Grime might be one of the biggest sounds of London, England, but the punchy rap genre has stayed largely locked within Great Britain for the last 15 years. Offering an alternative to trap’s uniformity, however, the scene’s idiosyncratic sound is finally starting to leak across the pond—and local venues are starting to take note.  

In a move that will have expats foaming at the mouth, visionary club the Biltmore is set to offer a home to the genre in Vancouver. Launching Wind:Up, a new night that will feature grime, dancehall, and classic U.K. stylings, the venue is set to add some much-needed grit to Vancouver’s reputation for “lame and tame” nightlife next month.

Blending the low frequencies of drum and bass with the vocal styles of U.K. garage, grime offers a very British take on rap music. By stripping down the rhythms of dancehall while still incorporating various elements of electronic music, grime creates a guttural, aggressive sound that underscores its coarse lyrics about life on London’s notorious council estates. Closer in attitude to punk than  gangster rap, grime tracks are off-kilter and scrappy, full of raw energy and a DIY attitude.

Sure, grime’s lyrics might be well outside the experience of the average Vancouverite—our city is, after all, famed more for its politeness rather than roving gangs with knives—but it’s impossible not to feed off the genre’s infectious belligerence. POW. 

Wind:Up is at the Biltmore on October 14 

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