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Son Raw refuses to cover anything with a “future” genre tag.
A few years ago, there were barely enough instrumental Grime tunes seeing official release to make up a scene, let alone enough good ones to incite weekly purchases. Today however, the tide has shifted – consider Boomkat’s renaming their Dubstep/Grime/Funky section to Grime/FWD if you need proof. Throw in a great selection of labels defining their own sounds and an increasing number of new Grime DJs turning up at radio, and you’ve got a recipe for exciting music. With that in mind, here’s 5 singular forthcoming releases for the next couple of months. To keep things interesting, I stuck to new names who didn’t make my 2013 producers list. A couple of picks were still in the process of getting signed as of now, so expect part 2 next month.
DJ Milktray – Hotel [TBA]/Finn – Keep Calling [Local Action]
Gotta include these two together despite not being on the same label: they’re separated a birth. Part of a wave of excellent music that blurs the lines between edits and original production, both Hotel and Keep Calling twist and chop R&B samples into what Kode9 once called Hypersoul: music merging the humanity of R&B vocals to the machine/drug interface of rave music. Whether mixed into each other or into similarly banging material from Inkke or Gundam, these tunes add a much needed dash of sexiness to a scene built around gunshot samples and frigid atmospheres. Call it the next evolution in DJ Premier’s chopped sampling style, except this time around, the 90s and 2000s aren’t off limits.
Further listening: Inkke, Gundam
Spare – 1BLT EP [Coyote]
Building on the melodic, urban meditation of Katana on Coyote Kings, newcomer Spare’s debut EP for the label has the young producer fanning out in every direction, building a sound around his technique rather than a tempo or mood. Boss Hogg and title track 1BLT snarl and bite with hardcore basslines and snare-heavy drum patterns, but Glide sounds like the soundtrack to an old video game’s tropical level and Venom is a beatless, junglist devil mix that evokes memories of L.D minus any sort of percussion. It’s a bold approach that works as a complete listen while still keeping things DJ friendly and it’s anchored by great sound design, particularly in terms of synths and basslines. Amidst the the noisier and more club friendly Grime mutations going on right now, this one’s pure pirate lushness.
Further listening: JT The Goon, Chemist
Shriekin’ Specialist – forthcoming EP [TBA]
Details about this one are still on the low, but Carlow Ireland’s Shriekin’ Specialist’s been buzzing for a few months now, gaining support from DJs as sonically-divergent as Dusk & Blackdown and Spooky – not an easy divide to bridge. The secret lies in Specialist’s off kilter melodies – he nails the combination of alien future shock and sugar-rush catchiness that defined the best Eski-beat tracks, without relying on that movement’s played out sounds. Easily the most ethereal and eyes down of this month’s selection. Red Beach explores Eastern timbres to full effect, while Too right is pure arp-fueled terror. Even the major key Take Down aims for stratospheric heights, and it’s noteworthy to consider that all of these tracks function in and around Grime’s OG 140BPM tempo, rather than slowing things down for DJs mixing and matching styles. Uncompromising madness.
Further listening: Major Grave, Rabit
HI5Ghost – Kung Fu Kick b/w Kahn & Neek remix [Bandulu]
Bandulu, Kahn and Neek’s vinyl-only Mecca for classic, Pulse X inspired Lazer BRAP Grime, is undefeated in the release game. Every single plate has been a must-rinse, unrepentant banger of a tune meant to inspire thrashing elbows, neck-snapping skanking and general havoc anywhere it’s played at loud volume. Hi5Ghost’s Kung Fu Kick is no exception – from the second that Jammer hook drops, it’s full-on delirium of the highest degree, nothing but skittering claps, hi-hat rolls, strings and at least 5 different basslines alternating at a whirlwind pace. Naturally, Kahn & Neek’s remix gives no quarter, adding space, stomp, swing, and a horn section before exploding into the kind of drop EDM couldn’t imagine in its wildest, most feverish dreams. I only have one request: a digital compilation for the labe by year’s end. While Kahn and Neek should be applauded for keeping with Bristol’s, “vinyl is final” aesthetic, even the purists at Livity Sound found it in their hearts to bless the rest of us with a double CD.
Further listening: Boofy, Oatz,
Sir Pixalot Productions – Brazil [Sulk]
Sir Pixalot’s Twitter mentions that he’s also a guitarist in a Hardcore band, and while you won’t won’t find any distorted guitars here, his Grime tunes share that genre’s relentless forward moment and emphasis on catchy, riffy, melodies. Cosigned by Boxed’s Slackk and due out on his emerging Sulk label, Brazil 8-bar at its finest, alternating between gut-churning low and and a melody line that evokes London skyscrapers reaching for the heavens. No word yet on the B-sides, but there’s a South-American theme running through his Soundcloud selection and his recent release on Progressive Intelligence incorporates a banging combination of Sino-Grime chords and Garage influenced drumming. Anyone concerned about the new wave of Grime toning things down need not fear here.
Further listening: Trends, Novelist,
