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20 years after Ofcom waged war on the stations that played grime, BBC4 has aired a documentary digging deep into and celebrating the history of the sound.
The new film, released as part of BBC’s Storyville series, was directed by renowned photographer Ewen Spencer, who was on the ground taking some of grime’s most iconic photographs in those earliest days. It has no narrator, instead telling its stories through footage captured at the time and talking heads pieces from the MCs, DJs and producers who made it happen, including DJ Target, Lethal Bizzle, Jon E Cash, Geeneus, Dizzee Rascal and more.
Taking the viewer from the pre-grime days of jungle and garage, through the pioneering days of pirate radio and Channel U and the beginnings of grime’s resurgence in the mid-2010s, it captures a lot of moments that defined not just the sound of grime, but the style and DIY approach that made it happen.
You can watch 8 Bar: The Evolution Of Grime in full here.
