u/Edfan879

This is a branch off of my unreleased deep dive series. This was Ed’s first proper known collab I believe if we’re not counting ”Pause” or “Move On” with Alonestar.

Background Info

Slix (real name Ebenezer Ayerh, also known as Slix Fleeingham) is a British grime artist and songwriter best known as a co-founder and member of the influential East London crew Ruff Sqwad. 

Ed recorded the rough vocals for ”Without You” back in 2006, though the song didn’t actually get released until August 4, 2008 for Slix’s mixtape ”Down Vol 2”.

Download
Download

Heres two download links, one with metadata of Slix’s album and one of a custom Ed grime album, I’m making.

This song was written in about 2012. It‘s like an in between of the + era and the X era. It was heavily considered to be on X but was cut late in production for being too personal. He actively sought out to remove all videos of him playing it live off the internet. Though this one still remains due to the song name not being in the title.

I don’t think the exact meaning and what’s its about it known. But I’d assume its about trauma and coping, and addiction.

If you haven’t heard it, you’ve gotta listen. it’s a crazy good song, with amazing lyrics from the X era. Man everything from the X era is so effing peak.

The studio version leaked in about late 2016 - early 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRGup4Aqnh4

Know more about this song, pls share.

Stuart Dines, was a schoolmate of Ed’s. Stuart lived in Woodbridge with his family.  His parents Robert and Jackie, who have an older son and daughter, have paid tribute "Stuart would always make you laugh, whatever the situation.  He was a very loyal son and brother, who was extremely caring and could never be replaced.  He will never be forgotten by anyone who knew him and will remain with us forever."

Stuart was on a school ski trip in Germany that Ed has not attended.

The bus has a puncture so they had to stop the bus. At around 3am a Lowry holding metal pipes hit the bus. Whilst a few others were hospitalzied. Stuart was the only one killed.

On Saturday the headteacher at the Thomas Mills, Colin Hirst, was back at the school.  He's had to tell Stuart Dines parents that their son had been killed "In the 28 years I've been in the teaching profession, this is unquestionably the worst day of my career.  The first I heard of the accident was when my deputy contacted me not long after the crash to tell me some of our pupils had been involved in what's turned out to be a tragic accident.  When Stuart's death was confirmed by German police I went round to Stuart's parents' house to break the news to them."

Colin Hirst at Thomas Mills High School

Diane Turner's son Jason was on the coach but was unhurt "Obviously, it's going to be one of my son's friends.  They are all very close knit.  This isn't the first time he's travelled with Thomas Mills High School.  They're always very well organised.  I can't criticise them at all.  Information about the accident got through to us very early on."

Ed wrote two songs about the incident. “In Memory” which you can see I’ve annotated and explained on genius. And “We Are” which he’s played live many times in his early days and the song he played at Bedford which got him his record deal. Here’s a leaked studio version One Direction Recorded a version in 2012 for their album “Take You Home” which never released. Ed played “We Are“ live at Stuart’s funeral because Stuart’s parents were so moved by the track.

Scars could potentially be about Stuart too but who knows. I’ll post about Scars soon too. I’ll be starting a new series of posts about unreleased songs.

Here’s more info about Stuart.