• iamdek

Freestyle ‘85 - Covent Garden, December 1985

I’ve had this heap of unlabelled video tapes sat next to me for months now. I could vaguely recall what was on them, but couldn’t be totally sure. Inquisitiveness finally got the better of me, and I dug out my old VCR from it’s retirement spot in the garage.

First tape in the slot, press play and straight in with a result … it’s (a very young) Mode 2 at Freestyle ‘85 talking about the Crime Time Kings. This footage was part of the epic ‘Get The Message‘ documentary made by The Artful Dodger back in 1994.

Freestyle ‘85 -Jubilee Hall, Covent Garden, London, December 1985.
A review of the event by Justin Onyera appeared in issue 9 of Street Scene magazine;

It’s a fairly cold Saturday morning and a strong cosmopolitan crowd of a few hundred youngsters have lined-up patiently outside Covent Garden’s Jubilee Hall. They’ve all come to see an exhibition of the best British graffiti art, break dancing and rapping. Under the banner of ‘Freestyle ‘85′, the organisers, Centre Promotions - a non-profit committee composed of some of the performers themselves - hope to ensure a more genuine insight into the subculture that grew out of the South Bronx, which has had more than it’s fair share of exploitation in recent years.

The proposed line-up, thought literally London dominated, is impressive; Sipho the Human Beat Box, Imperial Mixers, rapper Daddy Speedo, London All-Star Breakers, graffiti artists Chrome Angels and IDJ dancers, to name a few. Inside, the main hall is divided into two sections. Graffiti murals line the perimeter of one half, while the main focal point - the stage - occupies part of the other section.
The hall is now prominently full, the Imperial Mixers are warming up with some stabbing, jittery tracks and a crew are stabilising their filming positions. In the graffiti section of the hall, a notepad clutching group congregates around the Chrome Angels, seeking arty signatures from them. “We’ve been doing art for two years,” says Pride, “and have had an exhibition of our work in Paris and London. We want people to respect us for what we do and our main aim isn’t to make money, but to stay ahead.”

Throughout the afternoon, there seemed to be a lack of continuity in the performances. Sipho and Live to Break dancers had done their spots and during the long lapses, videos were shown or Sergeant V or Daddy Speedo tried to hold things together with some pleasant rapping. “It’s good now that rapper are rapping to the people instead of against each other,” noted 15 year old Sipho.

The main disappointment though was the non-appearance of the IDJ Dancers and London All-Star Breakers. They might have added more of the zest and created some of the high-pitched excitement the exhibition needed.

In essence though, the exhibition was a breakthrough. It highlighted at least the commitment of a group of performers to establish a strong footing for the subculture they’ve now become part of. And it’s that commitment and determination, you can not take away from them.

As an event that was so ground breaking, it’s not at all well documented. Junk from Second To None has put together a blinding page of photos taken during the event. A few screen-caps (and some extended footage for sale on DVD) appear on Aerosol Planet.

Here is a little bit more from the history archives. Enjoy.