Roll Deep are an institution of the UK dance underground, with a decade-long history as pioneers at the forefront of radical hip hop and grime. But they’re no museum piece with a venerable past and a dim future. On the contrary: artistically they are on top form, and commercially they have never been hotter, with two number 1 singles in 2010 alone that meant that, cumulatively, they occupied the chart’s pole position for longer than any other act that year.
They’re not just an institution, they’re a corporation, and as such they have employed some of the biggest names in the business: Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Skepta, to cite just three key characters, have all passed through their ranks, almost as a grime rite of passage, while Wiley, unarguable inventor of the genre, remains a shadowy totemic figure, RD’s mysterious guiding force. FlowDan, one of Roll Deep’s founders, calls them “a brandâ€. To Breeze they’re a “tight-knit familyâ€. Manga jokes that being in RD is like spending time “in a training camp†or “like going to university - you get thrown in at the deep end but it’s a great place to trainâ€.
The RD collective of singers, musicians, producers and MCs, which usually contains no fewer than 10 members and sometimes more than a dozen, has dominated the scene since forming in London’s East End in 2002. Their 2005 debut album, In At The Deep End, contained two top 40 hits, and the 2007 follow-up, Rules and Regulations, was praised by the Observer newspaper for its “dizzying variety and [the] remorseless assault of the 13-strong group's spitfire versesâ€. Return Of The Big Money Sound (2008) was a further showcase for their talents while 2009’s Street Anthems offered a précis of the group’s efforts to date. Most recently, Winner Stays On (2010) was the one that saw them, via those two number 1 singles Good Times (featuring Jodie Connor) and Green Light, as well as third top 40 entry Take Control (with Alesha Dixon on vocals), reach beyond their hardcore grime fanbase with a sparkling collection of tunes that won them a large pop audience.
FlowDan, even when he and Wiley were 14-year-olds into drum’n’bass and jungle, always knew he wanted to be in a dance outfit, even if, when he and Wiley finally did form the group, they would remain a fluid proposition ahead of the coining of the term “grime†to describe the new wave of post-garage/drum’n’bass music coming out of London’s clubs.
“He [Wiley] didn’t say, ‘We’re going to make a whole new sound’, he just wanted to make music that was cool to him,†explains FlowDan.
Brazen became a member via his brother Breeze, who had been part of the collective “since early doorsâ€. “I grew up watching Roll Deep perform and hearing them on rave radio before properly joining when I was 16, just before In At The Deep End came out,†he recalls.
When asked whether Roll Deep have reflected the ever-changing styles of the fast-moving dance underground over the years, FlowDan replies: “No, we’ve helped bring about those changesâ€, adding that, “We don’t focus on what’s going on out there so much as create our own cool sound.â€
Manga highlights the “major role†that Roll Deep are currently playing in the establishment of a distinctly British urban sound, one not influenced, for once, by developments in the States. In fact, perhaps for the first time ever “a lot of American artists are jumping on†this uniquely UK sound.
Roll Deep have made a habit of adapting to survive, and their latest evolution has seen the addition, alongside FlowDan, Brazen, Manga, J2k, Target, Scratchy and DJ Karnage, of singer Tania, whose father was in Britfunk band Second Image and who was drafted in to sing on Green Light. She is now a permanent fixture.
“She represents the evolution of the group and has given us a fresh outlook,†says FlowDan, who admits that with her on-board Roll Deep have a new commercial impetus. “We always had a passion for the music,†he says, “but not for whether it would sell - we didn’t care. Now we’re in a different position. It has definitely changed Roll Deep, but we had to change otherwise we’d still be making the same music and we probably wouldn’t be here now.â€
This readiness to evolve has meant that Roll Deep can boast, says Tania, “new young fans as well as old school ones.â€
For their forthcoming studio album, as yet untitled, a new lineup has meant new methods, with members breaking off, at a studio in Brick Lane, into micro-units of two or three to write the songs.
“It doesn’t work that way, because I sing the song, I’ve written it,†explains Tania. “They [the others] aren't just MCs and rappers, they’re completely on the music side. Sometimes they sing parts to me and they’re wicked!â€
Using a variety of producers - some part of their regular team, others new faces - Roll Deep have amassed a collection of songs designed to broaden their audience even further. And with so many members, they are able to operate as their own market research squad, out and about in clubs, listening to the latest music. They can’t fail to produce tunes that appeal to all sectors and pop demographics.
“That’s what has made Roll Deep Roll Deep,†says FlowDan, who agrees that the new RD album will be as varied as a mixtape or an iTunes Playlist. “We don’t have one definitive sound, and we’ve always evolved, because we come from different backgrounds and have vast interests in music that can’t help influencing our sound.â€
Album tracks that represent this eclectic approach include One More Drink, which features ravey synths and is, like everything on the record, supremely infectious and could easily be lifted off as a single. Your True Colours is the one that quotes from Cyndi Lauper’s 80s ballad True Colours. Everybody Reach Up, soon to be available as a free download, evokes classic 90s house. The first single proper, Picture Perfect, reverberates with the sound of dubstep wobble-bass. And Night Like This and Shake The Room are superlative modern dance productions that will doubtless be lapped up by Roll Deep’s legions of young fans while simultaneously appeasing diehards who love RD’s darker elements.
“You should see our fans!†laughs Tania. “They buy Manga Maltesers, and one girl makes comic books, draws pictures of us and makes me bracelets.â€
Just as Roll Deep’s music is diverse, so is their audience, with each member accruing their own fanclub.
“I get guys in tracksuits like me - misfits!†jokes FlowDan, to much hilarity from the rest.
Grins Tania, “Manga gets the girls: ‘Oh, you’re so cute, Manga!’ And Breeze gets the little girls’ older sisters.â€
There’s a serious point here about Roll Deep’s unerring ability to keep moving, evolving, progressing. They’ve only managed to draw this new crowd by being astute and aware of developments in the ever-changing world of dance.
“A lot of the younger generation may not even know about our last 10 years,†says Breeze. “They hear our new single and they think we’re a new group. But that’s better than having loads of baggage and being considered part of the past. Far from it. They think we’re brand new.â€
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