Growing up the son of a Jamaican preacher, Rodney Smith, also known as Roots Manuva, began rapping as a wee lad on the dusty streets of Stockwell, South London. Known for his Jamaican infused and lyrically insightful hip hop productions, tracks like 'Again & Again' point back to the tough and strict childhood that formed Smith's voice as an artist.

It might be dangerous to mark a musical era with a single track, but in the case of dubstep, this track would be Skream's 'Midnight Request Line': the 2005 single by the then hardly known 20-year old became the genre's first cross-over hit, ending up in sets by Ricardo Villalobos and getting remixed by Hot Chip. Skream is however far from being a novelty producer, but rather one of the hardest working...

Legendary label started in 1991 by Coldcut members Matt Black and Jonathan More. Known for its diversity of releases it managed to tie very individual and creative artists to its roster. Even though Ninja Tune delivers everything from downbeat, breakbeat, hip hop, easy listening or experimental music it is being seen as a genre of its own: Ninja Tune. Today the label is run out of London, UK and...

Like label mate Aphex Twin, Squarepusher operates at the most experimental end of the dance music spectrum. With jazz music being a key influence in his creations, his sound is like the bastard child of drum & bass, acid and free form or improvised classical music. Probably the only person in the world who can take the Amen break, and make it sound...