As a pioneer of the jungle drum ‘n’ bass movement that emerged from the UK in the ’90s, Goldie’s output and 25-year reign (and counting) reflect a continued respect and admiration for the genre as one that has constantly evolved in a wide range of styles and dance floors touched across the globe.
Specifically in Miami, drum ‘n’ bass lineups continue to play in nightclubs and raves, and Goldie’s discovery of drum ‘n’ bass continues to inspire the city’s underground movement scene. He will perform in Miami on Saturday, October 15th at 1-800-Lucky for a rare appearance following his 2011 set at Electric Pickle’s second anniversary.
With a smile full of gold, Clifford Joseph Price MBE (British for “Most Excellence of the British Empire”), AKA DJ Goldie, returns to the roots he established in Miami before moving to London and catalyzing the peak of drum ‘n popularity bass. Goldie recalls in his first-person autobiography in Resident Advisor: “Hip-hop allowed me to express myself artistically for the first time. Making graffiti art taught me how to make something out of nothing and involved me in music scene … In ’86, I moved to Miami and started a business selling engraved gold teeth. In 1990, I was on the move again, to London, where something very special was about to begin.”
That “very special” thing would become the discovery of the UK jungle, drum ‘n’ bass and hardcore scenes in the 1990s – elevating the genre to a place of respectability with the creation of the Metalheadz record label, co-founded by Goldie and the duo Kemistry & Storm in 1994. A turn-of-the-century form of the British Invasion, it became the soundtrack to ’90s nightlife – soaring to a hypnotic, sped-up, repetitive beat with a smattering of influences from Caribbean reggae to audio samples from horror media, AKA “Darkcore”.
The introduction of sampling and electronic manipulation took drum ‘n’ bass away from its origins in the 70s era of dancehall and jungle reggae songs originating from Kingston. However, he managed to incorporate a distinct homage to the island’s landscapes through the continuing influence of Jamaican sound system culture and DJs playing at the city’s all-night raves. For Goldie, his mixed Jamaican and Scottish ancestry would shape an upbringing in the West of England into one that brought traces of the Caribbean to London nightclubs that were transitioning from the slow rhythm of funk and reggae to the fast-paced music. electronic.
The turn of the millennium was upon us and with the arrival of drum ‘n’ bass in the UK as the soundtrack of the decade, the 90s surged ahead, introducing a futuristic ambience through a fast-paced beat and an ever-increasing introduction of diverse black and brown DJs and ravers for the previously dominant white suburban crowds. The idea that “the jungle” was meant for the suburbs of London and the English countryside where the Windrush generation of Caribbean immigrants arrived in the UK from 1948 to 1971 is long gone to work as manual labourers, cleaners, drivers and nurses for help in filling. post-war labor shortage.
Jayne Conneely, AKA DJ Storm, explained Vice This phenom after inviting Goldie to watch the scene unfold at Rage, a party at the London nightclub Heaven: “He was almost standing still, he wouldn’t even go down to listen to Groove and Fabio. We got to house and we asked him what was going on. further, and he said he didn’t understand – there were white people, black people, Chinese people all in one place, and we realized, ‘he’s lost the summer of love’ – in Miami where he had lived everything was still so secluded, he thought something was going to work. We persuaded him to come again and see Fabio and Grooverider. So he came the next week, saw them, and had the same feeling we had .”
From then on, drum ‘n’ bass would be in a symbiotic relationship with Goldie as he influenced his growing popularity and presence in rave culture and underground music, both in the UK and in countries around the world. As a touchstone for Goldie’s influence, Miami continues to be seen through digital promotion and the presence of drum ‘n’ bass artist collectives and rave scenes throughout the city.
Goldie’s return to Miami’s physical jungle on Saturday, October 15th at 1-800-Lucky is sure to be an important, nostalgic return or new introduction to the parent and purveyor of drum ‘n’ bass.
Goldie and DJ Craze. With SomeJerk, Jan Anthony and others. 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at 1-800-Lucky, 143 NW 23rd St., Miami; 305-768-9826, 1800lucky.com. Tickets are $30 to $40 through ra.co.
