This weekend, the crew celebrates a decade of dub and bass by bringing back one of its earliest guest DJs, Joe Nice, who is known as a pioneer of dubstep in the United States, along with U.K. dubstep DJ Seven. We caught up with members Subtek, 100 Spokes, Emcee Child, and Supa to reflect on a decade of parties, the Bay Area's dubstep history, and what's next for Grime City.
The party takes place this Saturday, June 6, at F8 with the Surya Dub crew as support in room two. Current active members are Emcee Child, Supa, 100 Spokes, Sublo, Subtek, and Dubsworth. Past members have been Megatron, The One, DJ Collage, Cyan, Enzyme, Ax!om, Munk, and Entitee.
What styles of music are represented at a Grime City party?
Subtek (SB): Grime, Dubstep, UKG, EBM, and some Techno and other 4x4 experimental type stuff.
Grime City started 10 years ago. What was the first party like?
(SB): It was at Nickies BBQ on Haight Street. About 20 people showed up. I think Kid Kameleon and Audio Angel headlined. We played grime!
What was the Bay Area dubstep scene like then, versus now?
(SB): There was no dubstep scene back then. It was just a handful of DJs pushing the new sounds. 100 Spokes and I had been doing Safe with Mikebee (Vinyl Dreams) at The Top for a couple of years as 2-step transitioned into grime and dubstep. Mikebee wanted to keep the party more 2-step and broken beat focused, so we started looking for other ways to play grime in the city. 100 Spokes had the Get Low monthlies with her crew and we started playing early grime there. We eventually started a UKG and Grime focused night called The Choon Up with Kid Kameleon, DJ Ripley, and Robynn. That's where I met Megatron, Emcee Child, and The One. Choon Up lasted a few months but never had momentum. We decided to try an all-grime night and became B.I.G. Crew with Megatron, The One, Emcee Child, 100 Spokes and myself. We pushed it hard and each month was better than the last. We booked Joe Nice a few months into the run. I'm pretty sure he flew himself out here and slept on Child's couch. The night Joe Nice played Grime City was when the dubstep scene started in S.F.
100 Spokes (100): Dubstep didn't exist. Our crew and this scene came together via shared interest in the underground U.K. sounds emerging out of the UKG and 2-step movements. I think most of us spent a lot of time at the legendary SFDNB event Eklektic. Drawing on their mix of U.K. in a one room and hip-hop in the other we wanted to integrate the styles. We only had one room, so our DJs were forced to mix the tracks together. It was great. We got creative using hip-hop tracks that mixed with UKG tempos. When similar hybrid sounds such as trap took off, it was like, of course, that's what we've been doing.
Supa (S): Now there doesn't seem to be a dubstep scene. Dubstep seems to be played alongside almost every other genre now. There is no dedicated night for it like drum 'n' bass. The roots of dubstep like UKG and Grime are being appreciated by a new generation and mixed alongside house and techno.
What has been your favorite memory of Grime City thus far?
(SB): Birthday cakes!
Emcee Child (EC): Oh my days … too many good times! The enthusiasm of the crowd that comes out … so much niceness. Probably my favorite party was Joe Nice at Anu Bar (now OMG). Joe Nice has a thing on his radio show Gourmet Beats. If you want to hear the tune again you say "5 for the rewind." People came prepared with giant "5" signs! The venue was rammed front to back. No one was standing still. Pure smiles, skanking, and reloads ... and a couple of sing-alongs too! Pure quality.
What should people not do at a Grime City party?
(SB): Show up late or leave early!
(EC): Bring any ego or harshness. In spite of bare screwfaces there's nothing but niceness in the dance. Be prepared to forget yourself, get stupid, dance your ass off, and make a lot of noise.
How did you guys choose the headliners Joe Nice and Seven for this anniversary?
(SB): Joe Nice was our first out of town headliner and he's always been our biggest. He is one of the only people outside of the U.K. with pure, heavy, rare dubplates. He only plays dubplates and each set is a real treat. No one else is still doing it like that.
(S): We also chose Seven because he makes deeper spacious dubstep tracks that carry so much bass weight. He is a good pal and he happened to be on tour so it worked out. We also wanted to host a second room so we asked the Surya Dub crew to program room two. Kush from Surya is premiering his new project "Only Now" as well. The 10-year is a true snapshot of classic S.F. bass music crews throwing a big party like we used to and just have fun and make people dance. F8 is a perfect venue for our party. It's the best midsize venue in S.F. with great sound and an amazing staff. They have been hosting us since we started throwing parties again last year. We are really excited and people can expect a great night out.
Share with us a track you're gonna play this Saturday.
(EC): Too many, but we hope to hear "Knowledge" by Toasty. Also Tempz's "Next Hype." And am hoping Joe Nice brings "DMZ versus MZN." A super rare DMZ-produced special. All classic vibes.
What direction do you guys want to see Grime City go in the next few years?
(100): Keep supporting new global sounds rooted in U.K. system culture.
(S): Defiantly pushing new sounds that need to be heard.
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