Dazed Mix: Slimzee

Slimzee is grime’s original godfather DJ. A key fixture in the scene at the turn of the millennium, he was the DJ of choice for names like Wiley, Dizzee Rascal and Pay As U Go – the crew that the former were both a part of – and with the music so fluid and rapidly developing at the time, he quickly built a collection of records that have remained the envy of his peers for the best part of 15 years.

His legendary status hasn’t been lost on the younger generation either, although his sets are now punctuated by the sounds of grime’s new school – a facet of his return to the scene in 2014 that has also led him to re-boot his once prolific Slimzos label (watch this space) and recently rejoin Rinse FM, with whom he was a prominent figure during the mid 00s.

In his new warm-up mix for Field Day, which takes place in Victoria Park this weekend, he turns the screw right from the off, chopping up exclusives, forthcoming label material and one-off dubs with sniper-like precision, in a 60-minute barrage worthy of whipping any festival crowd into shape.

Alongside the mix, we caught up with him over WhatsApp too, grabbing an insight into his year so far and who he else he’s looking forward to checking out at Field Day.

How has 2016 treated you so far?

Slimzee: Yeah, all good thanks. I’ve had some nice bookings and worked with Wiley again, as well as being back on Rinse FM. I’ve been collecting them dubplates too!

Have you got anything else planned with Wiley going forward?

Slimzee: We’ve got a few shows together. We play Dour Festival and at Ibiza Rocks this summer, plus a few more as well.

You played a live set with him on Rinse recently too didn’t you? Can we expect more of those?

Slimzee: Hopefully! We just think about it and then normally do it on the day, so maybe we’ll do it again soon, but this time with some guests.

“I’ve had some nice bookings and worked with Wiley again, as well as being back on Rinse FM. I’ve been collecting them dubplates too!” — Slimzee

You seem like you’re really enjoying being back on Rinse. Who have been your favourite guests so far?

Slimzee: I’ve had Riko, Mez, and Novelist so far, but I just did a dub-for-dub show on Tuesday night with Sir Spyro, with P Money and OGz on mic. That was a mental show!

Is there anyone else you’d be wary of going dub-for-dub with?

Slimzee: No one else really stands out, ha.

We’ve also heard you’re going to be relaunching your Slimzos label. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

Slimzee: Yeah, it’s been a long time in the making. Me and Geeneus are bringing it back very soon with some bangers for everyone who’s been listening to my sets.

Any clues as to who is in control of the first release?

Slimzee: I think everyone knows who it is, but I’ve been playing it for the past year.