Sach O can’t believe something good came of Montreal’s Hip-Hop scene.
Those Scots at LuckyMe must really like Montreal. While most EDM labels have yet to realize there’s more to this fair city than guitar players in plaid shirts, those forward-thinking Glaswegians have signed not one but TWO acts from around here: House&B emotionalist Jacques Greene and beat music misfit Lunice. Good on them, the former has gone on to remix everyone from Katy B to Thom Yorke while the later’s neon-daubed instrumental Hip-Hop has the potential to go just as far. Combining the high-resolution sonics of label-mates Rustie and Hudmo to a North-American sensibility closer to Diplo or Araabmuzik, Lunice’s One Hunned EP is a major step up for the young producer, highlighting a sense of craft where there was once only infectious enthusiasm.
Opening number Glow should give you a good idea of what he’s working with: chunky boom-bap drums anchoring retro-futuristic synths while skittering crunk hi-hats keep things interesting. But while too many North-American instrumentalists fall victim to repeating variations on their one good idea ad nauseum, The One Hunned EP is proof Lunice isn’t afraid to explore new territory from 140 BPM Timbo-Dub (Juice) to downtempo chiptune (Guardian) to 80s boogie sample science (And she said.) As for the plodding I See You, the album’s sole low point gets scrapped for parts on two banging remixes, with Girl Unit’s menacing Lex Luger style flip stealing the show. While perhaps lacking the focus that comes with using genre as a starting point, this sonic variety would bode well should Lunice make moves towards getting these tracks in the hands of urban pop’s A-List. That’s not a stretch – it’s easy to imagine T.I or Beyonce taking these tracks to pop charts: first Glasgow then the world.
Download:
LUNICE – Guardian (The Fader Premier) by LuckyMe Music.Art.Parties
