English ragga and jungle MC duo
The Ragga Twins, also known as RTC, are an English ragga and jungle MC duo of Deman Rocker (David Destouche) and Flinty Badman (Trevor Destouche). Originating from Hackney, England, they started out on London's Unity sound system,[1] and are regarded as pioneers of the scene.[2] AllMusic called them "crucial cogs in the development of U.K. dance music."[3]
History
The Ragga Twins originated as part of London's Unity sound system, operating under the name in 1989. They first came to prominence with a number of groundbreaking singles in the early 1990s including "Spliffhead", "Wipe the Needle", "Hooligan 69" and "Mixed Truth", with production by Shut Up & Dance. This was followed by album Reggae Owes Me Money in 1991.[3] They resurfaced in 1995 on Positiva, and continued to release tracks intermittently into the 2000s.[3]
The Ragga Twins longest musical relationship is with Aquasky, a partnership that was first cemented in 2001 when the tracks "All in Check" feat. CoGee and "Loko"[4] were written for Botchit & Scarper. Four months later, the tracks "Coffee" and "Dem No No We" were recorded for drum and bass label Moving Shadow, and in 2002, the drum and bass track "Dirty Entertainers" was recorded with Aquasky on their now defunct Sonix label. The following year, a remix was created and white labels distributed but the single was never released due to Aquasky leaving their distribution deal with ST Holdings and moving to SRD.
A series of 12" singles have been released with Aquasky on their Passenger label since 2002, including new tracks for the 601 album We Do Bass and a Ragga Twins 2002–2013 compilation album. In 2004, Aquasky were approached by HBO for the usage of the tracks "Loko" or "Dem No No We" to be used in the Ali G series Ali G in Da USA. HBO finally settled on "Dem No No We" which took the Ragga Twins' new breakbeat output to America. A video was shot for the "Superbad" single in 2011 by b-boy and film-maker Charlie Marbles, a friend of Aquasky also from Bournemouth.
In 2008, the Twins lent their vocals to the Backdraft single, "Rock the Mic".[5] In 2010, they were featured on Mason and the Fraudster's track "U Appear". Flinty Badman & Deman Rocker appeared in the Plan B crime film Ill Manors in 2012. In 2014, they featured on "All is Fair in Love and Brostep" and "Ragga Bomb" from Skrillex's debut album Recess,[6] and "Zipper" from MUST DIE!'s album Death & Magic.
In 2008, Soul Jazz Records issued a compilation album of their early 1990s recordings entitled Ragga Twins Step Out.[7][8]
Ragga Twins play regularly on the Kool London radio station.
