DRUMZ OF THE SOUTH BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT

I did say in a previous post that Drumz Of The South was dormant, not dead. So here I am in 2021 with some news:

If you’re an avid reader of DJ MAG, you may have come across “The Whole Picture,” a feature in August’s issue about music photographers that have published books.

I was included in the feature because in Autumn this year, I am publishing a book titled *insert fanfare* Drumz of The South: The Dubstep Years 2004-2007.

The book includes a massive selection of photos of my journeys with early Dubstep, namely DMZ, FWD>>, Skull Disco, Hyperdub, Plastician, Burial, Vex’d, Rinse FM and many other events, labels and artists that defined that time. Also, plenty of pictures of wider community and scenes of South London at night.

Many of these photos have appeared here, my Flickr, the original blogspot + various publications and galleries over the years. But there are quite a few in there that have never have been seen before.

There are also a few other non-photo details in the book…but all will be revealed in good time.

The thing is that in order to print and publish Drumz of The South: The Dubstep Years 2004-2007, the design and production of which is self-funded, I need some help. So for 30 days throughout August and September, I will be crowdfunding to print and publish 1000 copies.

The crowdfunder launches on Tuesday August 17th 2021 – please sign up via this link to hear about how you can contribute to getting this book made. Everyone that signs up will get a PERSONALISED email from me – talking about the book production process so far.

I AM OVER THE MOON that this is finally happening, after over 10 years of thinking about and planning it. The book is VERY special.

Love for Lesvos / Hope for Paris.

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25% of all print sales towards supporting refugees in Lesvos

My good friend Breezy, (singer and mother), is travelling to the Greek Island of Lesvos this week, to support the thousands of refugees that are there living in terrible conditions. I could not go myself but really want to help also – the photos and stories I’ve been reading in for example, facebook groups like Refugee Child are shocking and very sad. So for this week 25% of all print sales will be donated to Breezy and the group of women who are going there to help.

Paris is a former home of mine and I am feeling the weight of recent events there but like many I am trying to focus on the beauty that is Paris – among the images for sale is this one of a rainbow next to The Seine – it can be interpreted as representing hope. I like the idea that sales of this and the other prints can go towards helping people in another part of the world. Love is the only way forward. xxx

Hope. Paris. ©GC 2011

Hello Lovely Humans! so it is now a few days until i go to Lesvos and truth be told i’m feeling nervous about what i will see and experience when i am there… but your kindness and the kindness of the other volunteers is giving me strength and hope in humanity! so far I have raised £722.22 which is fantastic and i’m so thankful to those who have donated or sent messages of support! Obviously these horrible attacks that happened over the weekend have prompted more fear and suspicion of refugees but please remember that these attacks are exactly what these men, woman and children are running from in the first place! I believe that Love and compassion is the only way to stop the violence, whereas closing the borders and treating these innocent people like animals will only leave room for more hatred to breed… If you can donate then please do paypal.me/breezylee and if you can’t then show love and compassion wherever you can. The world needs it!

– Breezy.

*MUSIC HISTORY FOR YOUR WALLS*- Limited Edition prints

SHOP: www.georginacook.net/store

*MUSIC HISTORY FOR YOUR WALLS* Limited Edition prints – Dubstep & Grime 2004-2005 now available to purchase

 

I put up a few of my early Dubstep and Grime images on my store to make it easier for people who request prints. They’re all from around 2004-2005, all taken in London on Digital camera – at Plastic People except for the one of the lathe, which was captured at Transition Mastering Studios, on film.

Photography shows the passage of time…

Smoking is now banned in UK clubs; Plastic People is now closed; DMZ, who feature in one of the pictures minus Coki celebrate 10 years this year; Wiley enjoyed big success, retired then broke his retirement; Skepta and Boy Better Know are leading a Grime renaissance – the genre never went anywhere, but it’s seemingly in a new chapter, as highlighted by Skepta and BBK on stage with Kanye West at The Brit Awards earlier this year.

Transition Mastering Studios is still in Forest Hill, still captained by Jason. I visited him last year as part of a photo series about Mastering Houses for FACT – he’s still as busy as ever, still trusted by hundreds of producers and DJ’s to produce weightly, soulful low-end; what HAS changed for him and most of the other studios I visited however, is that engineers are increasingly working alone, without the producer or DJ next to them. Also, bedroom producers are now often trying to master music on their own, with sonically disastrous consequences. It’s the internet age.

As for my work – it’s evolved, as it should; I don’t blog as much and have started working with film (fruits of labour, will ripen soon). I still love anything to with cities, am still moved by London and it’s layers of narratives and history, my work is published frequently and increasingly appears in documentaries; commissions are building up and I enjoy researching new publications to work with, especially print media as it is King. For stills, I use the same digital camera that I have used for a few years, updating it with new lenses- it’s battered to the point where the staff in Jessops were cooing over it last week – too many photographer’s in their opinion are obsessed with the latest technology. More than anything else, I love that people collect my images for their walls, it’s the most satisfying feeling. Lastly, I have a new website… www.georginacook.net

More Music History in photos… Acid House Ravers + More

Photos of very happy ravers during the Second Summer of Love (1988-1990), by David Swindells, via Mashable http://mashable.com/2014/11/15/acid-house-raves.

Wonder if they knew how influential that music would be, or how much people that were too young to be there, wish they were older!

The photos led me to PYMCA (Photographic Youth Music Culture Archive)… I got lost there for a while. They’ve contributed all of the images in an exhibition named Breaking The Mould at The Southbank this weekend… I’ll be there.

Teds in Croydon copyright Chris Steele-Perkins

On  similar tip is a small exhibition in the Print Sales room at The Photographer’s Gallery, which includes Chris Steele-Perkins photo of Ted’s in Croydon…it’s also free. London’s kind to us.

An Oral History of Plastic People, FACTMAG

Skream, Hija, Shona, Chef and others at Plastic People, bar area

7 of my photos of Plastic People, the club that I wrote about here a few weeks back have been published as part of FACTmag‘s Oral History of Plastic People, written by Tom Lea and Nick Wilson (aka Beatnick). Some of the photos had  never really been seen before, like the one above and the one of Skepta and Plastician . The feature tells the story of the club from the mouths of a handful of it’s resident DJ’s, staff and promoters including Erol Alkan (Trash), Seiji (Bugz In The Attic / Co-Op), Alexander Nut (Eglo), Jon Rust, Elijah Butterz and others. It’s pretty extensive and well worth a read. Also included are a couple of photos by Alex Nut, like this bizarre one of soulstress Fatima and a DJ with a cartoon snake wrapped around them. On an aside, congrats to FACTmag.com on their slick new redesign! It’s lovely to see my name in the contributors list, alongside some great people. 🙂