Cornflake said:
too many hipsters telling me that grime is dead cause they've decided its a fad
But is this really any suprise given the exposure the scene's been getting recently...?
Just to add a bit of a different theory to this whole debate, how about the idea that Grime hasn't died, but successfully faked its death? Deep breath, this is gonna be a long one...
However much one might protest, its fairly clear that the Grime scene isn't as healthy as it was this time last year. The strange thing is that the current atmosphere has been nurtured by the very people who make up the scene. To me, it seems that over the last 12 months the people involved in and surrounding the music have done nothing but push away all interested parties.
Case 1. Rinse FM: Great station, and without a doubt the best way to get access to the newest and most exciting Grimey music. Shame then that next to no-one gets to hear it. There's no denying that they're up against the odds, being a pirate and all, but they do themselves and the artists no favours. For one thing the webstream is constantly broken, and when its working the quality so bad its hardly worth tuning into. There's no listen back function, and the recorded sets area on their forum is too exclusive for words (I've been a member for years, but still have no access to this exclusive little club. This is despite the fact I used to rip sets - imagine what its like for newbs). It seems as if the people over there actually want to push away outsiders. How is someone in Birmingham, let alone Japan or the USA supposed to get into the music if access if blocked at every turn? Simon's been raving about the Roll Deep set from last week, and its all well and good him saying "i heard it on radio innit" but how about the rest of us? More crews should follow Logan's lead and up their own sets as a podcast, for the purpose of self promotion - if they actually want the attention that is. Ok, BBC and Kiss are trying to get on the Grime thing, but 1xtra has boring DJs and lacks that MC driven hyyyyype, which is what Grime is about for me.
Radio is just one drop in the ocean of what's wrong with the scene and it really frustrates me. There are too many examples to list of the ways that Grime has crawled its way into this horrible elitest little box, leading the normal world to declaring it dead. This leads to the Grime-lovers smugly calling everyone who's not at the heart of the scene "hipsters", proud that the music's still their own. In the end all this crap is just getting in the way of hearing some good music.
The scene should take a look at what Dubstep's done. Opening up to a wider audience hasn't been pain-free, there've been a number of high profile casualties, but at least they're moving forward and not digging themselves a grave. Once a scene is opened up to a wider audience you can't pick and choose your fans, a fact better comprehended than ignored. Or perhaps those involved with Grime are happier with things as they are, in which case lay low for another few years and a death certificate can be issued in due time...
