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FWD at the End

The good and the great of the Dubstep and Grime scenes took over the End for a bass extravaganza that lasted until 6am. People from all over the country came to hear the bassiest set, West London had heard since the jungle days!

Skream, Plastician, Youngsta and Benga all represented for FWD. This is probably the most well known Dubstep night in London. I caught Plastician's set which had the crowd moving in its usual way – the way where you can't get through the crowd without having to jostle some six foot, tongue entwined teen off his girlfriend or elbow the wannabe Moshers, flailing around with alcohol - out of the way.

I certainly approve of the heavy bass lines and the innovative nature of Dubstep but I'm not a huge fan of the music, so I left the crowd to lap up Plastician's set while I headed into room two, to inspect what Rinse FM had to offer.

Rinse FM

In here the latest Bass-y garage sounds were being blared over the speakers and the music sounded like a hybrid of Garage and Breaks, with a huge bass line. I have no idea what this type of music is called (Neu Bassline Garage?) so I nodded my head to the beat and checked out the crowd. It was at this point dear reader when I thought - where do all these teenagers come from?

Prime crowd specimens included Asian rude ‘bwoys' in tracksuits, Topshop clones attempting sexy r'n'b moves, the Urban Nerd massive and boys in Nu Rave gear. In other words the crowd were definitely young and aspiring to every trend NME could think of! Thankfully DJ Spyro then took to the decks and for two hours and pounded out the best in Grime, Garage and everything in between. The crowd definitely approved.

After spotting Urban Nerd wearing a fluorescent yellow hat and Purple Simba - in a colourful Tracksuit with Ethiopia across the back, I felt a little underdressed and headed back to room one where Skepta and Wiley were starting their set. The room seemed to overflow with bodies and with smoke constantly filling the room, it made for a rather eerie rave session.

Plastician was replaced by DJ Maximum and Grime's biggest stars squashed into the DJ booth to deal out what they were paid for. Now I love these guys for bringing Grime back to the rave scene and yes, Wiley forever has my heart but come on JME - where are the new lyrics? I see the Boy Better Know, Roll Deep and Nekkle Camp triumvirate at least twice a month and I think it's time for some fresh lyrics, as well as beats.

RWD in Stereo @ Cargo

Anyone that goes into a record shop these days will know RWD magazine. It's free and it's actually quite good. There are interviews with whoever's big on the urban front and its review section is usually more than passable. I don't usually go clubbing on a school night but the names Ghetto, Wiley and Dexplicit at a venue like Cargo managed to persuade me.

The music was supplied by Heatwave – who you can check out once a month in the Salmon and Compass bar in Angel. The ‘riddims' were a nice mix of basement r'n'b and Hip Hop, which warmed up the evening nicely. Alex Mills then took to the stage and provided some Soul and Jazz inspired numbers. It was nice to see some genuine UK talent on the stage.

Also present was Ny - North London's latest r'n'b singer. As usual Ny was met with appreciative calls from the male members of the crowd, in spite of her turquoise, 80s mini dress. Now whilst I am not a huge fan of Ny - I did like the track Fire, with Purple MC. There is no doubt that the girl can sing. Look out for her Split Endz Vol 2 mixtape.

The highlight for me was Ghetto's appearance. When I wrote this - his album Freedom of Speech had sold out in HMV (according to his MySpace page) and with underground anthems still getting banged out all over London – it's not surprising Ghetto is rated as one of London's top three.

The performance included Mountain which instigated an impromptu Grime clash on stage – well Skepta, Jammer, Frisco and Chipmunk were in the house. Skepta was reluctant to perform, saying he wasn't getting paid but nonetheless, he and Wiley managed to perform new track Wearing my Rolex.

I wasn't impressed that this clash got culled whereas Joe Driscoll was allowed to entertain the crowd with his derivative, pseudo beat boxing for far too long. In fact I got a funny feeling that the RWD Management weren't as keen to have the Grime acts perform - despite their status as the crème de la crème of the underground scene and their ability to fill clubs, up and down the UK.

A Date For Your Diary

April 19, 2008. Urban Nerd's 3AM 1st Birthday, 93 Feet East, London.

The ONE to Watch

North London's finest Sway DaSafo is currently supporting Chamillionaire on his European tour. Do whatever you can to get hold of Sway's mixtape - Dotted Lines. It's currently available to download from his MySpace page. He is quoted as saying that this tape is representative of his Ghanaian heritage, whereas his previous mixtapes have focused more on his Black British identity. Check out his version of Bashy's Black Boys - Black Stars. Sway always has fresh lyrics and can always make you laugh and think. I'm telling you - he'll be hotting up a stage near you soon so be ready!

- DJ Michelle

  

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