Jammz – Dark & Light (Prod. by Jammz)
Duality is the name of the game on Jammz’ latest track ‘Dark & Light’. Here, Jammz muses on the work rate required to reach a place of success, warns against the dangers of assumption, and tells us how his glass is always half full. Jammz’ pinpoint bars are backed by minor-key synths and rolling snare drum patterns, while the video sees him rapping in the capital’s various locations. Overall, ‘Dark & Light’ serves as a peek into the mind of one of grime’s most purposeful spitters.
Big Zuu – Navigate (Prod. by Owen Cutts)
Thoughtful grime from Big Zuu, here. ‘Navigate’ features him weighing up the journey from the estate to television, being resilient in the face of hardship and being in control of his own life. The beat — produced by Owen Cutts — is all biting rhythms and stirring synths while backing vocals from Mira May and Zuu himself add poignancy to the track. ‘Navigate’ shows Big Zuu at his best: spitting open-book lyrics that make sense of life’s challenging points.
Ten Dixon – Virgo Feelings (Prod. by Danio)
Ten Dixon’s ‘Virgo Feelings’ sees him looking inward. Here, he’s musing on the purpose of life, batting away negative energy, and calling out our useless government. The video shows Ten spitting close up to a fishbowl and going hard with the bars in a pretty wavey looking coat. It’s Danio on the production, who lays down hefty bass patterns with hazy pads. Overall, Ten Dixon’s approach to ‘Virgo Feelings’ makes it a great track. It’s a pared-down version of his usual flow, meaning none of his usual intensity is lost, even when he’s spitting introspectively as opposed to tearing up an instrumental.
Elf & Darkness – Bad Breed
Elf’s return to music has been one of the best things about grime this year. He’s back this month with ‘Bad Breed’, a UKG tune produced by Darkness. Here, Elf looks back on school life, chasing girls and locking into Logan back in the day. It’s both nostalgic and rosy, and that’s down to Elf’s engaging delivery and Darkness’ feel-good production. Summer might be winding down, but ‘Bad Breed’ will keep you smiling well into the darker months.
Doller, Ozzie B, Fumin & Neeko – Tek (Prod. by Kazza)
Doller, Ozzie B, Fumin and Neeko are all about the proficiency on their latest single ‘Tek’. Produced by Kazza, the tune sees each emcee craft wordplay around the track’s title, call out broke boys, and big up their respective lyrical prowess. String runs and heady drum patterns define the beat, and each emcee brings the requisite level of sauce to make ‘Tek’ a tune that deserves repeated listens.
Fork and Knife & Griz-O – My Kinda Setting
‘My Kinda Setting’ is made for the clubs. Produced by Fork and Knife with vocals from Griz-O, the former mixes lethal kick drum patterns, icy melody lines and thundering bass hits, while Griz-O keeps the mood up with slack flows about good weed, girls and good vibes. Overall, ‘My Kinda Setting’ is teeming with energy, another hit in Durkle Disco’s deep back catalogue.
Mr Peoples – Judgement
‘Judgement’ is one of three singles released by Earthspin Recordings this month. For my money, it’s the best of the lot, with Mr Peoples blending mangled samples, oil-thick bass lines and atmospheric choir samples. Grab ‘Judgement’ for sustained soundsystem pressure and lots of bass.
M4XW311 – Needagyal Riddim
Canadian grime producer comes through with ‘Needagyal Riddim’. It’s built around a deft melody pattern with shockwave bass lines intersecting in the pockets. Overall, ‘Needagyal Riddim’ has all the trappings of a quality R&G track but adds a bit of bite in the process. Grab this one over at M4XW311’s Bandcamp page.
Random Dready – Main Antagonist
More Bandcamp grime madness, here. ‘Main Antagonist’ is the latest drop from Random Dready, and it more than lives up to its name. Kicking off with evil sonics, the track quickly gets to work with some heavy percussion lines and ultra-dark melodies. Overall, ‘Main Antagonist’ is the type of unrelenting grime that leaves you with a screwface from start to finish.
Boofy – Herbie’s New Sandals
‘Herbie’s New Sandals’ is the latest track from Bristol producer and DJ, Boofy. Mixing atmospheric sonics, bruising percussion and biting bass stabs, it’s the type of dubstep-meets-grime hybrid that you can imagine mashing up a set of speakers on its own or being the launchpad for a couple of top-division emcees to do dirt over. Grab it over at Boofy’s Bandcamp page.
The Art of Grime 