version

Well-known member
there was a similar thing with the recommendations playlist afx had running when he was active on soundcloud--a lot of deep cuts from the early 90s that gave a way more intriguing picture of that music than sticking to the music (and format) you'd find on a pitchfork "best of" list would have.

That's something I liked about third's list -- hearing the tunes hidden behind and between the ones you know, the stuff that fell through the cracks.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
yeah it's a really interesting list. maybe even a bit surprising, given that barty's said he usually likes the canon stuff in a given genre best.

those who were there at the time would have to let me know, but i imagine for the actual fans radio segments were more canonical than official releases (and particularly more so than albums). i imagine they'd have far fonder memories of some classic sets than they would have of boy in da corner or treddin on thin ice. the albums do sound to me like they are polite repackaging of the music to try and try and reach a wider audience, whereas the radio is giving the fans what they want.
 

mvuent

Void Dweller
those who were there at the time would have to let me know, but i imagine for the actual fans radio segments were more canonical than official releases (and particularly more so than albums). i imagine they'd have far fonder memories of some classic sets than they would have of boy in da corner or treddin on thin ice. the albums do sound to me like they are polite repackaging of the music to try and try and reach a wider audience, whereas the radio is giving the fans what they want.

exactly, same thing with rave. there's often a huge difference between what the people who were actually there think of as the cannon and what the "brooklyn-based" critics with a much larger online presence put on their lists.
 

mvuent

Void Dweller
oh snap. did not know he did that. is it still online? always love checking underground artist's curated lists. nww one was pretty important for me


its from 2015, so ofc an annoying number are gone. but most of the ones that really got to me still are there.
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
cool! a bunch of fans curated their own list with over 3k tunes too. yikes!

love that Eddy Grant - Time Warp is in there. one of my all time faves and kind of makes sense that he'd like it
 

catalog

Well-known member
@barty I've made your original playlist into a single MP3 file and would like to upload it to mixcloud? Are you alright if I do that. I've got an account but could also make a new dissensus one of you like?
 

catalog

Well-known member
Some thoughts from listening to the first hour (I'm not claiming any originality here, I know others here and elsewhere will have said all this):

-grime is about the live event. Literally a load of lads crammed into a little room getting it all out, like it's their only chance. This pure love exuberance is the most unique quality. Like there is obviously musicianship and innovation, but it's the live putting together of things that is what makes it really special.
- alot of the context is adolescent love games, like it's quite basic/trad at its core, it's firmly in a rock and roll sort of lineage in that way. It has that innocence of love lost and found, no doubt with a proper edge, but still. Love songs.
-the technology/kit is being misused, or not used properly. It's maybe the last music where this is the case, when it was still a bit of an effort to make stuff, you needed some special software or something, but it's so basic and simple. All for the better of course. And alot of the best tunes are so straightforward, so simple, you can him them so easily, they are very vocal based.
-the violence is there, but it's always paired with humour (trim) or some other element. This is where I feel like the difference is with drill. With drill it's like there's just the violence and not a lot else. This might be based on a misread of drill from me though, I've not really paid it much attention.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
-the technology/kit is being misused, or not used properly. It's maybe the last music where this is the case, when it was still a bit of an effort to make stuff, you needed some special software or something, but it's so basic and simple. All for the better of course. And alot of the best tunes are so straightforward, so simple, you can him them so easily, they are very vocal based.
.

This hadn't occurred to me before—now we live in the era of YouTube tutorials. Hence (I guess) the professionalism of drill beats. Cleaner sounding, heavier hitting, better in cars and clubs... but less charming and anarchic. Nobody makes anything which makes you think "you're not supposed to do that!'

* Not to shit on drill beats at all (or grime beats for that matter), in actual fact I find the production level in uk rap now amazingly high. But on a *beats* level there's none of that charming slight amateurishness that you had in grime.
 
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