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The Ruff Sqwad Orchestra

Special Guests

A globally loved phenomenon born in East London over a decade and a half ago, grime is set to be given a homecoming celebration as iconic Ruff Sqwad instrumentals are reimagined live at the Jazz Café.



Forming in Bow, East London in 2001 Ruff Sqwad helped write the template for all future grime releases. Recognised for their distinctive production styles, tracks like Misty Cold, Pied Piper and Functions On The Low are widely regarded as important milestones in the history of the genre – the latter, Functions On The Low, being described by the Guardian as “one of the greatest tracks in the history of British electronic music”.



The man behind many of the group’s best loved instrumentals, Prince Rapid has seen the youth movement he helped to shape growing roots in all corners of the globe. His productions formed the springboard that sent many of Ruff Sqwad’s members and close affiliates, including Tinchy Stryder, Stormzy, Dizzee Rascal, Ghetts, Chipmunk and Sir Spyro, on the path towards becoming successful figures in British music.



Rapid’s seminal 2012 White Label Classics compilation brought together many of the cult underground tracks on a single release. A hugely sought after album, it pointed to a growing interest in the true origins of grime as reaction to the genre’s new found place in the mainstream.



Teaming up with the Ruff Sqwad Orchestra, Rapid will present a celebration of the origins of what is today a globally-loved genre in the city where it all began. In what’s set to be an unforgettable live performance, the Ruff Sqwad Orchestra will reimagine White Label Classics instrumentals alongside a few faces who’ve helped grow the genre along the way.