During 2000-2002, a brief but influential window opened in urban music. Drum & bass began moving out of its London heartland and UK garage started to implode under the weight of commercial expectation. Between these forces one man, Lewis Beadle aka El-B, assembled a production crew in Streatham, south London, whose influence was to be felt for the rest of the decade.
The Ghost Camp took a little from both scenes – the bassy masculine edge from drum & bass and the sexy feminine swing from UKG – and made a new mutation, later to be named dubstep.
The roots of dubstep were sown in a shed at the end of a winding garden path in Streatham. Paid for by the funds of a failed album deal, overgrown with blackberry bushes and built by hand by the crew themselves, the shed contained Ghost studios, where during the night hours, El-B and the camp built a sound all of their own. Edgier than UK garage but sexier than the cold onslaught drum & bass was moving into, the Ghost sound was unique. “I try and marry the beautiful with the ugly,” explained El-B in an interview at the time.
The Ghost Camp consisted of several members: producers Roxy, Blaze, Nude and Es-G, DJ Jay Da Flex and MCs Juiceman and Rolla. Yet at the crew’s core sat El-B’s incredible production talents and signature sound. Having rolled on the edge of the Metalheadz camp as a teenager, never getting a “let in”, he’d gained fame in UK garage as one half of peerless UK garage outfit Groove Chronicles. Out of the ashes of this partnership grew El-B’s signature sound of pinpoint woodblock snares, ghostly edgy textures, clipped minimal tracks with fragmented R&B vocals and dark bass combined with a little black secret technology: the dark art of swing. “We’re just doing tings different. Just a little more ahead of it’s time,” he said at the time. “It’s not really 100% garage. I dunno man, we’re going too deep: what do you call it? It’s just a UK sound.”
The effect of this sound was apparent, as producer after local producer, from Skream to Kode9, Slaughter Mob and later Burial, became influenced by it. Eight years later, as dubstep blossoms into an international phenomenon, it remains peerless. Burial, undoubtedly the genre’s largest act, was quick to pay homage to El-B’s indivisible sense of rhythm in interviews. “The thing about those drums: they’re still the future” he insisted before his first album. “It’s not a lost art – people still don’t know how to do those drums. It’s an unknown thing. It’s like the last fucking secret left in music: how you do those drums. I’ve tried…”
For his part El-B was a self confessed beat freak: “I’m a rhythm man, a beat man, that’s what I’ve always done best… you’ve got to be able to strip away the song and see what’s good underneath.” Yet there was far more to the Ghost sound than the black art of swing and beat science. In essence they brought the edgy darkside to garage, years before grime’s anger or DJ Narrow’s 4x4 assault. “Personally I’d like to see the garage scene stay light and funky like it used to be, like gospel-y vocal style,” said El-B in interview at the time. “But it’s not going to stay like that so we might as well be known for doing the Dillinja equivalent.”
Yet to classify Ghost as simply dark is a clumsy simplification. There’s an edge, a tension brought about by the juxtaposition of opposites, be it the high sweet vocals in “Serious” with the low sub bass, or the use of sweet chords inherited from New York garage but played in ghostly, off-dissonant modes. There was a sense of space too, reminiscent of dub, that was markedly different to the sounds that surrounded the crew. “The best thing is to keep the song but put the most devilish backing track so you still have the two working together. The hard and the nice,” he explained in interview at the time with Kode9.
At the time Ghost were at their peak – arguably circa 2000-02 – garage was undergoing a rapid transformation. To begin with a glorious tempo plateau emerged where pretty much anything went, from traditional 4x4 US garage of Todd Edwards to Zinc’s breakbeat garage of “138 Trek.” Timo Maas’s raw “Dooms Night” house anthem got mixed into 2step, dark 4x4 or the proto grime of So Solid and Pay As U Go. But by the end of 2002 the major labels found their hands burnt by the flames of their own chequebooks and large deals for underground acts began to dry up and the scene imploded, fragmenting into three pieces: traditional garage, early dubstep and proto-grime.
“The Roots of El-B” is the first retrospective to pull together all the ultra rare white labels, lost remixes and dusty DAT tapes, to preserve for posterity the output of this transient but seminal collective.
Digital
El-B Lyrics
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Jam kerja bebas gak ada yang suka ngatur
Beli saham Tesla, dibiarkan berkembang
Tumbuh terus kayak pohon jangan ditebang
Jaman sekarang belanja bisa dimana aja
Beli barang di internet semuanya ada
Dari pensil, mobil sampe ke rumah
Langsung gesek kartu tak lihat jumlah
Menghancurkan populasi umat manusia
Kenapa ini gak selesai-selesai
Vaksin bikin antibodi jadi perisai
Kenapa masih banyak yang gak percaya
Yang gak divaksin kena langsung gak berdaya
Foto pake masker buat bergaya
Doa terus buat dunia agar bisa berjaya
Jaman sekarang orang pada beli NFT
Beli gambar kartun sepuluh juta langsung ready
Di internet orang jual foto selfie
Untung milyaran sekarang ku jadi envy
Jaman sekarang orang pada beli NFT
Beli gambar kartun sepuluh juta langsung ready
Di internet orang jual foto selfie
Untung milyaran sekarang ku jadi envy
Dunia digital semakin buat cemas
Penipu brengsek di internet buatku lemas
Bilang jual mobil, tapi itu palsu
Harga kemurahan ini bener apa halu
Belanja harus waspada kayak ngisi ujian
Sosial media penuh tipu malah banjir pujian
Netizen mulutnya gak pernah disaring
Tetap hujat orang walau dia sudah terbaring
Post banyak foto pas lagi liburan
Ternyata pake background palsu itu tipuan
Kenapa orang-orang pengen terlihat kaya
Pamer semua barang mahal di dunia maya
Yang penting tetep cari duit, just do it
Kumpulin uang lama-lama setinggi bukit
Jangan lupa doa sama tuhan minta jalan
Biar ada income dari atas bawah kiri dan kanan
Jaman sekarang orang pada beli NFT
Beli gambar kartun sepuluh juta langsung ready
Di internet orang jual foto selfie
Untung milyaran sekarang ku jadi envy
Jaman sekarang orang pada beli NFT
Beli gambar kartun sepuluh juta langsung ready
Di internet orang jual foto selfie
Untung milyaran sekarang ku jadi envy
The lyrics of "Digital" by El-B feat. Juiceman describe the current state of the world in terms of economy, technology, and social media. The song talks about how people can make money without leaving their beds, with the rise of online trading and the stock market. The lyrics also mention how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world, causing chaos and destroying lives. It encourages people to get vaccinated and take care of themselves in order to fight the virus.
The song also touches on the issue of fraud and deception in the digital world. It warns listeners to be careful when shopping online and interacting on social media, as there are many scammers who try to exploit the vulnerable. The lyrics give examples of false promises, fake advertisements, and exaggerated lifestyles that many people tend to show off online. The song reminds listeners that it is important to stay grounded and focused on making money in legitimate ways, without falling for the traps that the digital world presents.
Overall, "Digital" is a commentary on the new era that we live in where technology has become so advanced that it has transformed the way we live and do business. This song shows the upsides and the downsides of living in a world that is driven by digital technology.
Line by Line Meaning
Jaman sekarang cari duit bisa dari kasur
In this day and age, one can earn money without having to leave their bed
Jam kerja bebas gak ada yang suka ngatur
Working hours are flexible and no one likes to be bossed around
Beli saham Tesla, dibiarkan berkembang
Invest in Tesla stock and let it grow like a tree
Tumbuh terus kayak pohon jangan ditebang
Let it grow continuously like a tree, don't cut it down
Jaman sekarang belanja bisa dimana aja
In this day and age, shopping can be done anywhere
Beli barang di internet semuanya ada
Everything is available for purchase on the internet
Dari pensil, mobil sampe ke rumah
From pencils to cars to houses
Langsung gesek kartu tak lihat jumlah
Just swipe your card and don't even bother looking at the amount
Datanglah covid mengganggu damai dunia
Then COVID came and disrupted world peace
Menghancurkan populasi umat manusia
Destroying the population of mankind
Kenapa ini gak selesai-selesai
Why isn't this getting resolved?
Vaksin bikin antibodi jadi perisai
Vaccines create antibodies that act as a shield
Kenapa masih banyak yang gak percaya
Why do so many still not believe?
Yang gak divaksin kena langsung gak berdaya
Those who are unvaccinated are helpless when they get sick
Foto pake masker buat bergaya
Taking a photo with a mask for style purposes
Doa terus buat dunia agar bisa berjaya
Constantly praying for the world to succeed
Jaman sekarang orang pada beli NFT
In this day and age, people buy NFTs
Beli gambar kartun sepuluh juta langsung ready
Buying a cartoon picture for ten million, instantly ready
Di internet orang jual foto selfie
People sell selfies on the internet
Untung milyaran sekarang ku jadi envy
Making billions, now I become envious
Dunia digital semakin buat cemas
The digital world is increasingly causing anxiety
Penipu brengsek di internet buatku lemas
Scammers on the internet make me feel weak
Bilang jual mobil, tapi itu palsu
Saying you're selling a car, but it's fake
Harga kemurahan ini bener apa halu
Is this unbelievably cheap price real or fake?
Belanja harus waspada kayak ngisi ujian
Shopping requires caution like taking an exam
Sosial media penuh tipu malah banjir pujian
Social media is full of deception but flooded with praise
Netizen mulutnya gak pernah disaring
Netizens' mouth are never filtered
Tetap hujat orang walau dia sudah terbaring
Still cursing someone even though they are lying down
Post banyak foto pas lagi liburan
Posting a lot of vacation photos
Ternyata pake background palsu itu tipuan
It turns out using a fake background is a deception
Kenapa orang-orang pengen terlihat kaya
Why do people want to appear rich?
Pamer semua barang mahal di dunia maya
Showing off all expensive possessions on the virtual world
Yang penting tetep cari duit, just do it
The important thing is to keep making money, just do it
Kumpulin uang lama-lama setinggi bukit
Collect money little by little until it reaches a mountain height
Jangan lupa doa sama tuhan minta jalan
Don't forget to pray to God for guidance
Biar ada income dari atas bawah kiri dan kanan
So there will be income from above, below, left and right
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Arvy Soekarno
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Take Me Back: Pirate Radio Archives
El B never fails to deliver!! Always rated the big man Juice!! He's always been on point!! Big up all the original Sidewinder man dem!!!
Captain Scarlet A Mysteron Agent
I agree with you mate. 👋👋
Take Me Back: Pirate Radio Archives
@Captain Scarlet A Mysteron Agent Big up Davy!!!
Take Me Back: Pirate Radio Archives
MYtrix Yeah they mad the best tracks!!
Free Street
It doesn't get more badman than this!
RRSmith107
that snare!
Adibanti
Tuff m8!!
Take Me Back: Pirate Radio Archives
For real!!
Dubchild Bass
BIG TUNE!! Any chance you can put up the version with the piano/keys on the intro? that mix is too heavy
gazsmash
Best MC the ever grace the Rave scene. On point every time no chatting shit