STORM & GOLDIE
The drum & bass scene was dealt a major blow in April when Kemistry, of DJ duo Kemistry & Storm, was killed in a freak car accident. Despite the loss, STORM is keeping active and this month comes to Edinburgh to DJ alongside GOLDIE. They talk to The List in an exclusive interview. Words: Simone Baird
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'KEMI INTRODUCED ME TO All. OF IT,’ says Jane Conneely of the then emerging drum & bass scene. “and straight away I knew what she meant about a music that covered all styles. It really was "a universal music". We both became totally obsessed with it. buying it. listening to it — no TV at all. you know‘.’ Just this music. it really called us.‘
For years. drum & bass has been the lifeblood of (‘onneely and her best friend Kemi ()lusanya — better known as groundbreaking DJ duo Kemistry & Storm. In April. however. their partnership was cut tragically short when. returning to London from a gig in Southampton. Kemistry was killed in a car accident. Storm has vowed to continue playing and take drum 8; bass into new territories. After all. it was Kemistry & Storm‘s initial decision to break into DJing that would also attract another major player into the scene — Goldie.
‘We bought our first set of decks in late “)1 together with another guy called Greg.‘ Storm remembers. 'We were going to be three DJs and an MC. so we were called MACH III. being Kemistry. Storm. Double G. Our MC was called Mach Daddy G. who was a guy called Goldie. However. Greg decided to go it alone. so we became just Kemistry & Storm.‘
It is now legend. Goldie met Kemistry — ‘I met her.‘ he says ‘when she was working in the shoe shop Red 01‘ Dead. and I guess I hounded her . . .‘ — who. in turn. introduced him to drum & bass. This would go on to have a marked effect on the scene when he finally started the record label Metalheadz. helping to take drum & bass to an international level.
‘Goldie had the first release on Metalheadz in Feb ’94.‘ says Storm. ‘But by August ’95. he was too busy to run the label. He asked us if we would like to help out. Obviously we were happy to.‘
Their direct involvement in this hugely important label meant that many producers got the break into what can occasionally be a very introverted scene. Kemistry & Storm have long held a reputation for ignoring the status quo when it needed to be ignored. running instead with whomever they felt had what it takes.