First in Glasgow, then on a global scale, the word Optimo has come to embody many things to many people. The duo of JG Wilkes and JD Twitch have run the gamut across a career spanning three decades: from the infamously raucous 13-year Sunday residency at fabled hometown spot Sub Club, to running a fantastic namesake label and many sub-imprints, through countless compilations (Fabric 52, Dark Was The Night, Sleepwalk) and remix credits, the cult of Optimo shows no signs of slowdown.

The rocket fuel for this seemingly limitless propulsion comes from JG and JD (Jonnie and Keith to their mams), two serious music aficionados who are far from shy in letting their eclectic tastes spill out onto the ‘floor. We’ve had the pleasure of getting Optimo in the Boiler Room thrice before, blessing us in particular with a magical b2b with Move D in Berlin back in 2012, and an equally glorious warm-up at the Subbie earlier this year. Their lifelong dedication to amounting wax made them perfect candidates for Collections, so we traipsed up to Scotland for some enormously entertaining insight into their history. Check the session page HERE for more info on the broadcast, and enjoy some choice shots below to get pumped. Belter.

Jonnie has been the proud owner of a Germa–err, Swedish whip for a lot longer than anyone in grime.

 The land before Discogs, and what it felt like to not own of a copy of this seminal Neu! LP until decades after it’s release (hint: quite painful).

The artwork on Tom Zé’s Todos Os Olhos that Keith is holding here actually depicts an arsehole with a marble stuck in it. True story.

 In the bizarro world of Optimo, the Taxi Driver soundtrack is perfect warm-up gear–which automatically makes it alright in our books too.

In case you were wondering, the poodle’s name is Abba.

Coming soon: a 5hr “Storytime with Optimo” special…well, we can but dream.

Thanks to Mateusz Sleczka for the photos