I LUV U BOW E3 PT1 :: BACKGROUND

Current mood: ARE YOU LOCAL???
Category: ARE YOU LOCAL??? Music

For those of you unfamiliar with the fine detail of East London geography, Bow E3 is a district of London that sits betwixt Whietchapel to the west and Stratford to the east, and the River Thames to the south and Hackney to the north …

On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about the area:

It was heavily bombed in the 2nd World War - it's now mostly rebuilt and (until recently) was almost completely ignorable to all except it's residents..

But nowadays, parts of Bow E3 are on the up 'n up:

Yes boss, the 2012 Olympics are set to transform the former industrial heartland on it's eastern fringe into a wúnder yuppie neo-sports park.

Meanwhile it's population is changing from the 'poor with no-where else cheap enough' to the art and New Media overspill, from the pricier and more central areas of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Whitechapel...

More important than any of this wet carp, is the fact that Bow is home to both the Fish Island HQ of Paul Giovanni £rd AND the source and stream of Grime music that produced the tracks Bow E3 by Wiley and I Luv You by Dizzee Rascal on Casa Hasa Giovanna Episode 3

Grime

Described by Wikipedia as being 'typified by sparse and minimalist 2-step breakbeats, generally around 130-145 beats per minute. The lyrics and music combine futuristic electronic elements; and dark, guttural, growling bass lines.' Grime is the only decent claim the UK can have to it's own Hip Hop sound.

Yes boss, whereas most UK Hip Hop is a complete fucking joke copy of it's US Big Dadda, Grime AKA Eskibeat has something else about it. It's fresher, rougher and more angular. It's an evolution of garage and drum 'n' bass mixed with rave and traditional African rhythms, mixed with pain and life in and around Bow E3..

It's a sound that's development is ongoing...

Presently the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Lethal Bizzle are moving the scene onto a more indie and pop footing, whilst the underground scene continues to develop and crossover with genres like dubstep and whatever the hell sound is coming next..

Eski E3

Bow E3 by Wiley is part ode to Bow E3, and part side swipe at his former musical partner Dizzee Rascal..

Yes boss, for reasons only really known to Rascal and Wiley, the two main names of Grime no longer appear to get on and their last LPs (released the exact same day last year) contain a generous slab of mutual sledging...

Wiley takes just such a stab at Rascal in Bow E3 and it's rumoured that Pussyhole is Rascals rather unclassy repost..

My Bow E3

I could now go into some bummy old crap about how I'm down with the kids and know the Grime scene that's flourishing right here in my locale - but the truth is I know very little about it..

The large estates - the E3 that's spawned Grime, is visible from my Fish Island balcony and I wander in and around those places as and when the need goes - but that's a different world to the tired old brick built industry and New Media Prison Ghetto's of Fish Island..

When I wander down Wiley's way (as I'm about to do now) I'm normally looking for fashion tips, old furniture on the street, cut price hats and romper suits. I'm looking for peculiar faces, beer, wine, fruit and veg deals. I'm visiting the library, going to the bank, market and post office - or just cutting through to get somewhere else many miles away...

Yes boss, the real and settled community that Wiley & Rascal know and describe throughout their work is almost irrelevant to my days. Though I can see and feel it to some extent, I don't directly relate or interact with any of it because I don't have too…

And this is one of the things I really love about London and cities in general.

I love the worlds within worlds - the mixed up priorities, the mixed up everything,. I love the brutal contrasts and the lives all so very different that take place within the same postcode of each square mile of sweaty smelly city...

Which brings me neatly on to

I LUV U BOW E3 PT2 :: WORLDS COLLIDE

(which'll follow shortly…)

Currently listening : Playtime Is Over By Wiley Release date: By 18 September, 2007

08:14 - 14 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Treacle	The grime I've heard just sounded like noise to me. I'll have a looksie at this... Did you invest in a footed pajama yet? Posted by Treacle on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 13:57 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Some of the stuff I've heard is pretty relentless and brutal, but there's a softer side there as well.. There's a track called Avenue by Roll Deep that's pure pop heaven and should have been a Number 1... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 15:42 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Oh and yes, I have 3 romper suits. I'm wearing one of them now... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 15:43 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	For that matter, I'm considering incinerating my entire wardrobe in favour of one composed exclusively of Romper Suits... ROMPER SUITS ARE THE QUITE CLEARLY THE WAY FORWARD!!! Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 17:17 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	La Paloma, the Queen of Infinity	NO FUCKING WAY. What happened to the socks and sandals get-up? I hated that too, but not as much as these zip up nightmares! Posted by La Paloma, the Queen of Infinity on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 17:34 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Socks 'n sandals was SOOOOOO 2007.... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 17:41 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	simon	Ah and you don't even mention the glories of the Roman road where I used to flog fall-apart shoes on the cheap when I was much younger, it was chock full of characters and low level menace if you did the wrong thing by someone and big bungs for the Toby to let us on as casuals! That and the old Lesney's Matchbox toy factory that made all those great toy cars!!! Posted by simon on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 14:07 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Roman Road Market is still very good for 'seconds' clothes - on a Saturday in particular.. There's one guy there now who's a complete sales artist. I'm gonna shoot some video of him and put it up just as soon as I sort a video camera out.. I found that Matchbox Toys factory just about 3 weeks ago. It's still operational as a factory - though I guess it no longer makes the cars... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 15:47 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Clinker	Grime is fading away now. Most of its originators are moving on due to a lack of success and are dishing out a new thing called Funky House. It's a shame its died on its arse due to public apathy. Posted by Clinker on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 14:30 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I'd imagine these folk want to get paid and the way it looks, very few who've been working with Grime have made anything much to write home about... The first most people knew about Grime was Dizzee Rascal. I remember the stickers appearring everywhere around Whitechapel for I Luv U and then I heard kids in Victoria Park playing (what I later discovered to be) that track on loop for a coupla hours. Then there was The Mercury prize and Mr Rascal lifted off. Wileys first record was out on XL and there's some decent stuff on it 'Goin Mad' would be my favourite I think the problem with Grime by itself, is it's a touch too intense and dark to be BIG pop and to therefore make anyone too much money.. I don't see it as dead though - I reckon it's evolving and softening and I expect to hear the backbone of it going on for some considerable time... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 15:58 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Clinker	In years to come, people will see what they've missed. I've heard some good and bad grime, but it is relevent. Shame it's sheen has lost its lustre, by artists turning their back on it. I'm sure some will plug away at it for a while yet, even though some have turned their back on it. Posted by Clinker on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 18:59 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I'm sure they will.... And I do think it's best days are ahead... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 19:18 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Hotman Paris Stephen	i luv u is a filthy good track... shame about his more recent stuff tho... the older stuff of dizzee was great. Posted by Hotman Paris Stephen on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 23:32 [Remove] [Reply to this]

: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :

I think that first LP is an Olympic swimming pool size better than anything that Dizzee's done since... It wasn't anywhwre near perfect, but showed so much promise... I felt sure Mr Rascal'd be tearing the world up by LP 3 - not writing crap like Pussyhole and swanning about with nobodies like The Arctic Monkeys... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 23:38 [Remove] [Reply to this]