Grime

History and character

Origins

Grime is born in East London (Bow, Tower Hamlets, Newham) in the early 2000s as an offshoot of UK garage, with influences from jungle, drum and bass, dancehall, and hip hop. Pirate radio stations (Rinse FM, Deja Vu, Freek FM) and raves are the first stage; the first “definitive” track is debated, and among the candidates is Wiley's “Eskimo” (2002), considered the “godfather” of the genre and the originator of eskibeat (icy synths, heavy sub-basses, lopsided rhythms).

Golden era

Dizzee Rascal wins the Mercury Prize with “Boy in da Corner” (2003), an album largely produced by himself at 17–18. Roll Deep (Wiley, Dizzee, Skepta, JME, Flowdan, Riko Dan), Ruff Sqwad, Nasty Crew (Kano, D Double E), Lethal Bizzle (“Pow!”, 2004), Kano (“Home Sweet Home,” 2005), Ghetts (Ghetto), and Durrty Goodz define the sound. The Lord of the Mics DVDs, mixtapes, and radio are the distribution network; clashes between MCs and “war dubs” between producers are central to the culture.

Return

After a decline in the late 2000s (many artists move to pop or electronic music), grime returns to the top from 2014–2015: Skepta (“That's Not Me,” “Shutdown”; “Konnichiwa” wins the 2016 Mercury Prize and enters at No. 2 on the UK chart), JME (“Integrity>,” 2015), Stormzy (“Shut Up,” 2015; “Gang Signs & Prayer,” 2017, the first grime album at No. 1 in the UK), Novelist, AJ Tracey. It influences UK drill, British rap, and electronic music (Fade to Mind, Mumdance, Logos).

Aesthetics

140 BPM, minimal and cutting beats, square wave bass and “video game” sounds (some producers have cited the square wave bass of old games such as “Wolverine: Adamantium Rage”), sub-bass, strings and synth stabs, gun fingers and very fast flows over 8- and 16-bar sections. Many producers worked on FL Studio (Fruity Loops) and workstation presets; historic names for the early substyles were “8-bar” and “nu shape.”

Scales and keys

Natural minor (Aeolian)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (2-1-2-2-1-2-2).
• Example in F: F G Ab Bb C Db Eb.
• Chords: Fm – Gdim – Ab – Bbm – Cm – Db – Eb (i ii° III iv v VI VII).
• Use: square wave riffs and string stabs, sub-bass on the root.

Phrygian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. In E: E F G A B C D.
• Characteristic note: b2 (F): the half-step ostinato is a signature of the “darker” grime (eskibeat, Ruff Sqwad, Wiley's beats).
• Chords: Em – F – G – Am – Bdim – C – Dm.

Harmonic minor and chromaticism

• In C: C D Eb F G Ab B; the leading tone and the augmented second give the “Eastern” air of many riffs (influence of soundtracks and of Bollywood/Arabesque music in the samples).
• Many grime riffs are deliberately chromatic and “off-key”: neighboring notes (1, b2, 2) that create tension.

Minor pentatonic

• In A: A C D E G.
• Use: catchier, “anthem” riffs (Lethal Bizzle, Skepta).

How to choose

Sinogrime (Jammer, Wiley, Terror Danjah) uses Eastern pentatonic scales with koto and flute timbres.

Harmony

Riffs, not chords

The harmony is a 1–2 bar riff (square wave, stab, strings), often on one or two notes; full chords are rare.

Chromatic ostinatos

Half-step movements (i–bII), riffs circling around 3–4 neighboring notes, deliberate dissonances: grime sounds “wrong” and aggressive on purpose.

Grime strings

Synthetic strings in minor with small progressions (i–VI–VII) for the more melodic beats (Ruff Sqwad, XTC's “Functions on the Low”).

Harmonic rhythm

Often static for 8–16 bars; riff changes every 8 bars to match MC changes.

Voicings

Fifths and octaves (square wave), triad stabs, strings in close triads.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Grid

Exactly 140 BPM, straight grid, little or no swing; half-time feel (snare on 3) with a broken kick inherited from 2-step garage, sometimes in double time (snare on 2 and 4) in the more energetic 8-bar sections.

Space for the MC

The beats are minimal: many have few hi-hats or none, and the rhythm is carried by the bass and riff. The sections are 8 or 16 bars to let the MCs rotate.

Flow

Very fast, syncopated, with London and Caribbean slang (patois); frequent double time; “gun fingers” and reloads as performative elements.

Drums

Kick

Broken and syncopated (steps 1, 8, 11 in the first bar; shifted in the second), short and dry, sometimes a garage kick.

Snare / clap

On 3 (half time) with an extra hit at the end of the cycle (step 31); in double-time sections on 2 and 4. Dry, “plasticky” snares, often workstation or FL Studio presets.

Hi-hat

Sparse (quarter notes) or absent; when present, straight eighth notes without rolls.

Percussion and FX

Rim on “crooked” sixteenth notes, sampled gunshots and reloads, sirens, sweeps, glass breaks: elements of rave and clash culture.

Interaction

The drums leave the field to the square bass and the MC; the kick and the sub alternate.

Sections

8-bar intro (often just the riff), then 8/16-bar sections with small changes; drops at 8 bars; on pirate radio the DJ does a “reload” (rewinds and restarts) when the MC kills it.

Typical mistakes

Trap hi-hats with rolls (it's not grime); drums that are too full; snare on 2 and 4 for the whole track (it becomes garage or dubstep).

Bass

Square wave bass

Square waves or filtered saws, often with pitch bend and short notes, halfway between bass and lead (in the low-mid register, 80–400 Hz); typical of the “video game” sound.

Sub-bass

Pure sine wave underneath (40–60 Hz), long, following the root; in some “sublow” beats with pitch bend downward.

Rhythm

Syncopated, often the real rhythmic engine of the beat (the bass plays the part that hats would play in other genres).

Notes

Root, b2, b3, 5; octaves and leaps; glissandos and pitch bends.

Harmonic instruments

• Synths: square, saw, “icy” stabs (eskibeat), workstation presets (strings, choirs, pizzicatos).
• Synthetic strings (grime strings).
• Bells, koto, Eastern flutes (sinogrime).
• Samples from video games, soundtracks, Bollywood.
• Mid-high register, mono or barely stereo in classic beats.

Melody and vocals

• MC: very fast, syncopated rap, rapid-fire, often in double time; London accent and patois; 8- or 16-bar verses, clashes, and freestyles.
• Hooks: short chants, repeated phrases, club “anthems” (“Pow!”, “Shutdown”).
• Backing vocals: gang vocals, hype man.
• Effects: dry, aggressive vocal, “pirate radio” quality (close mic, little processing).

Instruments

FL Studio and workstations (synth, string, and choir presets), square wave and sub-bass, drum machines and drum samples, FX (gunshots, sirens, reloads), MC vocal.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Korg MS-20 V — Aggressive square wave: Square wave with a barely resonant LP filter and pitch bend: the grime bass-lead. Add light distortion.
• ARP 2600 V — Sub and square with pitch bend: Square oscillator + sine sub, pitch envelope for the bass 'drops'.
• DX7 V — Bell and koto (sinogrime): FM presets of koto, bell, and marimba for Eastern-flavored riffs.
• Augmented Strings — Grime strings: Synthetic staccato and legato strings for melodic grime.
• Jup-8 V — Icy stabs: Short two-saw stabs with a closed filter and short reverb: the 'frozen' sound of eskibeat.
• Mini V — Sub-bass: Clean sine/triangle for the sub under the square wave.

Song structure

For radio/rave sets the beats are long instrumentals, with 8-bar sections to let the MCs rotate. Singles run 3:00–4:00.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Raw, cold, minimal, lots of sub, MC up front. Classic grime is often mixed in a “raw” way (home mixes in FL Studio); modern grime (Skepta, Stormzy) is clean and powerful. References: Dizzee Rascal “Boy in da Corner” (2003), Wiley “Eskimo” (2002), Skepta “Konnichiwa” (2016). Balance: vocal 0, sub −2/−3, square −4, snare −4, FX −10.

Kick

HP 30 Hz; punch 60–80 Hz; click 3 kHz; short; mono.

Snare / clap

HP 150 Hz; body 200–250 Hz; crack 2–4 kHz; 4:1 compression 3 dB; no reverb or a very short room.

Hi-hat and FX

HP 600 Hz; FX (gunshots, sirens): HP 200 Hz, pan, low level, automation.

Sub and square

• Sub: HP 25 Hz, LP 100 Hz, mono, slow compression to level it out.
• Square: HP 80–100 Hz; presence 300–800 Hz; cut at 2–4 kHz (the vocal); light saturation; mono or nearly so.
• Sidechain: kick → sub (2–3 dB).

Synths, strings, stabs

HP 200 Hz; short or medium reverb (0.8–1.5 s); moderate stereo.

MC vocal

EQ: HP 90 Hz, −3 dB at 300 Hz, +3 dB at 3–5 kHz, air at 10 kHz; FET compression 6–8 dB (fast flows, wide dynamics) + opto 3 dB; de-esser 6–7 kHz; dry vocal.

Buses, sidechain, master

Drum bus with glue; mono sub/square bus. Master −8/−6 LUFS integrated (modern grime), −10/−8 for the 2000s sound; true peak −1 dBTP.

Common mistakes

Square wave masking the vocal at 1–3 kHz; sub not mono; too much reverb (grime is dry).

Reference tracks for the mix

• Wiley — Eskimo (2002)
• Dizzee Rascal — I Luv U (2003)
• Kano — P's and Q's (2005)
• Skepta — Shutdown (2015)
• Stormzy — Shut Up (2015)

Reference listening

• Musical Mob — Pulse X (2002)
• Wiley — Eskimo (2002)
• Dizzee Rascal — I Luv U (2003)
• Lethal Bizzle — Pow! (Forward) (2004)
• Kano — P's and Q's (2005)
• JME — Man Don't Care (2015)
• Skepta — Shutdown (2015)
• Stormzy — Shut Up (2015)