A Short Film On DJ Slimzee from Rollo Jackson

Film maker Rollo Jackson is so on point with what he does. Showtime! and Tape Crackers are regularly played around our place, even just as background. Both DVDs are a constant source of reference for dancehall and jungle respectively, offering exactly what we’d want musically and stylistically.

Jackson has not only worked with amazing subjects but seems to almost take the doco aspect out of what he shoots, making it all feel natural. Where Tape Crackers was criticised by some for just being a guy and his tape collection, it was even more praised by the majority for a simple set up that told a story we all wanted to hear in a personal and engaging way. Jackson seems to be able take himself and any documentary agenda totally out of the finished product.

He’s done it again with this 22 minute documentary on ‘the godfather of grime.’ DJ Slimzee, founder of Rinse FM alongside Geeneus and pushed off the air with an ASBO before returning to the scene across the last 24 months, is a proper legend in the game, and a total gent from what we can tell. Despite the nature of the game he’s helped birth, he comes off very self-effacing, and as someone you’d love to be around.

Riko Dan, Jammer and Youngsta are among those that appear in the 22 minute documentary, and too many others (including Wiley and Dizzee) to name are heard on radio archive, sourced from Mike ‘Tape Cracker’ Finch’s collection. I don’t know enough about the scene back-when to comment too much on it, but I do thoroughly dig Slimzee’s Going On Terrible as a landmark working capturing a time and story we should all know. As with the previous two Jackson doco’s we’ve referenced, this is something I’ll return to repeatedly.

This is really beautifully shot, with extensive use of treated establishing shots to set scene of a grim London brimming with futuristic possibility that only some can see. Everything else is shot on black and white, with loads of handheld shake bits that all adds to it’s genuine feel.

Big ups all involved in getting this to us.