When I was younger, my dad always used to buy the videos from Reggae Sunsplash and every time he went out, I remember getting those videos out and just watching them. You know what it is … the more I’m speaking about it, the more I’m remembering things. They always stuck with me and I think that’s why I’ve naturally gravitated towards those sounds in my career. “The tracks he was making were like … Soul II Soul influenced but house-y as well. “I think my dad was the reason why I got into house and garage but without realising”, he continues. That process … it just amazed me and it’s stuck with me ever since.” I watched him mix it and master it in front of me and I remember hearing it afterwards and it just sounded 10 times better. He started taking me to the studio with him too … I remember he’d make a track at home once and he took it to the studio, it was a place in Leeds at the Tetley’s Brewery. Back in the ‘90s, he had a track that went to #1 on the RnB charts, which was quite a big deal at the time. He had releases on vinyl and I think he was quite popular in Huddersfield and a bit further afield. When I was younger, he was heavily involved in producing in his band as well. “My dad was a musician and still makes music now actually. “They were into everything really, a proper mix of stuff … reggae, soul, RnB.” He credits his dad in particular - a member of 80s band, Harlem Gem (Q even makes an appearance at the 11 second mark in the music video below, in which his dad plays guitar) - with being a huge influence on his own musical tastes and interests. “I just remember listening to music with my parents a lot”, he says warmly. Born to parents of Ghanaian, Jamaican and Bajan heritage, his earliest memories of life growing up were all music related. It’s from Huddersfield, a large town in the north of England - close in proximity to Leeds and Bradford and slightly further afield, Sheffield and Doncaster - that Q has made his name. They used to run events but they’ve got their own building in Huddersfield too … they’ve got DJ rooms and studios, it’s like a proper music hub for the area man, it’s nice.” “I’ve just been trying to hone my craft and get better at what I do”, he says firmly quite a statement from a producer responsible for writing some of the country’s best and most memorable UKG records over the last 15 years. Like many DJs faced with the prospect of an uncertain time away from the DJ booth, Q has spent the best part of eight months locked away in the studio working on new music. “That’s it, I can hear you much better”, he says, calling back a couple of minutes later, “.right, I’m ready now.” From bassline to grime to garage, his impact can be felt everywhere, whether you realise it or not. A boundless influence on UK dance music for the best part of 15 years, his story is like a jigsaw - there are so many pieces that make up the bigger picture. “Can you hear me alright, the line sounds a bit fuzzy”, repeats DJ Q early on Friday evening, phone signal crackling in the foreground, “hello?…hold up, let me drive over to the other side of the car park, the reception here is awful.” Q is speaking to me from his car after taking a break on his drive home to Huddersfield, the town he was born in back in the mid ‘80s and where he still lives to this day. Grime has built up its league of legends for long enough, it’s time to get it bursting out of every living room stereo across the country.On Huddersfield, London, grime, garage, bassline, ‘You Wot!’, 1Xtra, working with Unknown To The Unknow, Local Action and more, tqd and feeling hungrier than ever nearly 20 years deep in the game. Mirroring the success of Rapper’s Delight, a visually spectacular ad is locked in for national TV, with a viral-lead online campaign to couple with it, taking advantage of the reach that not only Boy Better Know and Ministry has, but also the names that are connected to it. With a track list featuring Skepta, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, and the award winning Stormzy, the strength that backs this album is as big as the bars within it. Who better to firmly plant the genre that was born out of Garage itself, than Ministry of Sound. On the 12th February that hype will well and truly explode with this landmark release. There’s been no escaping the incredible year the genre had in 2015 with hype building on press reels, TV and cities around the globe. With a collective following of over 5 Million, Ministry of Sound and the Boy Better Know roster (including Sketpa, JME and Wiley) will be working all-out to create an unstoppable, unforgettable grime-wave with this 2CD compilation featuring the all-stars of the scene. Ministry of Sound presents the biggest names in the game with Grimetime, mixed by Boy Better Know’s very own DJ Maximum.
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