BHM: Drumz Of The South

Last week, we kicked off our Black History Month series with an insightful extract from Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music by Matt Anniss. This week, we’re moving forward to an era that defined a whole new wave of bass music: dubstep.

For week two, we’re proud to present an extract from Drumz Of The South: The Dubstep Years (2004-2007) by Georgina Cook. This iconic photography book was the first to capture the early days of dubstep in stunning detail, featuring over 200 photos that chronicle the scene from underground nights like FWD>> at Plastic People and DMZ, to pirate radio stations like Rinse FM. Cook’s lens captured the rise of pioneering producers, DJs, and MCs like Skream, Benga, Mala & Coki, Burial, Loefah, Plastician, Kode9, Hatcha & Crazy D, Skepta, Wiley, and Sgt Pokes.

This collection brings us face-to-face with the raw energy and vibe of the early dubstep scene, and we’re thrilled to share it with you. Take a look the visual history of a movement that forever changed the sound of bass.

An Extract From Drumz Of The South by Georgina Cook.

A Basement Of Opportunities – Charlie Dark on Plastic People

“As a child of an immigrant, you are born into community. It’s within your DNA and imprinted in your soul at every family gathering and with every morsel of food. It’s no surprise that it seeps into your approach to business. A life spent navigating the opinions of aunties, uncles and extended family makes you hyper-aware of the power of listening and the magic that occurs when you bring people together and the bar of excellence is set high. 

When people ask me what I do for a living I used to tell them I build, nurture and grow communities but if I’m honest the word “community” doesn’t sit well with me anymore. It’s become a buzzword for brands to sell products by people who’ve never really been part of a community but are great at pushing numbers around. So, if anything these days I’m more concerned with building movements that empower people to bring change to themselves and by doing so, the people around them. Movements that can exist without the help of outsiders and are self-sufficient, much like Run Dem Crew, which is the movement I’m most known for. An Urban Run Collective I founded in 2007, it has since morphed into a global movement much like the music and scenes that came out of the basement incubator we fondly refer to as Plastic People.”