‘I’ve got Noel Gallagher coming to throw oranges and tomatoes probably,’ says Goldie MBE, ahead of his headlining slot at Ronnie Scott’s, still the most sought-after hotspot in London for the capital’s smoothest music connoisseurs.
The 56-year-old is hailed as one of drum and bass’s founding fathers, having flung it to mainstream popularity in the 90s with his ground-breaking debut album Timeless.
Fast-forward some 27 years, and the likes of Madonna’s oldest daughter is now entering the scene, which Goldie describes as the genre’s gentrification.
Metro.co.uk exclusively caught up with the multi-faceted artist ahead of his performances at the world-famous jazz club.
He’ll be playing four shows there along with revered producer James Davison, who he’s teamed up with for their creative venture Subjective. The pair have just released their second album under the creative partnership, The Start Of No Regret, which boasts of 14 tracks and several vocal collaborators.
Just last week, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes released her first drum and bass track, Lock&Key, under the guise Lolahol.
‘The genre itself is so potent’, Goldie notes. ‘If it’s good enough for Madonna’s daughter, it’s good enough for us to do at Ronnie’s.
‘And the thing is, I’m hearing some awful renditions of this music but that’s what comes with this music, right? You’re going to hear some really bad takes on it, it’s just the way that it is.
‘Listen, success is when you get cocky, success is when people take it and they gentrify it. You can’t put a wall around New York, you can’t put a wall around London. People are inspired by this music from all walks of life, Madonna’s daughter included.’
‘Even if it’s awful, I don’t mind,’ he says, before admitting he’d much rather be listening to Nia Archives than Lolahol. ‘Nia Archive’s dad had a wicked jungle collection, he was feeding it to the kids.
‘I don’t think Madonna is feeding drum and bass to the kids, do you know what I mean?’
Naturally, Goldie is buzzing about his return to Ronnie Scott’s after making his debut in 2017. ‘It’s historically special. The idea that Ronnie’s can move forward into being modern and having cutting-edge electronic music played on the page.
‘Drum and bass music is one of the most powerful British genres since punk. There’s no argument in that. It’s like trying to say, “is graffiti art?” We’re way beyond that. Drum and bass music is a massive part of culture even now. We’re looking at what this music is about and Ronnie Scott’s alike is great.’
But another reason Goldie is excited for his return to Ronnie Scott’s? He claims he was once nearly run over by the owner, Sally Greene OBE, at Heathrow airport.
