Grime-Garage
tagStarted 2001Peak 2001-2003Last big hit 2004From London, United Kingdom
Located in 1 route
The transitional missing link where dark UK garage met MC culture and became grime. Swung 2-step and 8-bar garage rhythms turn harder and bassier, with rowdy, crew-based MCing crowding out R&B vocals. Sub-low pressure, skippy garage drums and pirate-radio reload energy define a sound caught between dancefloor garage and the colder grime to come.
History
Around 2000-02 a 'darker', instrumental strain of UK garage on London pirate stations gave MCs room to chat, and crews like Pay As U Go, So Solid Crew, Heartless Crew and More Fire Crew pushed garage toward what was first dubbed 'grimey garage.' So Solid's 21 Seconds and Pay As U Go's Champagne Dance marked the pivot point into grime proper.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grime_music
- https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/features/pay-as-u-go-cartel-crawled-so-that-grime-could-walk
- https://linenoise.substack.com/p/heartless-crew-where-garage-met-grime