SPACESURFER – Dreamland
Next up is SPACESURFER, a producer from Greenland who’s just put out their latest release ‘Dreamland’. It’s a two tracker, essentially grime-adjacent production done through an ambient context. If you’re privy to the styles of eco-grime, this record could fall under that tag; but it seems more in line with the wave music that’s been everywhere recently, which in turn feels like a continuation of the work Last Japan, Logos & co were doing a few years back. ‘Dreamland’ features an original mix and an ambient mix, so you could argue that this producer is doing their take on the old devil mix style Wiley had going way back when.
On to the music, and ‘Dreamland’ is absolute bliss to listen to. The opening blends airy vocal samples that whisper over a seabed of ambient synths, evoking fresh air from countryside walks. A gliding melody line wanders in toward the back end of the intro, which coupled with bird noises adds that extra meditative feeling. When the drop hits, the track ventures into trap territory – percussion gives the track a bit of a kick, but it still retains its glistening quality. The second track is an ambient mix of the first, taking away most of the percussion and emphasising the melodic aspects. It’s hard to gauge whether the devil mixes of the early 2000s have had an influence of SPACESURFER’s work, but the internet has opened up many doors, and the release feels like a slice of flight mode grime that could fit into the opening of a set. Overall, it’s refreshing to hear grime-adjacent music with melodic quality, rather than a million chops and stabs.
Starkey – Megawave
The eski sound palette is one of Wiley’s lasting legacies to grime, with many producers mining the digital annals to paint their own sonic drawings with the sound pack. The results are varied: there are some really out there takes on it and some that do a good job of getting the essence. Starkey’s been in the game for a minute, and his latest EP ‘Megawave’ goes for the former, turning the classic sounds on their head for pure sound system obliteration.
‘Arsenal’ kicks off the EP, with gut bursting sub bass marching alongside vocal samples that glitch like your old computer did when it was on its last legs. ‘Technicolor’ opens up on a straight-forward tip with eski riffs, before the low end and breaks kick in for an all out grime assault. ‘Tractor Beam’ and ‘Urgent Care’ close out the release, the intensity refusing to dial down. Fierce and not for the faint hearted, ‘Megawave’ is a full frontal explosion of bass that takes grime’s original sound palette and pushes it in abstract directions.
Bazza – Grounded EP
Grime and bass producer Bazza drops a four track EP on his label More Direct Records. The standout track comes in the form of ‘Redline’, it’s cutting lead line breaking through the speakers with aplomb. It’s all high tension strings, doing equal damage as a solely instrumental cut or with a few MCs blessing it with some lyrics. ‘Frequent’ draws for the strings again, its harmonies making for a haunted grime cut. ‘Trenches’ closes out the release, a track which has the same sort of haunting vibe Waifer brought to his productions. It’s no frills, but sometimes less is more. These tracks go hard on their own, but MCs take note: if you want some instrumentals with urgency, please drop some of your best bars on some of these riddims.
Shayu – All The Way Through
Shayu steps up on Coyote Records, releasing a five track EP. ‘All The Way Through’ is a collection of glossy instrumentals that get the balance between hard and soft sounds spot on. Opener ‘Floating’ dazzles with ultraviolet synths; while ‘Roti’ takes grime motifs and gives them some snapping percussion. ‘Flinx’ is driven by brittle leads and industrial level bass, a track that captures the essence of weird first gen grime. ‘Common Gender’ closes out the release, a cauldron of broken beats and bugged out bass. Overall, it’s a great release that fits into Coyote’s ongoing aesthetic very well.
Jakebob – 2 For 5 EP
Following on from last months ‘Etnam Street’, Jakebob is back with a five tracker of melodic grime instrumentals. Opening track ‘2 For 5’ kicks off with some detuned samples, then gets into the vibes with four dimensional lead lines. ‘Democracy Manifest’ is a deft roller with zippy basslines; while ‘Hype Controller’ packs in colourful melody and synths. Just like the Bazza release, these sound great as solely instrumental bits, but could really elevate the right MC. Big up skengman Jakebob, yeah?
The Art of Grime 