FADER Mix: DJ Slimzee

It's about time to crown me / Crown Slimzee / He's the one who found me, rapped grime legend Wiley on "Us Against The World," one of the many tracks he famously leaked in his zip file giveaway in 2010. The guy he wants to crown is his former fellow Pay As U Go Cartel crew member, DJ Slimzee—also one of the founding DJs at the now-legal pirate radio station Rinse FM. After a period out of the limelight, Slimzee's recently started to receive some much-deserved shine for his part in the rise of grime in the UK capital. As well as a regular show on London's NTS Radio, he's been touring hard—including a spate in the States—and even found himself on the other side of the vinyl when NYC producers Jubilee and Star Eyes turned his Rinse radio shouts into a banger. For his FADER Mix, however, Slimzee went back to his UK garage roots and the result is the finest selection of skippy summer jams to keep you going all night long. Dive in below, and scroll down to scope the vintage tracklist and find out why Slimzee thinks grime is finally catching on overseas.

Where are you right now? Describe your surroundings. I’m just at my dad’s house in Essex, out in the garden. There’s trees, flowers, it’s countryside round here.

What vibe were you going for with your FADER Mix? Just like proper, original garage, rare ones you don’t hear a lot. Tunes that are personal to me, tunes I used to play years ago in my bedroom before grime got big and that.

When were all the UK garage records in your mix made, and could you tell us a bit about your favorite? They’re all like '95, '96, ’97. Some of them are US as well, I don’t think they’re all UK. My favorite one’s that Kenlou one, I started with that 'cos it’s a bit hard to mix, ha. I got that from Rhythm Division [legendary record store in Bow, East London] when I was a kid, about 15 or 16.

What's the relationship between grime and UK garage in your eyes (or ears)? The speed ain't too far apart really, a lot of grime used to use garage samples. It’s similar, innit? Grime came from the dark side of garage but it’s gone its own way now. Garage had more vocals, it was for the girls, know what I mean?

While grime and garage never seemed to make a dent in the US first time around, it feels like people are starting to lock in. Why do you think that is? It’s getting worldwide now, innit? We used to go and play abroad back in the day, like Japan and that, but it weren’t really getting big out there. Now it’s all round the world, it’s got a lot to do with the internet I think. Before when it was pirate radio you could only listen if you were in London, but now people are listening on the internet all round the world. Berlin, everywhere.

What's the last book you read that had a big impact on you and how? Book? I read Juice Magazine about ten years ago, ha. I don’t really read books. Last thing I read was in school. Mr. Twits, remember that? Or Funnybones, ah it was years ago. I ain’t read a book for years. Apparently I’m in a book though, J Cush [Lit City Trax, New York] has got it.

And finally, what's your favorite dish to cook and how do you make it? I like spaghetti bolognese really, put mushrooms in it and loads of sauce, ha.

Tracklist:
Kenlou - Gimme Groove 
Barbara Tucker - Stay Together 
95 North - Let Yourself Go 
Testify (Tuff Jam mix) 
Magic (Kenny Dope mix) 
Underground Solution - Tonight 
Sweet Chariot (Tuff Jam mix) 
Smokin Beats - ???? 
Baffled - Going On 
Groove Chronicles - Stone Cold 
Nice n Ripe - ???????? 
Masterstepz - Melody 
Ice Cream Recs - ??????? 
R U Sleeping (Bump & Flex mix) 
Smoking Beats - Dreams 
Tuff Jam - Just Gets Better