The Qemists

Every so often a song comes out that seems like it was scientifically designed to cause fights in nightclubs. "Dem Na Like Me" is one of those songs. Occupying the grey area between grime, hip-hop and reggae, it might as well have the sounds of smashing glass and shouting bouncers mixed into the background. Grime hero Wiley spits three minutes of pure threat-filled aggression. The Qemists' mix of heavy-handed, distorted synths, gunshot snares and weird drop-outs only adds to the tension. The extended single has eight versions of the song, including a "VIP" drum & bass remix, which takes the simmering tension of the original track and amps it up into a face-smashing frenzy. The A1 Bassline remix takes the tension down several notches to make the most likeable version of the song. "Dem Na Like Me" is a little too ham-fisted to really work as a song, even as a club banger. As an incitement to violence, however, it will undoubtedly work like a charm.