The Story

Oblig is a London-based DJ and Rinse FM resident whose sound is defined by deliberate friction: grime instrumentals slammed into techno frameworks, drill tension threaded through percussive club patterns, dubstep low-end used as the glue between scenes that are often treated as separate.

A central theme in Oblig's work is translation — taking grime to new audiences without sanding off its edge. In 2014, he moved to New York (he's a dual US citizen) at a time when grime's visibility was rising in the UK mainstream. From the start, his approach was tactical and DJ-led: he would blend grime into trap, dubstep and other recognisable club music so that crowds could "get it" in real time.

By the time he returned to London in 2017, Oblig had already built a reputation for connecting people and scenes. In the years that followed, he developed a signature style: grime as dance music, not just MC music.

A turning point came at Waterworks Festival in West London, when Oblig watched Skee Mask (back-to-back with Zenker Brothers) play Jon E Cash / sublow-era grime to a techno crowd. That moment crystallised the possibility of grime in techno contexts — not as novelty, but as energy.

Oblig's Rinse FM residency and guest-heavy shows form the backbone of his community role. In 2023, he launched Obligated Records to formalise the sound and community he was building.