WOEBOT

I've been ever so slightly embarassed by the Blissblogger's evaluation of me as an optimist and consequently feel duty bound to address some of his points about the state of Grime. See, when it comes to sensing a sea-change, be it a dip in energy or a subtle curdling of atmosphere one has to give Simon props. He's got it right time and again. Also, if one accepts the accepted model of the "Ardkore Continuum" as it stands, refuting the demise of Grime is almost like denying the existence of entropy. The rule of thumb seems to be that any musical development along the Pirate Radio axis, has a maximum of four years at the cultural cutting-edge before lapsing into formulaic patterns and micro-historical repetitions (like Jungle's vacillations between the tropes of Happy, Jazzy and Dark, or Techno's endless re-repeats of Acid). However, let us not forget that some generic formats have ended up, not as straight-jackets but canvases, spaces within which possibilities seem ever-present, but not suffocatingly multiplicitous. Hip-Hop for instance. Or Dancehall.

When Simon bemons the scene as being "like an endless fuck with no climax", I can't help but reflect that I'd *never* imagined that Grime would blow up. I can't imagine a world in which, in its current form, that it would ever reach beyond, er, London. I've always been totally comfortable with it being "a permament underground" (more or less as Martin points out). This is not to say that I haven't relished "Pow" and Dizzee's success. As for Simon's assertion that its energy and quality is tied up with its "explosive, hungry-to-conquer, extroversion", well there's no denying that that's one of the things that separates it from UK Rap. That it threatens to be "another UKrap scene on the top of the one we already got" is a scenario which I most dread. I've noticed Logan Sama taking a pretty much an identical stance to me here, hoarsely calling for out distinction between the scenes. However I've always believed that Grime's essential form *is* (like Hip-Hop and Dancehall's) flexible, permeable, and changeable. It fundamentally differs from UK Hip-Hop, because American music is irrelevant to it, and this is what will lead it to prosper.

I've been moaning as much as anyone about the dearth of good releases, but, all told, the tracks compiled here in tandem with my earlier snapshot of the scene this year point conclusively to a scene which even though it is treading water, and coping with the diminishing horizon of expectations, is producing powerful music. Danny Weed is going from strength to strength, Trim has emerged as a force to be reckoned with on vinyl, producers P-Jam and Statik have made an impression, SLK are proving to be no one-hit wonders, the Essentials' Young Dot and DJ Eastwood (who produced the Sick Sense Crew track) have emerged as new talent and Wiley's still cutting it as an MC and a producer. For all the creative low-points: Ruff Sqwad dropping the ball with "Cuckoo", Terrah Danjah falling out of view, Bruza failing to deliver anything to match his early promise, there are still other Ruff Sqwad tunes where they've worked wonders, and Aim High Vol.3 and the Newham Generals LP in the pipeline. Optimist it is.