Rinse:07 - Spyro

“I JUST WANT TO BE KNOWN AS INTERNATIONALLY HEAVY,” exclaims Spyro with just exactly the kind of passion and enthusiasm that makes him a breathtaking DJ. “ I swear I just wanna make it man, I just wanna be in and out of the country doing so many different shows. It’s like a dream to me.”

Rinse Fm’s Sir Spyro is already living his dream, more or less. He’s supported Nas at London’s immense 02 Arena and survived a stuck deck at Glastonbury. But that’s not really makes him so exceptional; the kind of DJ other DJs dream about being.

What makes Spyro “top 3 selected” within grime DJs, is his breathtaking ability to take the Pioneer CDJ1000 decks and make them into a musical instrument. This instrument makes crowds lose their minds.

In a club, on his prime time Saturday 7-9pm Rinse FM show or on this CD, Spyro is pure, focused hype. “The way I select I will select any way, any how. I will mix a tune in the middle of the tune or at the beginning of the tune. … On [this Rinse mix CD] I just wanted to just throw them in the way I wanted to, because that’s the way I do it.”

The mix, like his show, navigates skilfully through a blend of upfront dubs, exclusive VIP mixes and certified old school classics taken from the grime, garage, funky, dubstep and bassline canons. “Yeah it’s kind of a good look, because this is the direction I want to be in. It’s important because as me being a music man, I wouldn’t just like to be in one scene. I’d like to conquer a few things. I’d rather try out other things.”

There’s no doubt he’s trying new things, but there’s one thing quite noticeably missing: an MC. While grime mic men are notorious for their disorganisation, this wasn’t a case of MC gone MIA: through this CD and his radio show, Spyro’s making a clear statement. As the genre has evolved, the balance of power has shifted in grime towards the MC. Spyro is re-asserting the DJs’ rights. “The DJ can live without the MC but the MC can not live without the DJ. Because listen: I don’t really need an MC on my show. Why? Because I’ve got his CD in my CD pouch and I could just play it. In a rave I could just play it so him being there wouldn’t really make a difference.” It’s fighting talk but Spyro has the musical firepower to back it.

Spyro began mixing in his bedroom 11 years ago. He collected records feverishly alongside DJ Maximum, who he met when he was 13. Five years ago he got his big break: his own Rinse FM show. Working his way up from the graveyard shift of 3-5am on a Wednesday, he currently has earned himself one of the flagship slots, 7-9pm on a Saturday. At first his mission was to break new talent, now he’s just being Spyro and breaking boundaries instead. “I will never ever limit myself. It’s the way forward. Because if you limit yourself you end up… I wouldn’t say no-one, I’d say no-where. And I want to be in Tokyo… every week. I wanna be there man. I wanna be everywhere!”

Martin Clark
LDN Jan 2009

TRACKLISTING

1. J Mixer - Dem Dem VIP feat Badness
2. Lil Silva – Seasons
3. Sway - F Ur X feat. $tush
4. Skepta – D.T.I VIP
5. Ruff Sqwad - RSMD
6. Reservoir Dogs - Buddha Finger
7. Dizzee Rascal - I Luv U
8. Joker – Retro Racer
9. JME - Standard VIP
10. D.E.A. - So High
11. D.V.A feat Alahna - Im Leaving
12. Maniac - Ouch
13. Deekline - I Dont Smoke
14. DOK – PS VIP feat Lauren Mason
15. DND - I Will Never Leave
16. DOK- Rapid Speed
17. R Ryders - Rubberband feat Karnak
18. Terror Danjah - Interested feat Badness, Bruza & D.E.Velopment
19. Some Treat - Lost in Vegas
20. Ironik – I Wanna Be Your Man (Bless Beats Remix – Inst.)
21. Lil Silva – Funky Flex
22. Most Wanted - Last Man Standing
23. Sticky – Tales From The Hood feat Tubby T
24. D - Ongie Bongie
25. Menta - Sounds Of The Future
26. Teebone - Fly Bi feat Sparks and Kie
27. P. Jam - Unknown
28. Terrah Danjah - Sctoch Bonnet
29. Scratchy - Shangooli
30. Spyro - Shadow Boxing

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