Basic Needs: Basic Rhythm on the jungle & hardcore scene of the 90s & the state of music after pirate radio on AQNB’s Artist Statement podcast

, 4 August 2021
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“When I was coming up, the whole thing was countercultural. It was an alternative to the system,” says Anthoney Hart, aka Basic Rhythm, discussing the DIY scene of record stations, labels and shops that sustained the jungle and hardcore of England in the 90s and how it compares to contemporary music culture now. “I think kids now… they want to be accepted into the very system that marginalises and oppresses them in the fucking first place.” Speaking to editor Steph Kretowicz for AQNB’s latest Artist Statement podcast, the DJ and producer has been working under a number of aliases since his pirate radio days in London.

Born in Hastings but raised on the boundary of East London and Essex, Hart started his career with jungle and hardcore in his teens before moving into noise, bass music and grime. He has more recently returned to his roots by releasing more dance floor-focussed drum n bass records via labels like Planet Mu, Type Recordings, Hypercolour and his own Raw Basics. Hart’s experience growing up working class and on the margins of British society, as well as an engagement with what he describes as the ‘golden age of the middlebrow’ means he has a unique perspective on the state of music today. 

‘Basic Needs’ is the latest in our Artist Statement podcast series, with past episodes featuring Jam City, Ashley HolmesTerreThaemlitzCoby Sey, and more. The full episode is accessible to our subscribers right now on Patreon. Sign up now: www.patreon.com/aqnb.**