UNDER THE GRID LP – A Journey Through MK Hip Hop

In 2025 Breaktothebeat began working with MK Living archive on a project to raise the awareness of, and further document Milton Keynes Hip Hop Culture. The project was supported and funded by Arts Council England and Milton Keynes City Council. As part of the project MK Living Archive commissioned several recordings by local artists which were collated with other existing unreleased recordings to produce a 10 track vinyl album entitled “Under The Grid – A Journey Through MK Hip Hop“.

Under The Grid – A Journey Through MK Hip Hop

The idea was to start the compilation with a selection of recordings by current MK based artists and gradually go back through time concluding in the 1980s which represent the founding years of Milton Keynes Hip Hop culture. The below video entitled “Calling my name” by Saje Mode features on side A of the record and is an example of one of the recordings created by the current generation of Milton Keynes Hip Hop artists. Also featured on “Under The Grid” are recordings by Seek Wiz-Dum, Isle of CC, Seven Sentinels, and Captin Krunch.

Saje Mode “Calling my name” Official Video 2025.

After listening to through the selection of recordings created in the 2020s “Under The Grid” progresses back through the decades, highlighting a selection of Hip Hop music created by Milton Keynes artists from each generation. In 2012 producer Zaheer master minded a recording entitled “Assemble” that features vocal contributions from Abiade, Rukus, Swami Baracus, Genesis Elijah, and ShaoDow all of which were active during the 2010s. The official video of “Assemble” by Zaheer can be viewed in the below insert.

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Double Deff Chillers

Double Deff Chillers (DDC) evolved from several Milton Keynes Hip Hop practitioners uniting to enter a competition held in London during 1986 at an event called UK Fresh. The Double Deff Chillers consisted of DJ/Producer Mixmaster MSC, Rapper MDR (Initially know as 2 Fresh), Rapper/Beatboxer King Paul D, Producer G Whizz, and DJ Cutski. The collective were actively contributing to the Hip Hop scene until 1989 when the remaining active members regrouped as Science Revealed.

Double Deff Chillers – The Point, Milton Keynes, 1987.

Although Double Deff Chillers formed in 1986 the groups evolution started several years prior as a result of DJ Mixmaster MSC and rapper 2 Fresh collaborating to produce several  demo recordings. In the first instance the duo were limited to using DJ Mixmaster MSC‘s turntables, microphone and cassette player to formulate their ideas. An example of one of these early recordings entitled “2 Fresh & MSC” can be heard in the below youtube insert: Continue reading

Mixmaster MSC

Mixmaster MSC is one of a handful of pioneering Hip Hop DJs from Milton Keynes, England, UK and during the 1980s was a member of breakdance collective Asiatic Soul and Hip Hop crew Double Deff Chillers (DDC). Mixmaster MSC regularly performed as both a scratch DJ and a breaker at local events helping contribute to an emerging Hip Hop scene eventually progressing to perform alongside several of Hip Hop’s pioneering artists from both the UK the USA.

Mixmaster MSC – Milton Keynes, 2012.

Mixmaster MSC started to collect Hip Hop records after seeing and hearing Malcom McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team’s single “Buffalo gals” on TV in 1982. Shortly after Mixmaster MSC began DJ’ing with several friends at lunchtime disco sessions while attending Woughton secondary school and during the mid-1980s progressed to perform at other local Hip Hop events such as The funky breakdown held in Peartree Bridge and The Point Club located in Central Milton Keynes. Continue reading