Dirty Canvas was born from humble beginnings at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 2005 and has since gone on to become one of London’s seminal underground club nights. The night was born out of a desire to showcase the exciting sounds emerging out from the UK underground, namely grime, which was largely overlooked by clubs in the capital. The night soon found a home at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the ideal place to showcase one of the most exciting movements in British music for years.

During these legendary sessions they played host to artists such as Wiley, Tinchy Stryder, Skepta and JME. At the same time another exciting new music was rumbling though the pirate airwaves of London – dubstep. Alongside the MC-led grime music, Dirty Canvas brought DJs such as Kode 9 and Plastician to perform within minutes of the Queen’s residence. The ICA sessions were critically acclaimed, garnering praise from as varied sources as The Guardian, Nylon and the BBC. A series of residencies at the Rhythm Factory and nights at Fabric, Cargo and The Scala featured artists such as DJ EZ, Roll Deep, Joker, MJ Cole, Rusko and Toddla T, focused on providing the best in the UK underground, whether that be funky, dubstep or the revival of UK Garage, which was spearheaded by Dirty Canvas resident Oneman. They’ve also pushed their sound further afield; bringing the new sound of UK Funky and its pioneer Marcus Nasty to Europe’s club capital, Berlin, held off Sonar parties in Barcelona and events across the UK in Nottingham, Bristol, Brighton and Cardiff.

Dirty Canvas