Whereas dubstep rather unfortunately mutated into “HERE COMES THE DROP!!!” fodder for jager fuelled EDM bros, grime has managed to stay much closer to its roots as l’enfant terrible of British underground music.

That’s not to say grime’s progression over the last 10 years has been easy going.  Comments like “bring back grime” and “grime is dead” are a frequent sight on old YouTube rips of classic tracks, providing an interesting timeline of the numerous ebbs and flows in the genre’s popularity.  The career trajectory of grime MC to mainstream rap/pop artist, as exemplified by Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder  etc, didn’t do a lot to help boost creativity in the genre.  The uninspiring output of many of these MCs has perhaps been one of the reasons for a renewed focus on the production side of things in recent years.

Since its inception grime has always been home to some of the weirdest and most interesting electronic music in British history. While the internet is awash with bland and generic “deep house” tracks, grime has never really suffered from the same problem. This is probably because grime has much more of an “anything goes” attitude to production. So it’s not at all surprising that many of the more experimental producers in UK electronic music have been so inspired by the genre. Whether it’s releases on labels such as Night Slugs, Livity Sound, Hessle Audio and Keysound, or US rapper Danny Brown naming Boy In Da Corner as a major influence, the legacy of grime has never been more visible.

Picking just five tracks for this piece was always going to be an impossible task, but nonetheless here is my limited selection of tracks:

Pulse X – Musical Mob [2002]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bMQTU2iI1E

The first ever grime track? I’ll leave that matter to the historians and the pedants, but regardless of its chronological significance Pulse X perfectly captures the raucous energy of grime.  Unleashing a barrage of snares and bass within the first few seconds, the track’s strength lies in the simplicity of its 16 bar loop. It’s difficult to imagine just how mad this must have sounded when it came out. If this doesn’t get you seriously hyped then I suggest you check your pulse. Pun very much intended.

Wiley – Eskimo [2002]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkdEOY0bf4U

To be honest, this list could easily consist of just Wiley tracks. But if you have to pick one then it’s got to be Eskimo. The track constructed the template for Wiley’s futuristic Eskibeat sound, the closest thing grime has ever had to a sub-genre.  Aggressive and alien, it is an extremely distinctive style. Once you’ve heard it, you’re unlikely to forget it.

XTC – Functions On The Low [2004] (sometimes credited to Ruff Sqwad)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHLPU66yLFY

 This track is the perfect counterexample to the lazy generalisation that grime is all about pounding bass, gunshot samples and violent rhythms.  With its irresistibly catchy synth melody, Functions On The Low is heart wrenchingly beautiful and one of the most emotionally affecting grime instrumentals of all time. If you’re a sensitive soul like me and you too enjoy a bit of emosh grime then I would also recommend the instrumental for Wifey by Tinie Tempah and Together by Ruff Sqwad.

Silo Pass (Sir Spyro Remix) – Bok Bok [2012]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OPxWd1SCeY

A meeting of the old and the new, a track from a more experimental contemporary grime enthusiast, remixed by a true don of grime.  As well as being a nice illustration of the current renaissance in grime influenced sounds, it doesn’t hurt that the track is also an absolute banger.

TFB – Kowton [2013]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ4nNImZKV8

Over the last couple of years Kowton has pioneered his own grime/techno hybrid and TFB is a brilliant example of his punishing style. The track shows one of the many interesting directions that grime has taken UK underground electronic music in, and I think we can all agree that it’s a bloody great direction.

If you’re interested in exploring the scene further there are many other producers worth checking out such as Darq E Freaker, Preditah, Faze Miyake, Splurt Diablo, Logos, Bloom, Visionist, Kahn & Neek, Slackk, Wen, Murlo, Samename, Rabit and Mr. Mitch.

The place of protest and strikes in our culture seems particularly pertinent given last week’s student strikes, and having been myself a witness to some of these I began to wonder about how we use such political action in film, art and music, harnessing the power of the people to enrich our culture. 

Billy Bragg is known to many as a popular writer and singer of protest song, and indeed has performed close enough to my house that I have heard the music wafting over the garden walls during Levellers’ Day, commemorating the 17th of May 1649 when, on Cromwell’s orders, three soldiers previously loyal to him were shot whilst protesting his rule, demanding civil rights and tolerance. This annual event takes place in the small town in Oxfordshire where I live, Burford, and has fascinated me since childhood, as it provides an interesting opportunity to witness a huge procession of different groups parade directly past my kitchen windows, with signs such as ‘Anarchy Rules’ delighting my inner pun-lover. But perhaps the most important aspect of the day to consider is the concert which takes place, since here I have experienced the inextricable bond between music and protest. Bragg’s music envelops many different genres, perhaps best defined as folk, but maybe the clearest link is between punk and protest.

When released, ‘God Save the Queen’ by the Sex Pistols caused a huge storm, with its anti-monarchy theme extremely vehemently expressed. Music is something which is intrinsically accessible, and allows people to feel part of a movement without perhaps performing any protest action. Irish rebel music has become part of that country’s culture, with songs such as The Fields of Athenry expressing a desire for freedom whilst including incredibly beautiful melodies and moving lyrics. More recently, as a protest against the X Factor and Simon Cowell, there was a public drive to make Rage Against the Machine’s hit ‘Killing in the Name’ the Christmas number one single. They succeeded – I have always felt sorry for poor Joe McElderry who lost out with his valiant rendition of Miley Cyrus’ ‘The Climb’ – and I suppose this is evidence that there is still public desire to use culture as a means of expressing dissent. 

Art can be a highly effective form of protest, as artists such as the Chinese political activist Ai Weiwei demonstrate, whose exhibition at the Tate of hand-painted sunflower seeds cemented his role in our cultural psyche and who combines his artistic endeavours with protest. Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller’s exhibit at the Hayward Gallery in 2012 ‘Joy in People’ documented his artistic progress, and included stills from his famous project ‘The Battle of Orgreave’ which re-enacted the clash between police and protesters during the miners’ strike in 1984. 

In film and television, the visual impact of a protest can come across particularly effectively. In Hairspray, for example, a film which combines light-hearted elements of a teen romcom with serious messages about racial discrimination, the protest song led by Queen Latifah’s character is a moving and thoughtful moment of still amongst the usual cheer, and the visual impact of a crowd moving with one purpose is only compounded by the unity of their singing. 

A sense of objection and a desire to make a social impact are both excellent inspiration, and prompt creative expression which can pass on a message more effectively than many methods of communication.

BOOK – Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Anything by Adiche is worth a read, but this has always stuck with me. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to crying at a book (sorry kids, Dumbledore’s exit didn’t do it for me). Set during the Nigerian-Biafran war, it follows the fallout for four characters from different sides of society. It’s so vividly written and doesn’t shy away from the characters’ mixed loyalties and the difficult moral positions war places them in.

FILM – ‘Navega’ by Mayra Andrade

At the moment my musical obsession is Mayra Andrade. She sings beautiful,
lively Cape-Verdean infl uenced music. I stumbled across her by accident and knew nothing about the style, but it’s enchanting. Her 2006 album ‘Navega’ and the song of the same name are still my favourites – it starts almost like a lullaby and gradually layers rhythms and instruments until it’s a dynamic, energetic bundle of  life and dancing.

ART – Roby Ryan and Dana Tanamachi

I do web and graphic design in my spare time, so I follow graphic design more than fine art. Rob Ryan does incredible paper cut designs and screen prints which have this wonderfully whimsical feel. He’s now had his work featured on products for John Lewis, but his original papercutting work is still my favourite. Another graphic designer working in an unusual medium is Dana Tanamachi,
who works in chalk, doing hand-lettering and typography.

FILM – Public Speaking by Michael Scorsese

I recently watched this slightly mad feature-length Scorsese documentary on Fran Lebowitz. She’s got a wickedly dark sense of humour at times, but also a cutting clarity in observing the odd customs of society. It’s predominantly
conversation-based, mixed with footage of Lebowitz talking over the years. It will leave you wishing everything that tumbled out of your mouth came across that sharp-witted.