Features

Having created some of the UK's biggest pop stars in 2009, grime's mainstream presence has never been stronger. But in the independent shops where it once thrived, for the past few years, it's survived only through a steady trickle of mix-CDs. Like most pirate radio-based scenes, there's always been more grime on the airwaves than in the shops, but in the last few years the latter has shrunk massively.

Where white-labels like Musical Mob's Pulse X and Wiley's Eskimo once sold thousands, racks once ruled by grime in shops like Rhythm Division and Uptown are now filled by the latest dubstep or house. But with a small cluster of labels determined to turn things around, that's set to change in 2010. And it coincides with a new wave of producers taking the sound in a new, more colourful, dancefloor direction.

Dedicated grime labels No Hats No Hoods, Kiss FM DJ Logan Sama's Earth 616 and the newly set up Butterz all have new releases from up-and-coming talent like Swindle, Rude Kid, SRC and J Beatz, while Terrorhythm also has a single due from the recently incarcerated Maniac that label head Plastician hopes will break him to dubsteppers. Even Kode 9's Hyperdub has a Terror Danjah single on the schedule, its first ever grime release.

It's a huge shift from 12 months ago, but the past year has seen a resurgence of interest in grime's instrumental end, largely due to the efforts of Butterz founders Elijah and Skilliam whose Rinse FM shows focus almost exclusively on the freshest new beats. Vocal-less mix CDs from producers Silencer, DOK and Nocturnal have also confirmed the appeal of grime that's able to stand alone without an MC, with Terror Danjah's Gremlinz retrospective on Planet Mu taking the music to a wider audience in a way that's not happened since Rephlex's first Grime compilation in 2004.

Soon to appear on no less than three labels (Planet Mu, Butterz and Hyperdub), Terror is one of the main beneficiaries of all this activity. Surprisingly though, one label he won't be appearing on is his own. After a flying start in the mid-00s with tracks by Crazy Titch, Bruza and NASTY Crew, the last 12" Aftershock issued was in 2006. For most grime labels, it's been a similar story.

"Imagine if you're a producer in your bedroom," says No Hats No Hoods' DJ Magic, "and you suddenly get 500 quid straight in your pocket from one tune. You'd be doing that all the time. Guys like Terror, Wiley, Target, they couldn't believe their luck. All these tunes they were making for a bit of fun, suddenly they were making proper money. But the thing about grime is that it's always been about getting money quickly. So as soon as you don't do that, producers think it's not worth it, that it's too big an investment. So they all moved onto CDs."

But while producers' interest in pressing up tracks DIY-style has waned, it's allowed labels like Butterz to capitalise on this gap in the market as well as keep a sharper eye on quality control when sifting through what to release. And in an era where releasing music digitally can be so easy, a 12" with a respected label behind it can still work wonders for an artist's profile.

"In terms of bookings, people book people that are either putting out hot music or making it," says Elijah. "So just off the back of having a label and putting out one 12", I've got bookings for the next three months. The interest that's generated for myself and Terror, we wouldn't have got that if we didn't do that. People still want to have or see something tangible. Plus, it's actually easier to make money out of vinyl. Mp3s in grime still don't sell well. And I don't want to just sell mp3s."

There are also sonic advantages. "One of the criticisms of grime has been the actual sound quality," says Magic. "All the top MCs just accept putting out mp3s and CDs that aren't mixed properly. There's so little love put into it, it seems like a real shame, especially compared to something like dubstep. But if you've got someone like Leon at Music House who can master it and tweak it, you can get a really good sound, especially when you play it in a club. You can put it up against a dubstep tune and it will really punch through."

Like anyone releasing records today, Butterz and No Hats No Hoods are realistic about sales expectations. But while they don't expect grime to adopt dubstep's vinyl fetish, they don't want to see the format vanish either. Even if it's just to make sure key grime tracks don't keep getting lost. "Every week I get emails like 'what's that tune ten minutes and thirty seconds into the show?'," says Elijah. "And maybe only 60% of what I play comes out. Which is not a lot. A tune like Royal T's 1Up could so easily have not come out. And there's so many tunes like that. So that's why the label's there, to improve that situation. I'm not expecting Joe Bloggs to come out his house and buy vinyl, it's for the enthusiasts. For anyone who likes instrumental music."

Words: Sunil Chauhan