Giggs' very real lyricism about life on the road came before a host of other road rap artists tasted success.
An electrifying road rap anthem with fizzing synths and Giggs' trademark husky vocals, 'Look What The Cat Dragged In' became a most-played for both inner-city kids and students at uni halls pre-parties, its menace representing the newfound freedom and anything-goes attitude for the latter having left home for the very first time.
If fans weren't able to see Giggs live, they made sure he was heard otherwise. Thankfully XL stuck to the plan, allowing the South London rapper to release 'Look What The Cat Dragged In' in 2010. Giggs even claims the authorities tried to scare XL Recordings into not signing him in 2009. He served time in prison in 2003 for firearm possession, a charge that affected his career through the police regularly pressuring his shows into being cancelled. It's possible Giggs chose the title as a tongue-in-cheek diss aimed at himself. Look what the cat dragged in is a saying usually reserved for the disliked or frowned upon. More broadly, ‘Claptrap’ serves as a key moment in Hessle Audio’s rise this decade, affirming the tastemaker credentials of an imprint whose electrifyingly eccentric yet readily accessible releases have left an indelible mark on the wider dance music landscape during the ‘10s. However, my love of the track continues to grow as it rears its peculiar head time and time again, every re-emergence a reminder of the track’s anthemic credentials and immense pliability, slotting nicely alongside most of the decade’s sounds, from dubstep and UK funky to hard drum and Villalobos-leaning minimal. I don’t think either of us were quite ready for ‘Claptrap’s’ comparatively cheerier rhythm, which is beaten out by a bevy of snappy claps, sub stabs, frantic drums rolls, piano hits and spluttering coughs (along with the occasional cowbell ding).īack then, it didn’t do too much for a dour 16-year-old me. Looking back, 2010 was an astonishing year for Hessle Audio, putting out Blawan’s debut single, James Blake’s second EP (pre-megastardom), Pearson Sound’s final release on the label as Ramadanman and Joe’s ‘Claptrap’.Īround this time, the post-dubstep universe found solace in slower and more pensive sounds, while I continued to drown myself in bro-tastic, ear-bleed dubstep. We hope that as you scroll through, the story of the decade in electronic music will be told, with many fond memories rising to the surface and, hopefully, some missed gems to discover. Presented in a year-by-year order, there’s no hierarchy. We’ve reflected on 120 tracks that defined the decade in the list below. There’s been the controversial rise and fall of EDM, an embracing of sounds from the Global South, increased diversity of people making and playing music and running the industry, propulsive genres like footwork, Jersey club and ballroom sweeping through clubland, UK rap hitting new heights, and much more besides. At its heart, though, it’s still the same scene: developing new trends and unleashing a consistent slew of fresh tracks that make us want to move.įrom the deep house boom of 2011 through the strpped-back, deconstructed movement to the breaks revival, alternative approaches to rap and r’n’b and surge of big room sounds, this decade has progressed through many fresh flavours and updated takes on classic sounds.
The lines between the underground and mainstream have blurred, as the dance industry has grown into a multi-billion pound colossus with more than a billion listeners worldwide. The turn of the decade marked a new era for electronic music in ways stretching beyond the Gregorian calendar.
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