“Ruff Sqwad - Flee FM Film” by Dumas Haddad
Returning to their pirate roots, Flee FM" emerges as a cinematic love letter to the beating heart of London's grime subculture—the iconic pirate radio scene. Crafted by the trailblazing grime pioneers, Ruff Sqwad, this short film is not merely a musical project; it's a powerful odyssey that immerses audiences in the raw, pulsating essence of London's underground music movement.
Inspired by the dynamic universes of legendary stations such as Deja Vu, Rinse FM, and Heat FM, "Flee FM" pays homage to the very roots of pirate radio culture, inviting audiences to reawaken the electric atmosphere of clandestine broadcasts. Here, the airwaves served as a battleground for unbridled creativity and unfiltered expression, a hallmark of London's subversive music scene.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“In crafting this film, my primary aim was to immerse audiences in the visceral and clandestine world of pirate radio, a realm that defined London's youth culture in the early 2000s, specifically bringing them back to the derelict, illegal spaces where this vibrant, DIY movement thrived. Captured solely on DV tapes due to budget constraints, these tapes now stand as our visual relic—a testament to the raw energy that permeated those illicit broadcasts, surviving today only in imperfectly ripped YouTube tapes from badly encoded DVDs.
Being a Ruff Sqwad fanatic, collaborating with them on this project is not just an honor but a milestone, bringing my journey full circle. Through this film, I aim to capture and immortalize the untamed spirit of grime's formative years, paying tribute to the era that shaped the genre, and in turn, shaped me.”
-Dumas Haddad
Credits
Starring// @slixfleeingham, @davidisaking, @princerapi @begg091
Director// Dumas Haddad/ @dumashaddad
Executive Producer// Simon Oxley/ @simonoxley
Producers// Simon Oxley, Georgia Rae Sterling-Grant/ & Dumas Haddad
Cinematographer// Courtney Bennett/ @courtneybennettdp
Production Designer// Jade Adeyemi/ @adeyumyum
Grade// Jason Wallis (ETC)/ @jasoncolourist , @electric_colour
Sound Designer// Bankey Ojo/ @bankeyojo
Editor// Dumas Haddad
@ruff_sqwad - Flee FM: The Film
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