Georgina Cook Drumz Of The South: The Dubstep Years (2004-2007)

Drumz Of The South: The Dubstep Years (2004-2007) is the first photography book to present the early days of dubstep in detail. It features over 200 photographs by Georgina Cook from events and radio stations such as FWD>> at Plastic People, DMZ and Rinse FM, plus pioneering producers, DJs and MCs like Burial, Skream and Benga, Mala & Coki, Loefah and Sgt Pokes, Plastician, Kode9, Hatcha & Crazy D, Skepta and Wiley.

Originally published in 2021 as a Kickstarter campaign, this second edition features a complete redesign, hardback cover and essays from Blackdown, Charlie Dark MBE, Emma Warren and others. The book is 24cm x 17cm, and the 224 pages are printed on heavyweight paper with a hardback cover.

“The first time I heard dubstep was in 2004, in my friend Mala’s car outside my favourite local bar, The Black Sheep, in Croydon. He played me his track B, and it sounded like nothing else I’d heard before. As a photographer of underground music, I knew I had to get involved. Twenty years, one Drumz Of The South blog and a whole load of photos later, and I’m making a photo-book of what ended up being a life-changing journey with the early dubstep scene.” Georgina Cook

Featuring over 200 photos taken in and around South London, posts from the original blog, hand-drawn notes and more, Drumz Of The South: The Dubstep Years (2004-2007) is both a record of an extraordinary moment in contemporary music history, and a personal story of community and creativity.

2004-2007 was the peak of Georgina’s involvement in the scene, at a time when it was still largely made in suburban bedroom studios and played in dark rooms and on pirate radio stations like Rinse FM. Alongside photos of the dancefloors of seminal nights like DMZ and FWD>> at Plastic People, are candid photos and portraits of artists like Mala, Loefah, Sgt.Pokes, Hatcha, Kode9, Vex’d, Skream and Burial. Nestled among these images are scenes from South London, which root the sound to the place.

REVIEWS

“When dubstep was beginning in tiny London basements armed only with rib-crushing sound systems and an abundance of creativity, Georgina Cook was there – camera in hand. She is the photographer-of-record for the scene’s key inflection points. Her work is an unrivalled snapshot in time, documenting in light a community dedicated to getting lost in dark sounds.” Blackdown

“Much needed light shining on the early dubstep scene.” Gilles Peterson

“An important historical document of a DIY sound and community. You can almost smell Croydon.” Sports Banger

“What Drumz of the South offers is a demonstration of the vitality of people to create and move culture, to form communities across distances both close and far.” Alex Brent (Radical Art Review)

“As a physical document of a nascent sound, Drumz Of The South shows the importance of archiving the beginnings of a small subculture which went on to alter the course of electronic music history.” Charlie Bird (DJ Mag)