The UK Hip Hop scene might be Europe’s biggest one. It’s easy to come to this conclusion after a quick Google search – lots and lots of Hip Hop acts that are now internationally acclaimed come from the UK. But without a doubt, all these artists, which evidently put their own flavour on the records, were and are highly influenced by their peers in the United States – the birthplace of the Hip Hop culture and everything it stands for.
One of the people who created a platform between the UK and US scenes is hands down Rod ‘Spin Doctor’ Gilmore, the brain behind The Doctor’s Orders, “The Kings of the Capital’s Hip Hop Scene” as TimeOut Magazine perfectly put it.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Doctor’s Orders so it was the perfect timing and context to sit down with Spin Doctor and take a journey through the history and highlights of this powerful brand that brought most of the US Hip Hop pioneers in London, and therefore contributing to the development of the culture that is now more poignant than ever.
Prepare to take off
It all started as a “lucky accident” as Spin Doctor brilliantly put it. Just like every Hip Hop music aficionado, he was passionate about records so it comes as no surprise that he’s been working in record stores and started DJing from a very young age. He’s been throwing parties ever since before The Doctor’s Orders – you might have heard of Indelible (or later Indelible Marker) party series, that had Spin behind it, as well. But it was 2005 when, at Herbal, he organized the first ever TDO party, having DJ Cash Money as a special guest.
And so it begins...
Given that the party was set near Spin’s birthday, he decided to call it The Doctor’s Orders, “just as a one time thing”. But good things come unexpectedly, and he later got offered a monthly residency at Herbal, his favourite club at that moment, and kept the name. And it was good that he did, because what happened next is fit for a Hip Hop storytelling class. Everyone was “banging the UK Hip Hop drum” at the time, so Spin’s twist for his parties, and what made the brand stand out, was booking international acts, based in the US. “There were parties focused on the US scene, but no one booked the likes of US DJs that I wanted to hear. So I said: If no one is doing that, I might as well do it.”
When Herbal closed, the parties moved to Fabric, East Village, Scala, and The Jazz Cafe, bringing that Golden Era vibe in the heart of London. Don’t take our word for it, just check out the list below - you better be sitting down now: De La Soul, Erykah Badu, ?uestlove, Just Blaze, Kenny Dope, Louie Vega, Gilles Peterson, Maseo, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Premier, KRS-One, EPMD, Marley Marl, Dimitri from Paris, Osunlade, Dilated Peoples, Tim Westwood, Alchemist, Eric Sermon, The Beat Junkies, Elzhi, Jazzie B, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, 9th Wonder, Maseo, Fatlip, DJ Format, J-Live, The Nextmen, Norman Jay, Gangrene, Random Axe, Jehst, Shortee Blitz, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Mr Thing, Foreign Beggars, Phat Kat, MED, Statik Selektah, Mayer Hawthorne. It’s probably one of the most significant name-dropping list for every Hip Hop head, no matter where they’re from. No wonder the name grew stronger and stronger and almost all TDO Presents branded parties and gigs are immediately sold out. And just like the genre they rep so well and passionately, they won’t stop.
Besides the great roster the brand developed through the years, one other thing that makes it stand out from other promoters is the accessibility of the parties. Spin got a little social and told us that he’s noticed that the female audience was not really that present on the Hip Hop party scene. So he decided to fix that. It was another notable success. The community he managed to create around The Doctor’s Orders is defined by the love for Hip Hop music, a sense of belonging and authenticity. Just a little anecdote here: there are actually going-strong couples that met at a party thrown by Spin Doctor & Co. Some of them even have kids. Which takes us to what we call another “oh-so-cool” fact about The Doctor’s Orders – Fun DMC.
You got to start them young...
The name is obviously derived from the legendary group Run DMC. But what is it? Well, “ain’t nothing but a Hip Hop party” designed especially for kids and their parents, where they learn the basics of the culture, through age appropriate means: colouring classic album covers and between outlines of a boombox, for example, B-Boying classes, etc, all happening with a background soundtrack containing classic tracks (radio versions, of course).
The test of time
When asked about the market changes (that were inevitable), Spin Doctor engaged in a conversation about marketing tactics used pre- and during the 2.0 era. When it all started the Internet was not that heavily used, “or not for promoting parties, anyway”, so you actually had to print and hand out flyers outside venues and apply a lot of word-of-mouth marketing principles to ensure people will attend your party. And even after the Facebook and other Social Media platforms boom, the team behind The Doctor’s Orders still kept that human-y touch and still focuses on word-to-mouth. Not to be understood that they’re not Social Media savvy, because they absolutely are (just head over to their Facebook and Twitter pages. And while you’re at it, check their website and get a glimpse of the vibe they give to the crowd every single time they throw a party), but they keep the oldschool marketing and promoting flame alive. We’ll just call it analogue promoting, if you want. “If I don’t have a flyer in my hands, I don’t feel like the party is happening. (...) But Social Media, I think it’s great. You know, the more directly you can get your message to people, the better.” *pops and crackles sounds while I’m holding an actual flyer for the 10 years anniversary party and Instagram it*
What contributed to the success of the parties over the years was and still is keeping it real and respect the basic formula:
great music + great live artists + great sound system = great gig
The inevitable J Dilla talk (you know we had to do it!)
Everyone who’s ever engaged in a music-related conversation with me, knows I am a big-big Dilla fan. And while researching The Doctor’s Orders’ activity, I came across two posts on the site and I simply had to check them out – this and this. So when we sat down with Spin Doctor in his office (he has a very cool office, by the way), I really had to ask the following question: “Who is your favourite producer?” Because I knew he was going to say Dilla and tell us some interesting stories. And man, I was right.
Every year, The Doctor’s Orders celebrate the musical genius that was J Dilla. One story that really caught my ear involves a line around the block to get in and people donating and supporting the causes of the J Dilla Foundation, which you’ve got to admit is fantastic. This brought Spin Doctor & Co the appreciation of the Yancey family. And not for nothing, as you can see.
The line up they put together for the 10th anniversary party shows that these people really know how to cater to all Hip Hop heads in the UK, and also stands as a guarantee that they'll continue to do so.
Speaking of, we’ll all party together and celebrate a decade of Hip Hop music at its finest on the UK scene on September 12th, from 8pm-2am @ The Forum, (Highgate Road, Kentish Town, London NW5 1JY), with none other than DJ Premier (who will be there with his live band – I know, right?!), Fatima and the Eglo Live Band, The Four Owls and DJ sets from Mr. Thing, Spin Doctor, Mo Fingaz, and Russ Ryan. The party will be hosted by MC Pranksta.
We will now leave you with a DJ Premier mix (or embed) The Doctor’s Orders resident, Mr. Thing made for the anniversary party.
Get tickets for the live anniversary party here: www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/27515/chk/9650
Advance Tickets: £22.50
DJ Premier Meet & Greet Ticket: £60.00
(includes Ticket / Cap / Lanyard etc)
Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/916772108364328/
Website: www.thedoctorsorders.com
*This post was written by Delia Tesileanu, the newest member of the Purple Reign PR team, a big haired Hip Hop head herself, whose reaction to music usually is
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