A Decade For Shadow Demon

For the last decade, Shadow Demon Coalition have been summoning the spirits from the darkest corner

of the drum and bass spectrum. To celebrate this long lasting achievement, Raveology will host the 10 Years of Shadow Demon Coalition rave at Air in Birmingham, this Saturday (9th July).

SDC will play a two-hour main room set and be joined by legendary DJ’s such as Friction, DJ Hype, Mickey Finn, Nicky Blackmarket and Hazard. Alongside the coalition, other MC’s to bless the mic will include Eksman, IC3, Harry Shotta, Shabba, MC Biggie, MC Magika and Nutcracka. And with praised promoter Eternal Muzic hosting room two, it’s sure to be a roadblock.

So, Bassman, one of the unstoppable forces behind SDC's mic, how has Shadow Demon managed to stand tall against the toughest of all tests, the test of time?

“It’s coz we do our thing, we’re original, we’re like comedians you know, we don’t take it all to seriously, it’s not all about knives and gangs” He chuckles. “We’ve got our own style. We’re full of originality."

Pausing for a second to contemplate what makes SDC stand out from other collectives, he adds: “Like, we’ve got DJ Sly who’s award-winning, you know, everybody just does their own thing. Everybody’s an individual MC, but when we’re together at one time you know it’s Shadow. The fact the we can all hold our own makes us twenty times stronger”

Nostalgically reminiscing over the last ten years, Bassman affectionately brands the highlight of the decade as "staying together for ten years, keeping it together man, and keeping the bookings real”.

However it hasn’t always been plain sailing. “My hardest moment was when I did get locked up and left Shadow Demon for two years, I wanted to be out there but couldn’t be. It wasn’t hard to deal with being in prison but it was hard to be away from the scene.”

A collective synonymous with their kindred city, the only place for the birthday bash is, of course, Birmingham. “Birmingham’s the foundation of me, it’s the first place I touched down when I came here from Jamaica,” Bassman recalls, pointing out that his city has led the way since day one. "it’s laid back and we’ve been here since day one. "We’re not in competition with other artists, like in London there’s loads of other artists. For me, Birmingham’s top of the chain”

So if you’re looking for dark and dirty beats, join DJ Sly, Bassman, Trigga, Spyda, Shaydee, Juiceman and Loki as they celebrate at decade at the top of their game.

Words: Nicola Elliott