13 Grime Artists You Need to Know

If dance music is the music of the youth, you have to take stock in what the youth are listening to if you want to see how the scene will progress. In

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Complex Original

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If dance music is the music of the youth, you have to take stock in what the youth are listening to if you want to see how the scene will progress. In America, trap has a stranglehold on many EDM lovers, and in the UK (as it has been for a while now), grime seems to hold that same place. It could be that it's a spastic cousin to dubstep, with hyper synths and strigns weaving around huge drums and rapid-fire MC chatter. It could be that grime still hasn't found a way to stay within the mainstream, so it maintains an underground presence. It's a genre that's not going anywhere anytime soon... for good or ill.

Grime and trap have intertwined as of late, with U.S. imprints like Slit Jockey and Hot Mom USA signing artists and tracks that play well within the bass music pool. Even more known artists like Danny Brown have expressed appreciation for grime, signing instrumentals from grime producers for his forthcoming album, Old. And with grime artists being influenced by the same producers that influence the trap scene in EDM, it makes sense that you should at least become familiar with 13 of grime's rising stars.

DAD wants to should out DJ Cable and Spooky, who helped contribute to this list.

Teeza

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Teeza's one of those artists who gets a lot of love, even if you don't hear from him a lot. His Bounce EP from 2011 opened a lot of doors, including MistaJam giving the title track the distinction of being one of his "Jam Hot" tunes. Cable inked a release from Teeza in 2012 for his Triangulum imprint, but his biggest coup to date has to be having his banger "Rum & Coke" featured on Big Dada's explosive Grime 2.0 compilation.

Darq E Freaker

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You know how fresh Darq E Freaker is? He's one of the few dance music producers that'll be featured on Danny Brown's Old album. We first heard how well Danny rocked on grime tracks with "Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)" from 2012, but that's not the only place Darq E showed up. Aside from his tunes being in in heavy rotation on Rinse FM (among many of the legal and illegal signals), his infectious, unorthodox sounds have been crushing things for a bit, but getting in good with Danny Brown could help his 2013 stock rise that much higher.

Bloom

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When reputable institutions like FACT are declaring your debut single one of the best of that year, you're onto something. Bloom hails from Ireland and exploded onto the scene with "Quartz," which dropped on Mr. Mitch's Gobstopper imprint in 2012, and now this former r&b producers has a newfound group of fans, earning him releases on Visionist's Lost Codes label in May. He brings a fresh take on this sound, which makes sense considering that he's a true outsider to the scene.

Spooky

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Spooky's got that x-factor about his tunes; we're not sure if it's the tunes that he's throwing into his selections, or just how hypnotic his riddims are, but he's the ace in the whole. 2010 was the year he took off, with his "Spartan" tune blowing up, both as an in-demand instrumental for MCs to spit over, or being in-demand for remixing. He's not let up, with stints on 1Xtra as an Xtra Talent DJ, being featured on Grime 2.0, as well as his constant barrage of singles and EPs for everyone from Oil Gang and Hot Mom to No Hats No Hoods and his own Ghost House imprint. He seemingly has new heat every few weeks, and have been one of the go-to grime producers for that trap sound.

Faze Miyake

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Family Tree's Faze Miyake emerged on the scene with "Take Off" in 2011, and his career as a producer has done just that since. He's been in the playlists of DJs like Baauer, and recently scored a big single with Kozzie. You can recognize his sound, which is heavily drenched in a Southern U.S. style of hip-hop production, but maintains its UK edge. The biggest news, however, is that he's in line for a "Rinse Presents" disc, which will more than likely be an LP of sorts, showcasing some of his biggest original productions. He'd be following in the footsteps of producers like Royal-T, and this should blast his career into the stratosphere.

Moony

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Moony's not solely a grime producer, as he's recently released a house EP, and is known for making garage and dub, but his grime is otherworldly. He's also had figures like DJ Q bigging up his talents, and he's released a few projects on Mr. Mitch's Gobstopper label, including the Seven EP last fall. It doesn't matter if it's made for hyperactive MCs to rip or for more subtle, calm moods, Moony can do it all.

Flava D

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Flava D's "Hold On" received a 10/10 from Mixmag... how insane is that?! She's down with the Butterz crew, and has a knack for crafting high energy garage and grime, making her a lethal weapon. Even if you just follow her to get free tunes and fire mixes, you'll be more than satisfied.

Matt Wizard

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We're not sure where the term SUPERMEGAGRIME came from, but even a casual perusal of Matt Wizard's SoundCloud unlocks some truly forward-thinking instrumentals. Space feels like the place for Matt, and he drenches his riddims in the intoxicating waters of the Milky Way.

Masro

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Masro's been a name that has been crushing it over the last few years. His resume includes names like Wiley, Flow Dan, and SBTV, and 2012 was definitely the year that saw him gain some footing, with four releasing consistently upping the ante. He's gearing up for his Cone Shakin' EP, which is due out on July 1, which will be released on his own Money Notes label.

Trends

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Moving from drum & bass to grime, Trends took a lot of influence from the old school grime days, leading to Spooky and Royal-T immediately taking a liking to his music. He's since remixed J-Sweet's "Kerb," and has started his own imprint, Mean Streets, which will drop its first release this month.

Mr. Mitch

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Mr. Mitch has been on our radar for the last year, but his Gobstopper imprint has been in effect since 2010. 2012 seems like the year he exploded, with Slit Jockey releasing his Mind Machine EP, followed up by a single on Hot Mom USA earlier this year. He has also caught the ear of Fool's Gold, Butterz, and Mixpak, highlighting how he can crush the bass music scene but not necessarily stay with the same sound. Just listen to cuts like "Catford" and see how awesomely leftfield he can bring it:

K1

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K1 is an intriguing producer, as he's obviously making grime, but many hear a dubstep flair in the way he spaces his tunes out. Whatever you want to call it, he's definitely got a hypnotic vibe to his work, and in linking up with acts like Spooky, he's set to continue on this path.

J Beatz

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Like many on this list, J Beatz has spent some time honing his craft, and now, after putting in work with Kano, Devlin, and Badness, as well as having his tunes rinsed on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, he's truly getting his time in the sun. He's recently dropped his Quality Control EP on Slit Jockey, and is another alumnus of the Grime 2.0 compilation on Big Dada. He's got his own label, Crown Jules, on the horizon, and with the string of good fortune, he should be in the front of everyone's playlists in no time.

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