think that album is timeless. If you listen to it, you keep surprising yourself. It’s quite deep. It’s different, but looking back, at the time I thought it was really different from what we do. Now, I can see it fits in with what we do – it’s us and fits our sound.

After releasing ‘Generally Speaking’ you embarked on a huge tour supporting Dizzee, what was it like spitting for crowds that aren’t as ‘Grime-savvy’ as your usual audience?

We found them quite receptive man. The ravers we played out to were there for a good time so we played to that. We were surprised the youngsters got in ‘cos there’s a fair amount of swearing in the shows but they were easy to get involved, especially when me and Foots get them to go against each other like ‘This side make noise, that side make noise’ ‘where’s all the girls in here?’ ‘who’s got money?’ ‘who knows about Facebook, Twitter, C‘mon!’

Will the experiences you got performing live form the shape of the new album?

Definitely, that is the way we go about music at all times. Every piece of music we write is something we can go and perform. It’s lively, always about making straight bangers. A lot of Grime artists do what they think will work but going to Dizzee’s show, you can see it’s electric. It’s like a D’n’B rave. I wouldn’t want to go to a live show and hear some bloody R’n’B. I want everyone to go maaaaaad!

Both you and Footsie feature on ‘Bad Mind People’ one of the stand-out tracks from Jammer’s debut album, released this week. What was it like hooking up for that?

It’s always fun hooking up with Jammer, we have bare jokes – Jammer’s a mad man! It was vibes recording that tune, Likkle J had already laid down his chorus so it was just us man vybzin, big up Jammer! We’ve known each other since 2000, I was the one that introduced Jammer to Nasty Crew, he was coming up on the production tip and then one day I went over to his house with Sharky and then it formed in front of me.

Do you still keep in contact with the other Nasty members?

Erm, not really. I don’t see Sharky much anymore. I still see Mak 10, Kano and Ghetts every so often but that’s it. I haven’t seen Stormin or Armour for a while…One person I do see come to think of it is Hyper. When he heard my ‘Woooo Riddim’ he phoned me up and was like ‘Double man I heard your Woooo. I need that beat!’ and he met me and got the beat. I told him that he better go mad on it and I tuned into Logan’s show to hear that he did…I think it might be the second best version man.

There is a lot of promo for ‘Bluku Bluku’ at the moment, what can people expect after it drops?

Once the release is done, we’ll get promoting that and then get ready for the ‘Bag of Greeze E.P.’, the second Newham General album and then pick up on my solo project that’s already in the making. We’ve got quite a few things on the go that should take us nicely into the new year.

Shouts?

Watch out for the ‘Street Fighter’ single released July 26th, the ‘Bluku Bluku E.P.’, the ‘Bag of Greeze E.P.’ and also watch out for ‘Bluku Bluku T.V’ coming soon to Dirtee Stank TV. I’ll be hosting the show, doing a load of stuff. We’re talking pranks, the whole shebang. There will be a few Punks in there, and hopefully we’ll be on BBC4 by the year 2012!

‘Street Fighter Riddim’ drops July 26th

Follow D Double on Twitter here

Words and pics by Kristian @ Threefold Media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxU95RrI5vo

Find out more on the film here: 4321movie.com

Apple
Film looks alot, do you think there will be another collaboration like this again?
 
Noel: Hmmm I will work with these boys as long as they want to work with me. I like people that work hard and they both do. It’s a loyalty thing, for me anyway.
 
Adam: I’m on it!

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Lemon
I wanna ask if Bashy is ever gonna release another “ur mum” volume or “chupa chups” mixtape, now that he’s selling albums and making films?
  
Bashy: My main focus right now is acting, music & touring; that takes up alot of time but I’m a hard worker so yeah I’ll do more mixtapes. I think that those two mixtape’s are classics so I wanna leave them like that but I will definitely make some more classic mixtape material in the future so just look out for it. 

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Eazy Nah
Obvious question for Noel, What can we expect from this movie?
 
Noel: You can expect something a little bit different, but the same humour and life that the previous films gave you is slip in at certain points as to not disrespect or disregard the audience that helped me in the first place. But don’t expect mindless thuggery, we’re evolving, making new things, breaking new ground. there is nothing like 4.3.2.1 around.

And I’d like to ask Bashy & Adam what they prefer, acting or mc’ing?
 
Bashy: I like them both equally right now to be honest. I’m just embarking on my acting career so I haven’t explored it fully yet nor have I reached my peak in music. Ask me again in a few years you might get a different answer.
 
Adam: I have been acting since I was 12 so that’s my bread and butter, but I love doing my music to, I started DJ’ing  when i was 16 and had a show on mysic fm way back and it went from there. I think music and acting can go side by side. I love doing it both. 

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110
To Adam Deacon, you’ve done alot of work in movies, work with channel 4 and more. How do they see grime music and the culture and do you think that alot of the movies/programmes made regarding grime are sterotypical?
 
Adam: It’s been a real battle over the years to try and get real characters and dialogue on the tv screen, but I think things are starting to change. TV is starting to embrace the culture a lot more now, but it’s not always done in the right way that’s why I started writing my own stuff, watch out for the first UK urban comedy “Anuvahood” coming out next year. Kidulthood meets Friday type of thing, gonna b mad!  
 
To Noel Clarke, Kidulthood and Adulthood was a big thing in regards to grime for exposure. Do you think that there are any other angles that can be made into movies/programmes that involve grime? 
 
Noel: Of course… The real question/problem is who going to be brave enough to put the artists on, because not a lot of people want to do that. It’s a slow process but the music scene is booming now and other media won’t be able to ignore it much longer the way they do.  
 
To Bashy, how does the success youve had in the mainstream and touring work compare to going to radio back in the day, eskimo dance and other raves. Will you be making any more grime tunes/radio appearences on stations like rinse, logans and possibly the new deja?
 
Bashy: Hahaha, I enjoyed those days man, the original grind, less politics & real talent shone through. But now the stakes are higher & worlds at your feet. I miss those days but they’re in the past, you’ve always gotta move forward. More Opportunities nowadays.
 
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El Cynico
To Bashy, is music a priority at the moment or are you a full time actor? If so, will you ever return too music?
 
Bashy: Music is in my blood, I love making it. I’m grafting all the time so I’m gonna be full time in both now.
 
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Gaffer
Why was the TV editor Mark Davies brought in to co direct?
 
Noel: Mark has been a director for many years and never really got a break. I told him years ago that he could do this film, but when we set it up people wouldn’t let him, so when I came back on board, I told the people in power that I would do it with him. Again, it’s a loyalty thing.

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Ciz Pro
Ask Noel if he will ever make a different genre of film?
 
Noel: This is a different genre… Go watch it, but if you mean life sci fi etc…. yep.

Host of the only legal Grime radio show in the world, record label owner AND a regular Jim’ll Fix It to Grime MC’s and producers, Logan Sama is Grime’s go to guy.

The last quarter of 2009 unfortunately saw his KISS show cut by an hour, in line with the stations’ desire for more playlist airtime.

But it seems even pluralizing radio bosses can’t hold the Essex selector back, as he embarks on some new, exciting projects he hopes will rejuvenate the scene and provide fans with much needed coverage.

We caught up with him for a chat.

Logan, what was your highlight of 2009?

The best thing about 2009 was people being consistent over a long period of time. In a music sense, people were getting music made and getting it released.

Do you think this increase in work rate reflected the audiences’ renewed interest in music?

Yeah I think MC’s have been meeting the demand.

2009 was a year that heralded great commercial success for a handful of Grime MC’s, yet they achieved this without making Grime music. What does this mean for Grime going forward?

In a positive sense you get more people finding out about these artists, where they have come from and what they have previously done. Then, hopefully, you get a trickle-down effect [into the scene] However, there is the other side of it whereby you have weak-minded artists that think the only path they can take towards success is in making stuff [that’s currently popular] that they weren’t making in the first place.

Do you think this reduces longevity and, in some cases, cheapens the ‘worth’ of the Grime scene?

Yeah I think it’s got low longevity to be honest, especially the stuff out now because it’s not particularly adventurous – artistically or musically.

Whilst major label interest continues to influence what music Grime artists’ record, there is an equal reaction fighting it’s allure. What hope do these acts have in reintroducing and popularising the fundamental principles of Grime; hype, innovation and attitude?

I don’t think that the worlds ready to hear their shit to be honest and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

What can you envisage happening then?

[Formulation of] a self sufficient industry that’s independent of the mainstream but people can still make a living from. You can make D‘n’B records without sounding like DJ Marky & LK’s ‘I like it’ and go round the world and make a good living. We have equally qualified artists who have taken years to build up their expertise and their craft.

Who do you see as leading the way against the pull of the mainstream?

Jamie because he has absolutely no fucking interest in it whatsoever. He’s not done any of it and he really doesn’t want to. Everyone else is just focusing on their music.

Elijah and Skilliam are championing a new outlook in Grime, focusing on DJ’s and producers rather than MC’s, who often let their ego muddy the music. Do you welcome this move?

Yeah, they show a different side of Grime and put their personal stamp on what they play as DJ’s, which I think is very important. It’s important because it gives a breadth to the appeal of Grime, especially to people that don’t like MC’s, but appreciate the beats and mixing.

To be honest, the more DJ’s we have representing different sounds and working with producers that they like, the better. Terror Danjah and Swindle hadn’t put out a tremendous amount of beats and music in 2009 and audiences weren’t really hearing a lot of their stuff. However, working with Butterz has opened doors for them because as producers, they are getting highlighted whereas in my show for example, they get lost in the mix.

I have a show which has to cover across the board and my main aim to play the most popular stuff alongside the most appealing stuff. DJ’s on the pirate circuit can focus on one avenue of Grime, which is healthy for the scene.

Some argue that Grime is dead and that the music made during Grime’s ‘golden era’ is not being made now. Is it evolution, or is it economics?

I don’t think the sound has changed, it has just widened. Music as an entity changes based on the questions asked of it by the consumer. If it was still rewarding to make beats and spit over them on radio, not just financially but status-wise, then people would be doing that a lot more. But, the focus has come away from that now.

That is one of the main reasons as to why there aren’t many Grime DJ’s anymore -it’s just not rewarding enough, and people think Grime DJ’s are somehow lesser than other DJ’s who may even be technically inferior.

Is that something you have faced?

I see a lot of guys getting bookings, from other scenes. When I got my KISS show, my vision as a professional DJ was based upon going to raves where you’d have Tim Westwood playing hiphop and Double D or Goldfinger playing dancehall. I would therefore, in the same way, go to those events and play a Grime set. That’s how I imagined it.

Obviously that never really materialised even though this genre of music is still going strong in terms of producing well-known artists and well known tracks. Instead, we’ve seen a rise in budget DJ’s that play everything but stand for nothing and that’s across the board – generic urban nights to trendy Shoreditch nights, where people are the flavour of the fucking month playing uninspired selections.

Going back to the evolution of the Grime sound, you said earlier that the consumer dictates where the sound goes. Therefore, in your opinion, was it ever a conscious decision by producers and MC’s that saw what was going on Stateside, to adapt their sound and tie in with that market?

I think it’s subtle and slow. If you are an MC with a microphone, you will want to say more stuff and work on your technical ability to ensure you’re better than the other MC’s out there. That became quite important in 2005 – 2006 whereby flows and lyricism became prominent and guys spitting for reloads were looked down upon a bit.

At the same time, when the mixtape thing became popular, there was a big lack of live events. Now, live events are restricted to people turning up and doing P.A’s of their singles. So, like I said, the reward for some of the skills people had and practiced, is not there anymore.

The five MC’s that are rated for reloads now are the ones that were doing it back then. D Double E is the reload guy and will always be rated for that. But for new guys coming through, I don’t really see the recognition or reward for having that sort of live element. Now, it’s all based around singles which is a wider-based thing. Guys like Chipmunk for example, who have never been involved with that live element, are taking the culture with them [into the mainstream] and I think it’s good. I really do. In Chipmunk’s case he is a positive young man and works hard.

As a Grime MC, those live skills are not respected by wider audiences, and I don’t know why that is. It might be fault of our own because we’ve not let people understand how important those things are and allowed them to die but, at the end of the day, guys like Spyro who are fantastic technical DJ’s are not getting the rewards for their skill.

Which is crazy when you consider how many parallels there are between Grime and Dancehall. In Jamaica they have festivals with massive crowds…

Yeah, but that is the cultural backbone which has taken many years to develop. You have to remember Grime is only 6-7 years old.

Over those 6-7 years do you feel the press has represented Grime fairly?

I don’t think the press has made enough of it. Elijah and I had an amusing conversation about this the other day concerning Grime DJ’s in the press. Look at any other scene and the press will write about anyone if they are flavour of the month.

When you try and get something about Grime into a publication they’re like ‘What’s the catch? What’s the story?’ and it’s hypocritical. What’s the story about Ibiza this year? Or another DJ that’s playing the same tunes in Shoreditch or Yo-Yo’s that everyone else is playing already?

All they have over us is the right press officer [but] if you are good at what you do, people will want to read about it! That’s how music journalism should work. Your ‘story’ has nothing to do with your talent and it’s up to the journalist to find it.

You’ve said that Grime is a real meritocracy in that there are no proven ‘formulas’ and that experimentation within the scene is always high – in both music and media. You think this is still the case?

If you are hot, people will discover you. People talk about knowing this person or that person, or being in certain circles, but really, if you get into the real world of music, because it’s all so structured and there is a network there, it is all about talent.

Try and become a big D‘n’B MC without being brought in by the three main big promoters and five big DJ’s co-signing you. It’s really locked down tight! Whereas if you do Grime music, people gravitate towards you – no one gives a shit where anybody’s from. If you’re doing stuff people like, then you’ll get noticed. I think Grime is THE most open genre at the moment.

How did you take the news when KISS first announced the 1 hour cut to your show?

You can’t do anything about it so I immediately thought about what I could do to make things work, rather than getting pissed off about it. It was a wake-up call for me because I had become a bit complacent – happy to do my radio show and not any other stuff that I could have been doing.

Were you surprised with the amount of support you received?

Yeah man, all the people online got noticed by the management and it was discussed. It was great, but the seeds had already been planted. We’ll see what happens going forwards.

Last year you debated with MistaJam over Twitter, concerning Grime’s lack of coverage and reference on mainstream radio and other media channels. Could you clarify what you said for those that missed it because I think it was an interesting point…

I think there are numerous platforms, not just 1xtra, where people could be made more aware of the fact that these stars are coming from Grime. I felt that 1xtra was one of the places where Grime wasn’t being promoted. It’s subtle and I don’t think it was intentional on their behalf, but they had a jingle on [Mista Jam’s] radio show where it said what music he played and that didn’t include ‘Grime’ – even though the jingles were Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk.

That’s important because it erases ‘Grime’ from the subconscious of people listening to it. If it’s not there, it’s easy to forget it.

Trim said in an interview a while ago that even the word ‘Grime’ registers negative expectations and it’s hard for artists to rise above them. Do you think there is any truth in that?

I don’t think that’s true because so many people have come from it and have done really well. But like I said, achievements in Grime are looked down upon and not really acknowledged. It’s like ‘ok you’ve done that, now come and do some real stuff.’

What do you think is the cause for that lack of respect?

The music and the image we put out isn’t professional – all that cussin’, bickering, misbehaving and unreliability undermines the huge amounts of creativity and hard work people in this scene put in. We fail on a bunch of superficial principles that the rest of the music industry base themselves on.

Your label Earth 616 has gone rather quiet recently, after releasing three vinyl EP’s last year. What happened and will we see more releases this year?

They didn’t sell a lot of units and cost me a shit load of money – so much so that it took four months for me to recover my costs. Financially it was unstable. I will be putting out more stuff in the next couple of months but it will be based on an entirely different business model. I’m still trying to confirm artists for that, but [in the meantime] I’m doing a couple of digital releases, both of which are vocal cuts.

What projects you are working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m working on getting the Sharky Major and the B-Live & Spyda tunes out because they’re hot tunes and I want to see them out before they disappear off the face of the Earth. Both are likely to be released at the start of March.

I’m also working with some of the lesser known artists who can’t get their stuff out properly and end up giving it away for free. I want to help those people.

The last mix you made available for download was your birthday one, which was very well received by fans. Have you got any more up your sleeve?

I’m going to try and do a bi-monthly mix that people can buy on iTunes, if I can sort out the legalities of it. It won’t be free, but it will be a Logan mixtape available for a couple of quid featuring exclusive freestyles and what’s hot at the moment.

Any plans for another Nike One Away project?

Not at this moment in time. I’d love to do that again but it means going into the studio and holding everyone at gunpoint until they finish their bars!

Break down what that whole recording process was like…

I spent a lot of time – about two weeks in total – sitting in studios with people until they did their tune.

Name a personal highlight from that time?

I wrote Skeptas’ ‘I Spy’ dubplate which was cool! And getting a Newham Generals dub is always fun too…

What was your favourite dub on there?

Erm…Murked again. That was sick. Battle riddim was also…

Listening back to your old mixes you used to drop a fair bit of Dancehall in there, but not so much anymore. Why?

My attention has just drifted away and I’ve not noticed as many big records as I had done. I’m a bit out of touch now.

Last but by no means least do you have any tips for this year?

Producer wise – J Beatz and Nuklea. MC wise I’d like to see Scruface do stuff this year.

Kristian of Threefold Media

Links to get the Audio (Interview Below)

Stream the mix now on the Grime Podcast MixCloud

Right Click Here and Click “Save As” to Download the  File

Click Here to Sign Up To Our Podcast if You Have iTunes

Stream the Mix directly from Mix Cloud below

How did you get the name Scope?

Well, baack in the day when I used to go down to Tottenham’s youth club where artist such as Double S and Chipmunk which we all know of today used to attend as well and these times I wasn’t called Scope I had a next name and one day one of the older guy’s must’ve noticed something in my DJing. The way I used to mix when i was younger was by looking at the deck and nothing else, ‘literally scoping’ the deck and the guy commented on it and then said thats your name “SCOPE” and from then on its grown on me.

How did you first get into spinning decks and what was the first vinyl you owned (whether garage/grime or something else)?

I got into DJin by buying my first pair of decks off my bredrin from my school. We used to go Heat FM but I couldn’t mix cah i didnt have a clue. I wanted to get on radio but i had to practice for several hours a day mixing and mixing and mixing, once i got my decks. To be fair when i was about 12 i bought some Yamaha DJ BOX for Xmas loool dont ask that was probably 2nd to my decks the best xmas present and from then on i knew i was always gonna dj. My first vinyl was Daniel Beddingfield “Gotta Get Thru This” allow me i had to start from somewhere. Then my first Grime vinyl was “Roll Deep – Terrible”.

Your recent set with Bloodline received a lot of comments in regards the beat selection. How do you choose whichbeats to mix into which?

Cheers mate no worries…

Well firstly the mixer at Rinse was acting up i couldnt hear nothing at all lol. Selecting tunes… well…. i dunno where to start, all i can say is you gotta take in the atmosphere, the vibe and just try and find all the beats that do what they do on set’s, plus when you’ve mixed with artist on various set’s it kinda easy to select what they wana hear and mc on. Back in the day Axe fm was a big platform for guys to come and do they’re thing. Doing Sets for me and Leeman was the only way forward. Instrumental sets wern’t really the thing, you know that I knew that. So selecting for me has come from experience. (big up leeman tho). Im suprised by the outcome of yours and everybody else’s views though because i had a hard time trying to hear what i was mixing lol. I appreciate everyone that found the set and the selection on point and all i can say is big up you Hij and all of the grime forum.

Which producers would you say are the ones who constantly have provided you with bangers to play out over theyears?

Erm… I dunno about years, you gotta remember we all used to buy vinyl or cut dubs. I used buy couple bits off producers tho via linking up wit em. I could big up the likes of D.O.K, JME, Wiley, SHOTZ, Waifer from back in the day for hooking me up but of today and over the last couple years i gotta shout out to guy’s like D.O.K, SWINDLE, EXO, JACK DANIELS, J BEATZ, TAZ BUCKFASTER, JOKER, FOOTSIE, D DUBZ(D DOUBLE E), GARNA, KID D the list goes on. Whoever reads this and knows they’ve given me bits to batter on radio you know im bigging you up right now.

Do you have 2 tunes that you enjoy mixing together over any others?

Erm…….Yes. Not even just the two tunes but the mix and the particular chop during the mix too. They are D.O.K – Big Bang or Silencer – Dirt Bag and Exo – Buckled wheel

Those who used to post on RWD Forum will remember DJ Logan Sama calling you “DJ Leak EM’”. Can you elaborate on what that was about?

Okay, basically… I must’ve linked up with Scratcha DVA. And got couple bits off him. Like an idiot and i will own up to this, Mak 10 was on my msn (so i thought he was) and we used to talk all the time like he knew things which made me think okay he’s the really Mak 10. I played a tune on my msn and it showed up on my messenger name Thing. Mak 10 asked for the tune and i happily sent it to him. The beat was nothing great but i thought its alright Mak 10 surely knows DVA. Little did i know once i sent it the beat had gotta out everywhere. I actually think that Mak ten dude was Logan who knows. Then i was down west end on day out with my girl and i got a fone call from Limit saying im on the forums lol. I was like oh no what now. And for that little silly mistake i made i was on Logan’s “dj blacklist” that knocked my status i aint gonna lie, i was hated all over the scene lool. But all of that got sorted out. I spoke to Logan and we had a drink, flung couple dubs and it was all cool after that. Big up Logan.

What’s the flavour for your mix for the podcast, what sort of vibe have you gone for?

Hij its 2010 this is the year where i wana be voted for one of the best dj’s im gona try and see what happens, Im on Rinse now (about time) and im gona go for it. I dunno why its taken a while but i feel like im finally getting there. All them sets on them stations such as Axe, Pyro, Manic, UTZ, Heat FM, Ave it FM, so many sets, slots etc, it must’ve paid off by now lol.

But yeh the flavour im going for is new and hype(banger) but also deep at the same time stuff also just the usual init Hij you know what i mean mate lol, if it wernt then i wouldnt be here talking to you lol.

How can people listen to you? What time will they be hearing you on Rinse?

You can listen to me via this podcast mix lol, Downloading my sets from grimeforum and search “DJ SCOPE” and you should be able to grab couple sets. You can check out iTUNES and get the GET DARKER podcast episode 20 (BIG UP DARKSIDE). You should hear me on Rinse this Sunday 1-3. Meanwhile i will be doing cover shows cah the 3-5 is a no go now due to personal issue’s and work. All i can say is its down to Rinse management what happens about the times they are sorting it out so stay locked. I’ll up some mixes to keep you lot in check too.

How can you be booked for a rave?

Contact me or via phone or inbox me you number and i’ll call you or scopedj187@gmail.com

Search me on facebook under “Dee Jay Scope” and hij is your uncle