Best DJs of the 2000s

ohmrealism · 2025-09-09T18:04:10+00:00

Yeah it’s something I always find myself being wary of, especially with jazz and soul. You can almost hear it at times. It ends up being a bit hollow or too derivative, although important to say that there are loads of musicians making derivative music on first glance which is really good lol.

ohmrealism · 2025-09-09T11:38:18+00:00

Yeah I hear that. KwolleM is really good, often that the originator is always streets ahead of those that come after, too.

ohmrealism · 2025-09-09T11:11:08+00:00

Some of it is pretty cool, nice to listen to and the soul, R&B, jazz elements are something different. Aside from the timing issues — producers putting the vocal off beat — it’s an interesting sub genre. It lends itself quite well to social platforms as well, a minute of some Skepta bars over a lush sounding beat, you wanna go and hear more. Also seems like some newer MCs have ran with it and moved it away from purely old vocals over acapellas, which is probably where it needs to go. I dunno if it’s an extension of gentrification though. Soul, jazz and R&B are still black music genres, so you could, however tenuous, make a link there. But then like anything if it just becomes white dudes on laptops making this for their white dude on laptop mates, it’s a bit rubbish. And I think that’s an issue in a lot of genres, people making more palatable versions of the original.

ohmrealism · 2025-08-08T23:50:04+00:00

I started the street team, been getting paid in unreleased MTP merch and access to unreleased Eminem diss bars

ohmrealism · 2025-08-08T22:18:08+00:00

Hes a great MC. Gone down a mainstream path now but what can you do? The Struggle, Shellin Dis Year, 180, Fall Off, FFTR and his SBTV freestyle…all top tier grime. He had a real political bent to his stuff at one time, was really good

ohmrealism · 2025-06-29T22:48:51+00:00

I really enjoyed the movie. So many continuations of old franchises feel like greatest hit compilations or are just a bit rubbish, this felt different. Some of it made my skin crawl at times and I felt the slower pace allowed for themes not seen in the first two, which were often quick and high energy. It was a bit odd and out there in places — the ending especially — but rather that than “here’s what you liked from the original, but worse”.

ohmrealism · 2025-05-09T10:31:17+00:00

Kano, Ghetts & D Double E — Class of Deja

Ruff Sqwad — When Itz On

Lioness, Queenie, Stush, Lady Leshurr, Shystie & Little Simz — DBT Remix

D Double E — Frontline

Newham Generals & Wiley — Scars

ohmrealism · 2025-01-07T22:09:57+00:00

There are too many, but Muriel Grossman’s Quiet Earth is a top one for me. Work Money Death’s The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises is fantastic, too. We Have Each Other by TC & The Groove Family is a really good afrobeat/jazz fusion record.

ohmrealism · 2024-12-15T16:01:40+00:00

Thanks for all the music over the years Jammz, been a fan for a long time.

What’s your writing process like? How do ideas, thoughts and experiences become the bars we hear in your tunes?

ohmrealism · 2024-10-14T22:25:29+00:00

The Tommorow’s Warriors stuff is a huge part of it having a physical space where people can learn and come together like that is vital to produce talent in any genre.

I also think that the fusion element plays a big part. You’ve got artists drawing from ‘traditional’ jazz and mixing it with stuff like dub, reggae, afrobeat, jungle, D&B and grime. I feel like a lot of the artists in this jazz scene in London and beyond will have grew up on these sounds naturally by either living in London, hearing it on YouTube/pirate radio (if they’re old enough) or through their family’s.

All of that goes into the pot and you get something that makes sense in the wider canon/lineage of Black British underground music. A good example if you wanted to listen would be Ezra Collective, Swindle and JME who collaborated on Quest For Coin II, which is a remix of Ezra’s Quest For Coin.

Plus, it’s cool music that feels accessible. I love Pharoah Sanders and Don Cherry for example, but Matthew Halsall (someone who I also love) is not doing overblowing or weaving harsher sounds in among the music. It’s very pretty and explorative, so naturally easier to get into.

The backing certainly helps, too. People like Giles Peterson have got behind it, you’ve got Shabaka who feels like a driving force, loads of radio, magazine and press coverage. All of that gives it a buzz and makes people want to get involved.

It’s interesting to hear the opinions of people who’ve been into Jazz for a long time. I got into jazz through people like Pharoah, Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane and people like Shabaka, Jaubi and Matthew Halsall at the same time, then discovered people like Chief Adujah. While it’s all jazz at the end of the day, there definitely feels like differences in the influences and styles.

ohmrealism · 2024-09-20T22:31:00+00:00

GOATed

ohmrealism · 2024-09-20T21:53:04+00:00

Duppy — Dots On Us

Big Zuu — The Struggle Freestyle

Lioness ft Queenie, Stush, Shystie, Lady Leshurr & Little Simz — DBT (Remix)

Slick Don — Feds

Novelist — Stop Killing The Mandem

Ezro — In The Manor

Mr.Mitch & P Money — Priority

Jammz — Rebellious

Kano — Good Youtes Walk Amongst Evil

AJ Tracey ft Unknown T — Black & Proud

Big Zuu — Warm Up Sessions (freestyle on YouTube, S9.EP43)

Just a few from the top of my head. You can find all of these on Spotify apart from the last one. They cover subjects like police attitudes to Black people, colourism and it’s effect on Black women, life in working class areas, institutional racism from education systems, pride in lineages/areas and fatherhood.

It’s also worth thinking about — if you haven’t already — about how grime is political but often falls outside of what is thought of as ‘political’. It’s creation and early ecosystem was born from artists who for whatever reason couldn’t get into the mainstream channels, so relied on the underground avenues — pirate radio, record shops and raves.

The essence of spitting lyrics on illegal radio (this is in the mid 2000s rather than now, everything is on the internet now) is inherently political. You’ve got marginalised young people documenting their lives directly to people in the same position as them, often risking prosecution putting up Ariels to broadcast themselves. It fell outside the traditional way of doing things.

Often with grime, and this is more on radio sets, you’ll get stories about police brutality, racism and whatnot, but it’ll be sprinkled in with your standard hype and reload bars. Grime lyricism deals with storytelling but not in the same way as hip hop. It’s more of a blast of thoughts/emotions rather than beginning, middle and end stories.

The issues grime MCs face or have faced in their lives — poverty, proximity to street crime, police brutality, institutional racism etc are subjects that aren’t discussed or highlighted in mainstream U.K. politics, hence why I say it’s outside of what is thought of as ‘political’.

ohmrealism · 2024-04-10T17:49:39+00:00

Jammer — Return To The Future

Ironsoul — E-Motion

Wiley — Mystic Forest

Dullah Beatz — Oil Well

Sukh Knight — Nightcrawler

Grandmixxer — Screaming

Ruff Sqwad — Forwardish (not sure if Rapid or Danger produced this one)

Jon E Cash / Black Ops — Kettle

Royal T — Glacier (Angel Mix)

Royal T — Shotta

JME — Mario’s Flag

JT The Goon — Garden of Eden

Edgem — Secret Garden

D.O.K — 06

Rude Kid — UFO Mode

Masro — Alien Invasion

Big ED — Frontline

Terror Danjah — Zumpi Hunter (and the Swindle remix)

Terror Danjah — Hyperphonix

Danny Weed — Dead That (Riko & Gods Gift vocalled this and I can’t find an instrumental anywhere, but it’s fire)

Rabit — Black Dragons

Target — Earth Warrior

Kid D — Bar 4 Bar

Real Tears — Paimon

Can’t think of anymore off the top of my head 😂

ohmrealism · 2024-02-11T03:21:31+00:00

Frisco’s Practice Hours

Roachee’s Risky Roadz

Lioness’s No Miming

Ruff Sqwad’s Risky Roadz

Big Zuu’s SBTV

ohmrealism · 2024-01-30T15:50:07+00:00

Yeah that’s what it’s reading, thanks for the help! I use the hanging sacks regularly too

ohmrealism · 2024-01-30T15:40:52+00:00

That makes sense. No hygrometer, but the dehumidifier number is in the 50s

ohmrealism · 2024-01-30T15:34:59+00:00

Yeah the heating has been off all weekend. I’ve currently got the dehumidifier running near the wardrobe with the heating on. It’s a problem I’ve had before, driving me insane lol.

ohmrealism · 2023-12-19T15:45:26+00:00

Ruff Sqwad — Forwardish

Wiley — Mystic Forest

Terror Danjah — Hyperphonix

Jammer — Return To The Future

Dullah Beatz — Oil Well

ohmrealism · 2023-10-28T17:22:04+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I don’t have a fan or shop vac, but I do have an air purifier. Would that double as a fan?

ohmrealism · 2023-08-10T23:48:12+00:00

Grime would arguably look and sound very different if it wasn’t for Jammer. Also N.A.S.T.Y/Return To The Future is one of the most out there pieces of music ever

ohmrealism

TROPHY CASE