Glossary

There’s been much discussion as to whether or not to include a glossary. Some find the whole idea very unnecessary and insulting saying, ‘Hip Hop never had no glossary’. To that others say, ‘I never understood Hip Hop’.

A&R People

‘Artists and Repertoire’, music biz scouts.

Acid House

Music. 303-intensive House music with fewer vocals. The parent of Techno and Trance.

Ambient

Music. Similar to Trance but more esoteric and abstract. Huge soundscapes, often with minimal or no beats. Strictly for the chill-out rooms.

Amen break

A break characterised by driving cymbals.

Artcore

Music. The Artcore LP series featuring everyone from Foul Play and Aphrodite to Krust and Johnny L. Weird. Intelligent hybrid made from those producers’ influences.

Attitude

Usually prefixed by an unspoken ‘bad’.

‘Avin’ It (Large)

Having a totally wicked time.

Bad Bwoy

Ruffneck yout with too much attitude.

Balearic

Music. Commercial House music favoured by those that enjoy a good old-fashioned knees-up with a pint of beer and a couple of Es whilst on holiday in Ibiza.

Bar

Music. Four beats.

Big up

To exalt, to boast (of oneself).

Blagger

A practitioner of the ‘blag’.

To Blag

Charming your way to get what you want.

Break

Part of the record, usually eight to sixteen beats, often sampled and looped to create a beat for a tune.

Breakbeat

Music. Music with breaks. Anything that’s not a four to the floor kick drum pattern. The forerunner of Hardcore and ultimately JDB.

Breddah

Brother, bloke.

Brukin’ out

Adv. Breaking out, dancing madly.

Bussed it

Played it, play a tune, to recite a lyric.

To cane

Using it, taking it, playing it to the max and further.

To check

Seeing someone socially or sexually (usually past tense).

To chill

To relax.

Chill-Out

Music. Turn on, light up and chill out. Easy Listening with credibility.

“Choon!” (Tune!)

Excl. “What a good record, Mr.DJ!” Show some respect and shout it out! “Chooooooon!”

Clanged it out

Adv. Clashing beats in a mix. Worst possible insult to a DJ.

Coconut

Black on the outside, white on the inside. A racial slur, a black person with white pretensions (see ‘Wigger’).

Come-Down

The terrible effect felt when the drugs wear off. (Although the first few hours are quite nice really).

Cubase

Music software application, usually not paid for.

Crew

See Posse, De Man Dem.

Da lick

Adj. The best thing.

Darkcore

Music. Dark-sounding with low b-lines. Takes influences from Industrial, Rock and Gabba. Also from Chrome and DHR labels (eg. DJ Trace and Sonar).

Darkside

Music. Militant beats, angry JDB (eg. Ed Rush and Optical).

DAT

Digital Audio Tape, recording studio quality.

Deep House

Music. Pared-down house, minimalist, b-line intensive.

Detroit Techno

Music. The original Techno from Detroit. You can’t mention Detroit without mentioning Derrick May … or cars.

Dub

music. Reggae of which lyrics and melodies are largely stripped out or ‘cut in’ with lots of digital delay (eg. Jah Shaka, King Tubby).

Dub Plate

The very latest records cut on acetate, initially only available to select DJs.

Draw

Weed.

Choose a tune.

The Drop

Wait for it. Whatfi When the bassline kicks in.

Electro

Music. Originally a form of Hip-Hop, Planet Rock and Wicky Wicky being two famous examples.

EP

Extended Play record, more tracks than a twelve-inch, less than an album.

To EQ

To tweak frequencies of the mix using an equaliser.

Euro

Music. European Techno similar to Gabba but not as hard and mad. Cheesy some might say.

Funki Dread

Not a total dread, a smiling face and a thumpin’ bass for a lovin’ race (eg. Jazzy B).

Gabba

Music. Just play any 33 rpm Techno tune at 78 rpm and you’ll get the picture. Popular in Rotterdam, allegedly (see also Nosebleed).

The Gaff

The place.

Garage

Music. House with lots of R ‘n’ B flavour, vocals and piano.

Going for bruck

Adv. Going for broke.

Gutted

Adv. Definitely not sorted, devastated.

Hardcore

Music. Predecessor of Jungle and harsh bastard child of Techno. Often uses breakbeats.

House

Music. 4-beats-to-the-bar dance music, originated in New York or Chicago (depending on who you believe).

Imprint

Sub-division of a larger record label.

Intelligent

Music. Originally lighter, spacy Sunday afternoon music, but still dancefloor D&B. Probably takes influences from The Orb (eg. LTJ Bukem). For some, a contentious term.

Jump-up

1. adj. See ‘Tear-out’.
2. Music. Party music with an upbeat springy flavour that makes you want to bruk out and jump like a maniac.

Knock back

1. Turn down.
2. To be turned down (see ‘Gutted’).

Kriss

Adj. Looking or sounding wicked.

Loop

1. Continually-repeated musical refrain.
2. To loop.

Lovers’ Rock

Music. A ‘sweet’ kind of Reggae, always melodic, usually with love song vocals (eg. Gregory Issac).

The massive

The people, the followers.

Mashed it up

Adj. Of an artist’s performance – a very high accolade. See also ‘Rinse out’, rip it up, tear it up, also negatively in context of to destroy.

MCPS

Mechanical Copyright Protection Society.

‘Nuff

Adj. (E)nough, loads (see ‘X-amount’).

Old Skool

Adj. Music, graffiti art, trainers, mentality from a by-gone era. Nostalgia with attitude.

Phat

Adj. looks good, sounds wicked.

Pukka

Adj. Really rather good.

Proppa

Adj. Proper (see ‘Runnin’).

Punters

Customers, clientele.

Ragga

Music. Distinctly rude-sounding modern Reggae strand, with vocals from deep in the throat, generally lewd theme and grinding, aggressive rhythm.

Rare Groove

Music. Not-so-rare 70s funk tunes.

Representin’

Keeping it real, representing what you believe in and living by those beliefs. or: Turning up and flashing your skills.

Rewind

Play it again DJ – now! (see “Choon!”).

Rinsin’

Adj. See ‘Tearin’.

Rinse out

1. See ‘Cane’.
2. A good hard party.

R ‘n’ B

Music. Some would say modern-day soul.

Runnin’

Adj. Wicked (see ‘Pukka’).

Safe

Adj. Good [of a person], trustworthy, of good character. Feeling comfortable, everything going rather well.

Sample

1. Electronically recorded segment of sound.
2. To sample.

Sampler

Equipment used to record pieces of sound.

To score

To achieve a positive result, usually sexually or pharmaceutically.

Shebeen

Back room drinking den.

Skank

1. To cheat.
2. A dance style.

Sorted

Adj. The bird’s in the hand: get it, got it, good (see ‘Score’).

Speed Garage

Music. JDB with ‘Garage style’ vocals, jerky drum patterns and b-lines (kinda Sweet like Chocolate).

Steamed

Go really quickly, sometimes through a crowd.

Suss out

Making your mind up, check out, investigate.

To be sussed

To be in the know.

Tear-out

Adj. Fast and furious (see ‘Jump-Up’).

Tearin’

Adj. Of music or artists (see ‘Rinsin’).

Tech House

Music. Techno with no harshness but with housey b-lines.

Tech Steppin’

Music. Generally metallic-sounding Drum & Bass. Techno-influenced. Darker, driving and laced with Sci-Fi samples.

Techno

Music. Faster, more aggressive and more experimental than House with few vocals and agenerally ‘metallic’ sound. Pioneered in the ghettos of Detroit.

The one like

Title. Him, her, Ms, Mr etc. [Yer man – Irish].

Timberlands

Boots once fashionable and now available in your local Oxfam.

Tip

Direction of music. Mood, vibe.

Trance

Music. Less hard, spaced-out Techno. ‘Soundscapes’ with a driving rhythm to take you into the clouds.

VJ

Video jockey, TV presenter.

Wicked

Adj. Extremely good, simply marvellous.

Wigger

White person with black pretensions (eg. Ali G) (see ‘Coconut’).

X-amount

Adj. Loads and loads (see ‘Nuff’).

YTS

Abbr. Youth Training Scheme, though others called it a joke.