Speaking of Rinse FM (well actually I wasn't, but Blackdown was), my constant companion for the past few weeks has been the epic 6xCD "Rinsessions Vol.1" mixtape pack. Each CD features hour-long mixes from some of the station's biggest names in Grime, including Roll Deep, Ruff Squad and DJ Slimzee (which all feature instrumentals with live mc's spitting mercilessly over the top, and yes - Roll Deep spin Skream's "Request Line" - the only evidence of dubstep's existence on the whole package!), a 'vocal grime' mix from Logan Sama which I'm enjoying far more than I thought I would (although I wish Logan hadn't doused his voice in so much reverb - it sounds too glossy/muddy) and a straight ahead UK Garage disc from Jiggy B, which sounds like pop music by comparison. My copy is one of the first 500 with the bonus DVD of interviews too (thanks to Tom @ Rooted for tracking down a copy for me).All good, and a nice overview of the current state of Grime for those of us who don't follow that side of things so closely. But of course for me it's all about the Plasticman disc, surely one of his most amazing mixdowns so far. It's a four-deck mix featuring 51 tracks over the space of 60 minutes, and it blows my mind every time. Plastic is so fucking on it that words fail me. Kneel to the Boss, muthafuckaz! Along with established riddims like Slew Dem's "Grime EP" (that's the one with the 'machine-gun' snares that I've been a bit obsessed with since I first heard Kode 9 spin it on Rinse a few months ago - finally got hold of my own copy this month, but the instrumental version's only a couple of minutes long! Jammer's vocal version is brilliant though), IMP Batch's "Gimp", Mark One's "Plodder" and Jammer's "Murkel Man" (brilliant, once again), there's plenty of fresh beats to explore, like Plastic's own "Funeral Vibes", featuring superb haunting pads that remind me of Aphex circa "Selected Ambient Works" (yeah, its that good - please let it be on the album, along with the equally brilliant "A Walk In The Car Park" - not included in this mix unfortunately). One of my favourite sections is a real surprise moment ( also displaying Plastic's sense of humour) when he drops the instrumental of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" under an acapella of Crazy Titch's "Singalong" (trust me, it works) and from there straight into the "Cha VIP" - one of the biggest adrenalin rushes I've experienced in...ooooh...decades. The other big surprise comes right at the end, when he finishes with a grimey bootleg of "Planet Rock" by Ed DMX. I wonder if Plasticman's ever heard the original?!
Of course it's a bit disappointing that no dubstep djs were involved in the project (at least N-Type got to design the sleeve!) , but believe me - the Plasticman disc is worth the price of admission alone. Besides, six CDs for under 20 quid? Fuckin' bargain, mate! Comes in a fat DVD case too. If you buy this, along with Youngsta's purist "Dubstep Allstars Vol.2" and the new "Back To The Underground" mix CD from Search & Destroy & Quiet Storm, you'll have a pretty good overview of what's been happening on Rinse this year.
Whilst I'm all hyped about Plasticman again, it gives me great pleasure to announce his return to Bristol later this month, supporting Grime superstar Lethal Bizzle at the Level club on Friday 25th, with additional support from our own Pinch and Blazey.
This looks pretty unmissable to me. Who's up for it? Unfortunately this event clashes with Noir at the Blue Mountain club, so looks like I'll have to miss seeing Slaughter Mob and Hotflush in action. Shame, cos I would've enjoyed linking with Paul and El Sid, and I've heard reports that their set at DMZ was excellent (even though most of the audience had left by that point!). ThinKing's concept of showcasing breaks-affiliated dubstep crews at D'n'B events seems like a good move in terms of spreading the knowledge, and I will reach a future Noir , but put me in a corner and I've gotta go with the breakless pure futurism of Plasticman and co. everytime.
