Kemistry & Storm Interview

We've shared numerous videos from Video Stock Archives, all focusing on breakbeat genres. This one is with Kemistry & Storm, and ranks as their longest ever interview, conducted as part of 'London Jungle' in 1996. The conversation covers a range of subjects surrounding the DnB scene, underground music, and pirate radio. It was recorded before the untimely passing of Kemistry in a freak car accident - as reported in the Guardian here, alongside their full story... 

For many fans, the legacy of drum'n'bass is inextricably linked to Goldie and his mercurial energy. But it was Kemistry and Storm – his business partners for the genre's most popular label, Metalheadz – who shaped the imprint with their collaborations and relentless work ethic. As DJs, they were pioneers in a mostly male world and their ability to mix heaving industrial rhythms and celestial minor chords set them apart. Their 1999 DJ Kicks mix is still seen as one of the genre's most influential.

Valerie "Kemi" Olusanya was born in 1963 to a Nigerian father and white English mother. She grew up in Kettering, a south Midlands quarry town, and it's there that she befriended Jayne Conneely, AKA Storm. "I was a new romantic and she was more new wave," Storm recalls. "I worked in this restaurant, and she'd come in with these two guys who looked like David Sylvian from Japan. I thought: 'Ooh, hello, I'd love to know what they're up to.'"

One of the Sylvian replicas asked Storm on a date. He played saxophone in a nine-piece post-punk band. Kemistry was dating the keyboardist and living with them in an anarchic house. The budding romances didn't last, but the young women became friends.

Here's more from the video... 

In the longest interview we ever conducted with any artist or music group, most influental drum `n bass duo Kemistry & Storm in their unimitably decent, eloquent and vivid way of narrating, bring to life the stories of their and the genre`s beginnings and developments, its personnel, places, methods and institutions: how they got into djing at pirate radio stations, met Goldie, co-founded the label Metalheadz, and, in short: anything and everything you would want to know...Interview: Oliver v. Felbert The interview was filmed to be part of "London Jungle", episode 3 of LOST IN MUSIC, tv music magazine (3SAT/Arte/ZDF). Also an this channel.

Timestamps:

0:00 Origins and early scenes 2:38 The birth of jungle 6:06 Becoming DJs 10:26 The community and Goldie 13:37 Street culture and evolution 17:40 The DJ and producer dynamic 19:42 Promotion and dub plates 24:32 The craft of mixing 28:37 Live performances 33:36 Reflections on other DJs 35:49 Professional life on the road 42:51 Clubs and regional scenes 49:23 London's role as a hub 52:47 Commercialization and integrity 58:20 Media and gaming influence 1:01:13 The role of the MC 1:04:17 Metalheadz label overview 1:11:05 The Metal Sessions club 1:17:08 Jungle vs. drum and bass 1:20:21 The current state of the scene 1:24:08 Genre influences 1:26:26 Global reach and emotional impact 1:30:06 Reflections and future outlook

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