Grant Nelson: From Star Wars Scratcher to Garage Pioneer
SF: In our continuing Bacardi event artists special, we talk with Grant Nelson about what happened to the Wishdokta, Nice 'n' Ripe Records, and when we can expect his first artist album!<br/><br/>PQ: ""I've always been partial to sticking my head in the bass bin and UK garage delivered the goods on that tip everytime!""
| 08 Oct 2007
Grant Nelson began his experiments with music production at the age of nine. Queen's Another One Bites the Dust was run alongside scratched Star Wars instrumentals, recorded from his parents' hi-fi onto a reel-to-reel cassette. Little did anyone know, but these fumbling forays into music advancement would eventually lead Grant to being credited with pioneering the UK garage scene.
Using the most basic techniques of looping and pausing cassettes, he remixed Chaka Kahn's I Feel For You at 13. From playing birthday parties to mini-raves and finally earning himself regular performances on the club circuit, in 1990 he set about making up his first demo tape with a Casio sampler, 4 track tape recorder, drum machine and synthesizer, set up in his girlfriend's hall of residence. He was encouraged to send the demo to Kickin' Records - a fortuitous decision as a couple of days later he got 'the call'.
Many alter-egos followed, including the Wishdokta; a painted madman with a penchant for 3D geometrical shapes. He took European gigs by storm, introducing crowds to a mix of breakbeat and ragga on a rock and hardcore tip. What ever happened to the Wishdokta? "He ate loads of doner kebabs and cut his dreadlocks out. That was the last time I saw him!"
As the Wishdokta he was introduced to George Power, the former Kiss FM DJ and Founder, and in 1993 together they founded Nice 'n' Ripe Records. It was during this period that Grant began bringing US garage influences into his tracks, and gaining much kudos from fans and producers alike. Nice 'n' Ripe Records came to an end in 1996, leaving Grant free to pursue the new avenues now open to him, but the reasons why it came to an end have been a secret for a number of years: "Without going into the details, my partner did a bunk with my money and I didn't get paid. I never saw a penny in publishing for any of the records I released with him, and the royalties I did actually see were not even a fraction of what I actually earned. I walked away with nothing and the other guy bought himself a big house. But the real kick in the teeth was after I left him; he commissioned a bunch of young up-and-coming producers to come in and re-hash some of my old records and use my artist names in the hope that he could fraudulently sell them off the back of my name. As if fleecing my wallet wasn't enough! There's always karma though!"
Ouch, that's rough. But out of the ashes of one label rises another, and Swing City soon came into existence. He continued to concentrate on the breakbeat and garage-influenced sound that was now being touted as 2 step / UK garage, and his next prolific project Bump & Flex brought longstanding success with hits like Promises, and a remix of Indo's R U Sleeping, still cherished to this day. "If I do nothing else with my life I know I've contributed to something that so many people hold dear, and that's quite an achievement! I've always been partial to sticking my head in the bass bin and UK garage delivered the goods on that tip everytime!"
His own particular style and productions have constantly swayed, from hardcore to house, to garage and soul, but it is jazz and dirty funk which have consistently captured his imagination, and this is perhaps a clue to what we can expect from his upcoming debut LP. So when will you finally put us out of our misery and release it? "It's something that I've been planning for years and have still only managed to get a couple of rough demos together for. I just haven't had the time to devote to it as my DJing schedule has kept me constantly on tour for the past two years. I am planning to take some time off in 2008 to work on it and have started contacting the people that I plan to work with already."
We'll get back to you on that one!
Using the most basic techniques of looping and pausing cassettes, he remixed Chaka Kahn's I Feel For You at 13. From playing birthday parties to mini-raves and finally earning himself regular performances on the club circuit, in 1990 he set about making up his first demo tape with a Casio sampler, 4 track tape recorder, drum machine and synthesizer, set up in his girlfriend's hall of residence. He was encouraged to send the demo to Kickin' Records - a fortuitous decision as a couple of days later he got 'the call'.
Many alter-egos followed, including the Wishdokta; a painted madman with a penchant for 3D geometrical shapes. He took European gigs by storm, introducing crowds to a mix of breakbeat and ragga on a rock and hardcore tip. What ever happened to the Wishdokta? "He ate loads of doner kebabs and cut his dreadlocks out. That was the last time I saw him!"
As the Wishdokta he was introduced to George Power, the former Kiss FM DJ and Founder, and in 1993 together they founded Nice 'n' Ripe Records. It was during this period that Grant began bringing US garage influences into his tracks, and gaining much kudos from fans and producers alike. Nice 'n' Ripe Records came to an end in 1996, leaving Grant free to pursue the new avenues now open to him, but the reasons why it came to an end have been a secret for a number of years: "Without going into the details, my partner did a bunk with my money and I didn't get paid. I never saw a penny in publishing for any of the records I released with him, and the royalties I did actually see were not even a fraction of what I actually earned. I walked away with nothing and the other guy bought himself a big house. But the real kick in the teeth was after I left him; he commissioned a bunch of young up-and-coming producers to come in and re-hash some of my old records and use my artist names in the hope that he could fraudulently sell them off the back of my name. As if fleecing my wallet wasn't enough! There's always karma though!"
Ouch, that's rough. But out of the ashes of one label rises another, and Swing City soon came into existence. He continued to concentrate on the breakbeat and garage-influenced sound that was now being touted as 2 step / UK garage, and his next prolific project Bump & Flex brought longstanding success with hits like Promises, and a remix of Indo's R U Sleeping, still cherished to this day. "If I do nothing else with my life I know I've contributed to something that so many people hold dear, and that's quite an achievement! I've always been partial to sticking my head in the bass bin and UK garage delivered the goods on that tip everytime!"
His own particular style and productions have constantly swayed, from hardcore to house, to garage and soul, but it is jazz and dirty funk which have consistently captured his imagination, and this is perhaps a clue to what we can expect from his upcoming debut LP. So when will you finally put us out of our misery and release it? "It's something that I've been planning for years and have still only managed to get a couple of rough demos together for. I just haven't had the time to devote to it as my DJing schedule has kept me constantly on tour for the past two years. I am planning to take some time off in 2008 to work on it and have started contacting the people that I plan to work with already."
We'll get back to you on that one!