Artwork by Take Me Back Pirate Radio Archives. This one of the first sets on air by the Pay As You Go Crew. Recorded on Wed 6th Oct 1999. The SPP (DJ Slimzee, MC Paco and Plague MC) was short-lived and little is known about MC Paco after this point. MC Major Ace was a childhood friend go Slimzee's and was also a Jungle MC on the former Rinse FM 91.8 as MC Ace. In the lead up to this show, Major Ace did a guest slot with DJ Reaper (Agent Reaper (The DEA Project) on Rinse FM around Sept/Oct 1999, both Reaper and Ace were part of the furniture on from Pure Magic FM 90.2.
Slimzee had recruited Major Ace and they started doing sets on Rinse FM and they were growing a considerable fanbase. This was effectively the beginning of the Pay As You Crew. Pay As You Go got their name from the new plan made available by mobile network providers. This new technology was introduced tbythe likes of One 2 One (formerly Mercury Network) launching, the "Pay As You Go" Top Up SIM cards, as opposed to the old monthly line rental plans. This was a big revolution for mobile phone technology which allowed pirate stations to extend their contact with listeners by giving them cheap manageable phone lines. These SIMs provided many benefits and helped on many fronts as the text message/SMS services were now readily available and cheaper method of contact by listeners and DJs than direct calls. Out to those who remember the use of pagers back in the early 90s. Another benefit to having cheap SIMs was that they could be purchased cheaply, replaced and disposed of much quicker than before which became an obstacle for the DTI (Department of Industry and Trade (now defunct)), but the authority's technology was also changing which allowed them to trace pirate radio stations through their phone-lines. Mobile phones were now an accessible and affordable luxury for many members of a household. It was no longer like the past when mobile phones were exclusively for the elite circles of society, where businessmen, lawyers, accountants and high earners usually possessed mobile phones. Big up the listeners that remember Rinse's old studio hotline 07050 081003.
The explosion of the Pay As You Go Crew on the UK Garage scene was unprecedented and they kept growing from strength to strength. They were no longer a East London phenomenon, they were becoming a London wide sensation with ambitions of taking the whole country by storm. In the years that followed that's what they did. Wiley had produced the track "Know We" after having the success of "Nicole's Groove" under the alias Phaze One. Wiley had rounded up a number of Rinse FM's MC and they all spat flames of fire on the track, GodsGift's hook was an instant pleaser and the Wiley showed his hunger for the mic deciding to stop DJing Garage choosing to switch to picking up the mic and his verse on "Know We" was fire. What initially started off as a dubplate exclusively played by Slimzee became UK Garage hit which got signed to Teebone's Solid City Records and played by all the big UK Garage DJs. The crew had expanded taking on MC GodsGift, MC Maxwell D, MC Wiley, DJ Target and DJ Geeneus. They went on to release "Champagne Dance", in 2002, which reached no.13 in the UK national commercial charts and from that point onwards the crew were known as The Pay As You Go Cartel. In the years that followed during their height they also recruited MC Flowdan, MC Riko Dan and MC Dogzilla. Note that MC Dizzee Rascal was never officially part of the Pay As You Go Cartel. During their prime they featured on all the big raves from Sun City, Pure Silk, Club Sidewinder, Exposure, La Cosa Nostra, Garage Nation and other events.
Out to all the London FM pirates of the past. Although they aren’t about now their contribution to the British music industry and to the London music scene has been immense. Here's a list of some of our most loved pirate radio stations in frequency order from 1989-2006: Flava FM 87.6 / Shine FM 87.9 / Rude FM 88.2 / Impact FM 88.2 / Centreforce FM 88.3 / Unity FM 88.4 / Conflict FM 88.4 / Ice FM 88.4 / London Underground FM 89.4 / Defection FM 89.4 / Raw FM 90.0 / Raw Mission 90.0 / Raw Blaze FM 90.0 / Pure Magic FM 90.2 / Pulse FM 90.6 / Chicago FM 90.6 / Mission FM 90.6 / Y2K FM 90.6 / Rinse FM 91.8 / Passion FM 91.8 / Format FM 92.3 / Weekend Rush FM 92.3 / Kik FM 92.3 / Deja Vu FM 92.3 / Taste FM 92.5 / Mac FM 92.7 / Freeze FM 92.7 / Touchdown FM 94.1 / Stompin’ FM 94.2 / Kool FM 94.5 / Origin FM 95.2 / Entice FM 95.5 / Heat FM 96.6 / Rinse FM 97.6 / Cyndicut FM 97.8 / Fantasy FM 98.6 / Future FM 99.1 / Upfront FM 99.3 / Rinse FM 100.3 / Pressure FM 100.4 / Don FM 100.5 / Eruption FM 101.3 / Erotic FM 101.3 / Industry FM 101.3 / Freek FM 101.8 / Temptation FM 102.4 / Chillin’ FM 102.9 / Delight FM 103.0 / Flex FM 103.6 / Smoove FM 104.0 / Rude FM 104.3 / Ruud Awakening FM 104.3 / Don FM 105.7 / Force FM 106.5 / Girls FM 106.8 / Dream FM 107.6
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