METALHEADZ
After inspiring a whole generation of Drum & Bass heads, Goldie has become somewhat of a mainstream celebrity. Appearing in blockbuster movies that include the likes of James Bond and Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, most people are unaware of his 25 years of innovation and commitment to the DnB scene. At the heart of all his acclaim and prominence lies his Metalheadz label, which he founded in 1994 alongside the DJ duo of Kemistry and Storm.
Metalheadz is currently run by Goldie and Ant TC1.
THE ORIGINS
During his crazy colourful early years, Goldie was both an elite break dancer and prominent graffiti artist. He also began selling gold teeth jewellery, which was something that would later become synonymous with his look. Originally referred to as ‘Goldielocks’ due to his signature dreadlocks during his breakdance days, this would be shortened to “Goldie” when he cut his hair.
Finding himself more and more fascinated with the emerging British breakbeat and rave seen in the early 90’s, his girlfriend at the time, DJ Kemistry along with DJ Storm got together and decided to create a label. The idea was to have Goldie making the music while Kemistry & Storm would concentrate their focus on the DJ element. The Metalheadz label was officially born in 1994, creating a buzz with their legendary live Blue Note sessions.
GOLDIE
Goldie, the charismatic leader of the label hit early chart success with his album Timeless in 1996, reaching Number 7 in the UK Album Charts. His single, Inner City Life, stands as one of the first drum & bass tracks to transcend the underground scene and achieve widespread popularity within mainstream culture. It’s melodic tone, coupled with pulses of fast-paced drum samples and roaring basslines have made it a timeless classic. In 2013, Mixmag voted it the 34th best dance track of all time. Goldie continues flying the flag of jungle and drum & bass with his live appearances and continual collaborations and solo releases.
Legendary original junglists such as Grooverider (pictured), Peshay and Randall have all contributed to the Metalheadz label, reinforcing its status and credibility. The hard hitting Dillinja has also played a major role.
Other artists include:
Artificial Intelligence, Blocks & Escher, Codename John, Commix, DLR, Dom & Roland, Jubei, Lenzman, Loxy, Mako, Mikal, Nucleus & Paradox, Om Unit, Photek, SB81, Scar and Ulterior Motive.
TODAY
Fast forward to today and Metalheadz are ready to celebrate 25 years in the business in 2019. Both Goldie and Ant TC1 are continuing to release music they truly believe in. Representing both the old and the new, 2018 saw the release of 25 Years of Goldie; the new masterpiece album from duo Blocks & Escher, Something Borrowed, Something Blue; and the masterstroke, self-titled album from Onemind (DLR and Mako).
Driven by Goldie’s infinite ambition, the Metalheadz crew were pioneering the D&B movement during the early days and their latest releases still carry the original flavours of breakbeat and junglistic-rhythms, while blending dark undertones with ambient overtones in an exploration of modern music technology.
In the words of Goldie,
I’m an alchemist… I practice the dark arts of messing with the form of something solid.
Adding,
Why do something ordinary, when you can do something extraordinary?
Who better to tell the story of the gentrification of a musical genre than the man who started out as Jungle’s most streetwise ambassador and went on to collect an MBE from Buckingham Palace? But Goldie’s uncensored, hard-hitting memoir is far more than just the story of the house-training of drum ‘n’ bass. As one of Britain’s most influential DJs, producers, promoters, and record-label owners – whose contributions to the UK rave scene in the 1990s defined the genres jungle and urban rave, Goldie is an iconic figure.
Buy All Things Remembered HERE now…
A whirlwind, adrenalin-fuelled celebrity memoir from the godfather of urban rave.