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
- adj. See ‘Tear-out’.
- Music. Party music with an upbeat springy flavour that makes you want to bruk out and jump like a maniac.
Knock back
- Turn down.
- To be turned down (see ‘Gutted’).
Kriss
Adj. Looking or sounding wicked.
Loop
- Continually-repeated musical refrain.
- 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
- See ‘Cane’.
- 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
- Electronically recorded segment of sound.
- 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
- To cheat.
- 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.