If you look back over the decades, it is easy to pick out seminal record labels that set the tone for the music they championed. From the infamous 1960s Motown R&B and Soul label, to punk rock and new waves Stiff in the 70s; followed by London’s own Rough Trade label in the 80s that supported independent music – with the likes of The Libertines, The Strokes and Pulp on their books. The 90s saw the birth of Goldie’s Metalheadz. It started as an underground label born out of the heads of three aspiring and upcoming DJs – Kemistry, Storm and Goldie – whilst sat around their kitchen table in London. Their mission was to elevate Drum & Bass and Jungle music from its underground origins to a more mainstream and global audience. And it reshaped the electronic music as we know it, transforming it into a cultural movement.
As the DJ Doc Scott puts it in this book: “Metalheadz is more than just a record label or a club. It’s a feeling, an attitude… a way of life. The music has to be vital; cutting edge, forward-thinking, tunes that push boundaries – but the people who get it most, our people, understand it’s about something more as well.”
This book stitches together the story of the record label and those weaved its fabric. It does so through Goldie’s unique visual language and acts as a tome honouring a movement which redefined the limits of what music can be.
The book is full of evocative pictures that capture a moment in the British rave scene (Metalheadz)
Across 400 and more pages, Goldie’s pioneering vision is documented with insights into his childhood and details how his upbringing in the Midlands and time through the care home system helped shape him as a person and as an artist. Goldie explains that living in these care homes exposed him to an eclectic mix of musical genres which helped form his outlook on life. He embraced graffiti culture and was often referred to as “the spraycan king of the Midlands” by the music press.
The book itself is an over-sized coffee table glossy hardback that combines a clever flow of long reads with personal hand-written notes by the man himself; photo essay-style images of Goldie and his cohorts through the ages; his sketches and artworks; rare rave flyers (Heaven and Rage faithfuls should be prepared for flashbacks); an archive of the label’s iconic sleeve artworks; press clippings along with anecdotes from those inspired by his process or who worked with him on his musical journey.
The turning point for many (including my 19-year-old self) was the Sunday night “get togethers” at the legendary Blue Note club in the mid-90s. These helped transform Hoxton Square in London from a no-go area to a trendy club destination with the likes of Bjork, Kate Moss, Noel Gallagher and David Bowie showing up.
I (vaguely) remember the mystical Aphex Twin lurking one evening. Goldie even called in some Yard Food caterers to help which added to the vibe (and gave us ravers some much needed nourishment). It was here that both Gallagher’s and Bowie’s collaborations with Goldie were born.
The Metalheadz logo on page (Metalheadz)
Goldie and The Thin White Duke’s 1998 ambient oddity Truth was a truly unique collision of two geniuses. Noel Gallagher and Goldie’s Temper Temper came out the same year, with Noel matching aggressive guitar melodies to Goldie’s equally aggressive vocals. Move over Liam. The Blue Note is now a part of clubland folklore. For Goldie, this was his “commune with the faithful”.
The vast Metalheadz label discography which is documented throughout the book includes pioneering releases by the likes of Doc Scott, Intalex, Dillinja, Photek, Grey Code, Randall, the legend that is Grooverider and, of course, Goldie. The book delves into the story behind his debut album Timeless which was released in the summer of 1995 and prominently featured the Metalheadz logo – an alien-looking skull – designed by Darren Bartlett. Later, Goldie adapted it with the addition of headphones “so that the skull symbolised the head, while the ‘phones were music, because music will be here long after we’re all dead and gone.” Goldie credits fellow DJ Grooverider for coining the Metalheadz name, a reference to fans obsessed by the latest dub-plates which were manufactured from metal with a layer of acetate either side. It’s this album’s 21-minute title track Timeless that is widely credited as transforming Drum&Bass.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive, or beautiful, encapsulation of a seminal era in the story of British drum and bass.
The Book of Goldikus (Vol 1 Metalheadz / The Rufige Files), 424 pages, £150, published by Metalheadz, is out now
Ped Millichamp is the Standard’s head of design