The Get Low blog caught up with Butterz label boss and Rinse's young grime upstart Elijah to talk about his upcoming Rinse: 17 Compilation CD alongside partner in crime Skilliam. It's an interesting insight into the mentality behind composing a mix CD, read it!
How did you go about selecting the tracks? Did you want to represent the scene as it is right now or make it a more of a classics collection?
The tracks really selected themselves. They are mainly tracks we have heard from the first loop, draft and idea, and we have seen them become great pieces of music over time and essential parts of our set, and as releases on our label. They are all tracks made in the last year or so, along with a few recent bits. The only classic is 'Ghetto Kyote' which is one of our favourite grime tracks ever, that has really stood the test of time. I think it is pretty much what we will sound like when you hear us play ou too, I think that was important to do that as we don't play out that much.
Did you have any issues with licensing any of the tunes you selected, and did that hamper your choices?
All the tracks were made by our musical friends so it was really straight forward. We were involved in making a lot of the music happen like Starkey and Trim - This Ain't Me, P Money - Boo You, Royal-T and Terror Danjah's collab, so it was the best place for those to get heard.
Did Rinse let you do your own thing or did they play a part in the music direction and style of the mix?
They gave us the freedom to do what we wanted, I think if they had to tell us what to do, it wouldn't have meant we were the right guys for the job. We had a few months to think about we were going to do it, so certain tracks we didn't pla much so they remain special on the CD.
What kind of grime mix-tapes have inspired this CD? Has there been any DJs that have informed your selection and mixing style? Slimzee is a big reference point for a lot of Grime DJs.
When I started I was lacking inspiration from other Grime DJs if I'm honest, and that has fueled my motivation to get to this point I guess. Plastician had a CD on the Rinsessions tape pack that I loved, and that is the closest thing I can compare this to. Most other mixes are with an MC or a crew, or have other genres old and new mixed in. We kept it grime, 2011/2012. You will struggle to find anything else like that at the moment.
When we talked to Jackmaster about his Fabric mix he admitted he was very nerveous about putting a mix out there on such a pedestal and getting it scrutinized by so many. Do you feel similar?
To me it is a documentation of my first two years on Rinse. If we haven't entertained you at any point over the last two years and you don't like it, then that's fair. I see it is as for the people that have been entertained, staying up late to listen, downloading the podcasts and coming to the shows and generally supporting the label and its artists. It won't turn me into a high profile DJ, especially because I don't play across the board music. As long as those people who have been following enjoy it, I don't care to be honest. I wish I had a CD from certain eras of DJs I used to follow. Most of the admiration I have for my DJ peers is just based on memories of sitting indoors listening to them on radio or catching them in a rave. Having something them on my shelf alongside all my other musical heroes would be a beautiful thing. So many DJs from pirates in the last 15 years that have been forgotten because of the lack of documenting through CDs and no radio podcasts, even though they played vital roles in all the music scenes we have now developing.
And finally, what's your favourite mix of yours or Skilliam's on the CD?
From the beginning bit to the end.
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ELIJAH & SKILLIAM WEBSITE
BUTTERZ SHOP
BUTTERZ TUMBLR
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