Book Launch - ALEX DE LACEY: Level Up! Live Performance and Creative Practice in Grime Music (with Dr Kristin McGee and Razor)

Grime music has been central to British youth culture since the beginning of the 21st century. Performed by MCs and DJs, it is an Afrodiasporic form that developed on street corners, on pirate radio and at raves. Level Up: Live Performance and Creative Process in Grime Music offers the first long-form ethnographic study of grime practice; it questions how and why artists do what they do; and it asks what this can tell us about creative process and improvisation more widely. Based on research conducted in London’s grime scene—facilitated by the author’s long-standing role as a DJ and broadcaster— this book explores the form’s emergence before taking a magnifying glass to the contemporary scene and its performance protocol, exploring the practice of key artists and their crews living and working in the city.

To celebrate the book's release through Routledge press, Dr Alex de Lacey will be joined by Dr Kristin McGee and East London grime artist Razor for a roundtable conversation, touching on its core findings and future avenues for research.

The next day, on 7 October, De Lacey, Razor and other artists will be performing at Druk, the showcase for grime and bass pressure. Check out the details and get tickets at simplon.nl!