Wiley, The Garage

“When you hear the name grime, Nan, I am the meaning,” announces Wiley on his 2007 track Nan I Am London. To be fair, he’s got a point; in the early years of this century, Wiley helped pioneer a new kind of urban music. As with any genre, it’s hard to define exactly what grime is, but if you’re looking to try, Wiley’s first album Treddin' on Thin Ice (2002) is a good place to start. The album’s energy is undeniable; it draws on a range of musical sources (not least garage, dancehall, and punk) and offsets lo-fi beats against urgent, slang-filled vocals, throwing in a few video game samples for good measure.
From his debut onwards, Wiley’s musical output, both as a solo artist and with groups like Roll Deep and Boy Better Know, has been varied and prodigious. On earlier releases like Da 2^nd Phaze (2004) and Playtime Is Over (2007), he developed the sound which he set out on his debut. Since then, he’s drawn increasingly from genres like electro-pop, and enjoyed considerable commercial success with anthems like Wearing My Rolex and Heatwave.
His newest album, Snakes and Ladders, is due for release this year. If the single On A Level is anything to go by, fans have good reason to be excited. Wiley is set to play The Garage on December 16, and as one of the UK’s most popular musicians, his gig tickets are likely to sell fast.