Earworm 001

Earworm is going to be a monthly round up of grime and bass that I enjoyed. I might throw in a few weird UK rap bits if I feel like it, but for now it will be mainly grime and bass music. Not sure what I’m gonna do about a header picture for this one, but we’ll sort that later.

P Jam x Capo Lee – Nando’s Riddim

Nando’s Riddim has been doing the rounds for a bit on radio, seeing its release via Trends’ Mean Streets label. The record follows the standard grime release format – vocal version, instrumental and brand new track. It’s a simple formula, but when done well can be super effective. The instrumental is made for the clubs, with tribal percussion skating over a slinky lead line and clumps of bass that give the track the right amount of bite. It’s Capo Lee on mic duties for the vocal, and he weaves hilarious punchlines into a verse that talks about previous life experiences. ‘Kumasi’ finishes things off, with more tribal drum insanity and a load of screw face inducing noises to fill out the rest of the space.

Kid D – Calculated

Kid D makes grime for the headphones, progressive tracks with warm melodies that take you on a journey. His latest is a six track EP, self released on his own label that has built up a serious back catalogue over the years. Title track ‘Calculated’ pools in Ghetts, who lays down a typically hard verse as though it’s light work. The beat is brooding, dominated by dark and eastern leading melodies, opening the EP on an ominous tip. ‘Suspense’ does what it says on the tin, channelling all the sound system pressure of grime and dubstep without the overdone stabs. The best track is ‘Stratosphere’, which has all the trappings of a Kid D production, marrying hi-def synths and bass with sweet vocal chops.

Kyeza – WorldONE

Kyeza is one of Nottingham grime’s most visible spitters, and here he releases his second EP that features production from both himself and underground heavies in the form of Jammz, Mystry & Gundam. Lyrically, it focuses on road life, with Kyeza giving us an insight into life from his perspective. The bars are spat with aplomb, delivered with that unmistakable Notts twang that sounds great on the right beat. Title track ‘WorldONE’ jumps between melodic runs and scorched earth bass, while Kyeza and Mystry go for all the reloads with the rowdy ‘Ya Get Meh’. ‘Skin Out Riddim’ finishes off the release, a solely instrumental track with speedy percussion that goes off into any and every direction.

Scrufizzer – Tropical Vibes, Pt. 2

Tropical Vibes Pt 1 was released in 2017, and leaned into the tropical sub-culture of grime that JME made famous back in the day. Scruffizer returns with part 2, going for a UK Garage vibe this time around. Opening track ‘Don’t Need You’ goes for heady keys and hooks in the build up, dropping into bars from Scru & Eyez in the verses. ‘Season’ is all beats and bars, including the hilarious line ‘Them man are cat like deeley/ya kna’. Standout track ‘Badmind’ sees Scrufizzer question the lack of unity in the grime scene, wondering why MCs get hype for a year and drop out of the game. The beat is minimal, with slabs of bass that give space for him to get his point across.

R@ – Chrome Veins

This is R@’s third overall release, and it makes sense he’d wind up on Plasma Abuse, as the Scottish label have been a home for weird square wave stuff that fits in the pockets between grime, dubstep and wave music. ‘Veins’ goes hard with mangled lead lines, rising in intensity and dropping into a motion blur of trance melodies before the next round. ‘Cardi’ channels Dark0 and Mssingno, coming in with firework like square waves and trap style bass. Finally, ‘Presence’ deals in melancholy, with drawn out melodies that conjure up images of chase scenes from an old sci-fi film.

Various Artists – Boxed MMXX

Boxed need no introduction, their approach to music is always about finding the newest talent from across the club spectrum. This latest comp is no different, and there will be something for everyone over the twenty four tracks. Stand outs include DJ Garna’s ‘Nike Air Max’, which starts off like any other R&G track, but out of no where launches into face melting bass. Denzel X’s ‘Random Loop Riddim’ is an dissonant grime track that basks in how weird the genre can be, while Dunman & Touchgo serve up gleaming flutes for the breezy ‘Evening Flutes’. De Grandi front loads skull crushing stabs for ‘Citrus’, and Sempra’s ‘When’ is the type of fluttering sino-grime that we really don’t hear enough of nowadays. Finally, Poundshop’s ‘Jiggance’ is centred around warbling leads, and Sware flips an Irish sounding melody into a progressive bass exploration on ‘Early Morn’.

Filthy Gears – LOVE

Filthy Gears pumps out music at a crazy rate, and his latest is an EP that’s self released on his Bandcamp. Stand out track ‘Forgive Them’ opens up with string runs that ring out with trepidation, then pulls out a head nodding lead line. ‘DUM LUV’ kicks off with eerie choral samples, before leaning into dubstep territory with a arachnoid like lead riff that stretches its way over the track. ‘BASH’ is vintage Filthy, all rugged drums and high tension string lines for a no nonsense banger.

More // Night – S7 & Bit Rated

This one is a two track release. ‘S7’ kicks things off, dealing in minimalism and letting the jumped up percussion shine through. There’s splatters of bass and abrasive samples, coming together to create a vibe reminiscent of that nameless period between garage and grime. ‘Bit Rated’ is the complete opposite, full of colour and shine. The melody line, polyphonic and addictive is perfect for the hottest days of summer.

Moony – Stress EP

Moony steps up on Project All Out, delivering an EP with plenty of hybrid styles. The stand out track is ‘Broke Comp’, full of blips and washes of ambience, it’s the type of track that could work alone or be vocalled by one of the more left leaning MCs in the grime scene.