Saturday, 20 September 2008

Wiley + The Ruby Kid + Playground Mafia

Wiley is one of the original founders of what is now known as 'Grime' music. Traversing from the massive Pay As U Go Cartel to start up his own crew with the Roll Deep Entourage. His debut album 'Treddin On Thin Ice', released through XL, brought his unique "Eski beat" sound to the world and has cememnted him as one of the most innovative producers ever in British electronic music. Co-producer on the certified Silver selling 'In At The Deep End' LP from Roll Deep showed a versatility to not only his lyrical content but also his musical sound.

Arguably the most influencial musician from Grime's spiritual home of Bow E3, Wiley has been either directly responsible for or indirectly influenced the careers of nearly every artist to come through the scene. Either producing beats for or nurturing younger talent like Tinchy Stryder, JME, Skepta, Doctor, Jammer and most notably Dizzee Rascal, or being involved in memorable clashes with sparring partners such as Lethal B, Kano, Durrty Goodz, Sharky Major, Bashy and Nasty Jack, Wiley has influenced a large number of talented individuals who have gone on to make their mark in the Grime scene. Legendary as both an MC and a Producer, and starting off as a DJ, Wiley is one of a few individuals who can be honestly described as excelling in many different areas of music. Support comes from Sheffield-based rapper The Ruby Kid, who's been making a name for himself on the local scene with gigs at a range of independent and alternative music venues. Performing with double-bassist Max Munday, he cites pioneering US indie rap label Definitive Jux (which recently added Dizzee Rascal to its roster) as a key influence, and should provide an interesting starter to the main course of classic grime.