Okay firstly introduce yourself/selves to the people who may not have heard of “Elijah & Skilliam“ yet. i.e name, ends and crew your repping (if u do)..

Skilliam: I was born by the name of “Skilliam”. My mother gave it to me at birth and said I was going to be a Grime DJ from then on in. I’m from the East London dungeon repping Butterz!

Elijah: I go by the name of “Elijah”, which is a secret acronym. I am also from East London, and I make the cups of tea at the Butterz HQ.

MOG: How did “Elijah & Skilliam” come about?

Elijah & Skilliam: Nothing planned, we just met at University, liked Grime, I had decks in my room, he used to come over for a mix from time to time, and its just gone a bit too far.

MOG: When did you first realize you could dj/mix and how did you break into the scene?

Skilliam: I started mixing quite a few years back in 2003/04 with MCs who I went to school with. They needed a DJ for radio and a few events so I bought decks, started buying records and taught myself how to mix. I’ve been in and out of the scene, now I’m back involved alongside Elijah.

Elijah: I wasn’t really DJ’ing properly until 2008, I bought records from time to time, of stuff I was really into I knew I would never get an MP3 of, and then started the blogspot on a Sunday afternoon listening to Rinse FM and then I just did that for about 18 months, then went full on with the DJing at the end of 2008 when we joined Rinse.

MOG: We’ve already seen you make big moves in the scene with your own label & radio slot but what do you have planned for 2010?

Skilliam: Keep Grime interesting and to build on what has already been started supporting the people who are focused in the scene.

Elijah: We don’t really have plans, things kind of just manifest themselves, but watch out for the Quality Street EP and the Air Bubble Remixes EP. That’s what is definitely coming out in the near future.

MOG: You seem to favour instrumentals over vocals, is there any main reason for this?

S: It’s not necessarily favouritism of instrumentals over vocals, it’s just how it has mapped out. As we always say, I think there are a lot more quality, accessible instrumentals floating around than there are quality vocals. Also I feel you have greater freedom to do what you want and you can experiment more with a beat.

E: Most MC’s don’t really send us tunes either, so we are kind of just playing what we get. I still feel they don’t vocal the best productions, so normally the ones we use in the sets are ones where we both enjoy the beat musically and the actual MC’ing.

MOG: How can fans get access to your mixes and where & when can we hear you on radio?

Elijah & Skilliam: Mixcloud.com/Butterz.com has all the recent stuff, and we are on Rinse FM Thursdays 1-3am, or you can grab the podcast of their site.

MOG: You’ve obviously done alot for the scene and helped a few producers in their career but what producers do you really rate and why?

S: Currently I would say Royal-T. If you listen to the development of his music to where it is now, he is doing well. For instance 1up is no doubt a big tune. Compare it to one of his later beats such as his Air Bubble remix or Damn It and you can hear the progression. The music does the talking for itself.

E: We rate everyone that we play for different reasons but, its wicked to be on the journey with producers as they get more attention and develop their sound.

MOG: What has the reaction to your radio show & recent label been like?

S: The response has been wicked. Now we have a new radio slot, hopefully we can add some variety to it again to make it even more different and interesting such as guests, producer showcases and just organised chaos.

E: The labels been cool because on one hand we have people that want to buy Grime vinyl, but there’s none there supporting, and then people buying their first Grime purchases from us, so hopefully they wont forget about it in a a hurry.

MOG: I witnessed a debate on GF (GrimeForum) when a certain member said you play the same producers tunes, which I disagree with, what are your views on this?

E: He was saying that he didn’t like the kind of instrumentals we play, and for 9 pages couldn’t name a recent instrumental he likes that we don’t play. Even if we do play a lot of Swindle, Terror and SRC you have to remember we are playing reflective of what’s getting released alongside future stuff. They have a lot of material coming out, so I am keen to support their stuff. I don’t see the point in continuously playing people that arent taking the initiative to get their music out there,

MOG: What do you think of the scene presently? i.e is it thriving or dying and who do you rate as “pushing the scene forward” other than yourselves

S: Not thriving as such but it is definitely moving forward. More so than the last few years.There are a few who are taking step to push the scene. People such as JME most definitely. He is very consistent with his work and is adamant on keeping it Grime. Then there are labels such as Planet Mu who are willing to support and invest in the scene backing the producers, helping them to get their music out and heard on all formats. Plus all the other DJs doing their thing.So yes it is definitely moving in the right direction.

E: I rate P.Money & Blacks for doing loads of music suitable for clubs, not making ‘moist’ stuff and working the live circuit at the same time as putting out CDs and turning up to radio often. Then Skepta for doing the whole commercial independent thing, working extremely hard and still actively contributing to the Grime scene at the same time.

MOG: Is there a certain style of beats you prefer, like do you like the darker vibes or are you more of the laid back’ type?

S: For me, I don’t have that much of a preference. I like all kinds.  I like grime with energy that you can move to which is well made with something slyly catchy about it.

E: There’s space for everything, on radio you have 2 hours, so you can accommodate all styles in one show easy. I wouldn’t say I have a preference as too much of anything is bad.

MOG: What was it about grime/dubstep and other genres you play that made you decide to make a career out of it though?

S: It’s always been grime from the start. The beginnings were Grime, that’s what was and it’s going to be Grime until the end. Working with like-minded people, the enjoyment of playing it in the raves and on radio is a push.

E: I have only ever DJ’d Grime, and since I have started playing it I haven’t been motivated to DJ any other music. Grime is my favourite music by far.

MOG: How do you think the scene/music has evolved since you first heard up until this point?

S: I think Grime sounds a lot cleaner quality-wise nowadays. People say that is a bad point but I don’t agree. It’s just that the techniques and methods of production have improved.
However you still get music that was produced years ago that still sound good side by side with new music.
It’s not as it was before where it was all about crews. Everybody is doing their own thing but DJs MC’s and producers still manage to  come together to make things work.

MOG: Any other information you wanna share with us??

Elijah & Skilliam: Buy the releases, come to the raves and spread the music. Support the artists you like with your purchase!

MOG: Finally, thank you very much for the interview…  Give some big ups..

Elijah & Skilliam – ‘Obsessed’ – May 2010 Mix by Elijah & Skilliam

Elijah & Skilliam: Big up Terror Danjah, Swindle, SRC, Royal T, Mr Mitch, David Kelly and everyone that’s supporting.

Download: http://bit.ly/May2010Mix
Strream: http://i.mixcloud.com/CVjW

Joker – Tron Vip (Kapsize)
D Double E – Woo Riddim (Butterz Special)
Src – Lemsip (Numbers)
Dizzee Rascal – Trapped (XL)
Mr Mitch – Skittles (Butterz)
Teddy – House Party (Underground Unit)
Swindle – Molly (Planet Mu)
Wiley – Jam Pie (Avalanche)
Rude Kid – Screwdriver (No Hats No Hoods)
Royal T – Damn It (Butterz Special)
Badness – Nightmare (Mensah Remix) (No Hats No Hoods)
Joker & Tc – It Ain’t Got A Name (Dub)
Newham Generals – Im A General (Dirtee Stank)
Teddy – Travelodge (Underground Unit)
Swindle – Aim Straight (Butterz)
Terror Danjah – Reinforced (Rwina)
Guido – You Do It Right (Punch Drunk)
Moony – Hot & Cold (Dub)
Terror Danjah – Space Traveller (Planet Mu)
Wonder – What Have You Done (Dumpvalve)

Another installment, something for your ipods and cars. We rarely put old school tunes in our mixes, because we always have so many good tracks to choose from but we both decided to include Wonder, Dizzee and Wiley tracks that we have been playing in our live sets recently. There are a couple of new names you may not have come across before in Mr Mitch & Moony, they are both sick, keep an ear out for them.

We have now started our new Rinse FM Show, Thursday nights, Friday mornings, 1-3am, lock in or grab the podcast.

I hope you enjoy it, please share it with your mates and thanks for listening

Follow us on Twitter: @Butterzlabel
We have a Tumblr: http://butterzisthelabel.tumblr.com
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Let us know what you think

Cheers

Elijah & Skilliam