Duppy – Now You See Me
Duppy is one of grime’s foremost young talents. His debut EP — titled “Now You See Me” — is the culmination of a two-year come-up that has included radio sets, singles and instrumentals. Self-produced and featuring appearances from Mez and Cadell, the EP is stark, a twenty-minute lightning strike of white-hot grime music. Stand out track ‘Dress Code’ fires out free association lyricism over dizzying percussion and whirring synth lines, while ‘Dim Sum’ effortlessly distils radio-set hype into a recorded format. Elsewhere, ‘Any MC’, ‘Wooshu’ and ‘Again’ are certified speaker breakers, and ‘Feel Like This’ is an inward-looking cut that provides respite from the lyrical whirlwind. You can’t buy this sort of energy.
GroundHummm – Non-Binary Beats
GroundHummm drops their debut album, “Non-Binary Beats”, via Feral Dubs. A producer, DJ, and multi-genre artist, it’s GroundHummm’s ear for texture that shines through the most on this record, as they fuse the rhythms of grime with jazz, noise, and metal influences. Album opener ‘Grime Noir’ plants a swinging, lava-thick sax riff over thumping percussion, while ‘CrossChat’ blends signal-jammed synths, whizzing samples and heavy drums together for a cybernetic banger. ‘7th Turntable From Hell’ is atonal screwface material, ‘DESTROY THE CISTEM’ is all noisy guitar lines, and ‘Glitchwave’ is a symphony of dissonance. “Non-Binary Beats” is a record with ambition, from a producer comfortable mashing together various genres.
Amang Djaso – Pros & Cons / Dimé
Rotterdam’s Amang Djaso presents “Pros & Cons/Dimé”. Opener ‘Pros & Cons’ switches between utilitarian bass stabs and nebulous synth lines that subtly stretch and shape, both patterns underpinned by a sturdy rhythm. ‘Dimé’ carries over the functional bass style, though more overtly rhythmic than its predecessor. Layered drums take centre stage, complemented by intermittent flashes of melody. It’s 8-bar grime done well, an invitation to move the body.
DJ Cable – Gradient / Bloom
DJ Cable returns with “Gradient / Bloom”. ‘Gradient’ kicks off the release: blending foundation-shaking drums, pulsating bass, and glitchy samples, it’s pure screwface business. Bloom is the more experimental of the two. Cable layers hushed square riffs around one another, while background sounds are dabbed with the lightest of echo. Two sides of the grime coin, here, the latter track standing out especially.
Ital Beat – Ritmado Riddim
Ital Beat’s “Ritmado Riddim” features two tracks. The first — titled ‘Ritmado Riddim’ — is teeming with nimble grooves and razor-sharp basslines, influenced as much by baile funk as it is grime music. The second track, a remix of ‘Topper Top’, places the tune’s vocal over the title track. It sounds perfect, a brand-new context for an already legendary song. Grab this one for unlimited vibes.
Moscow Legend x Tripta x Hotcut – SSK
Fresh gunfinger material from the UNITED camp, here. Moscow Legend and Tripta combine for ‘SSK’: a track packed full of long, winding brain-scrambling bass notes, topped off with tight rhythms and a Project Pat sample, the latter only ramping up the instant screwface feeling. Elsewhere, there’s a seismic remix from Hotcut, the second version of ‘SSK’ and even a remix of the Hotcut remix. Heat upon heat.
Spooky Bizzle – The Valentines EP
Valentine’s Day has been and gone, but who says you still can’t serenade a sweet one? Luckily, Spooky’s got you covered with four sticky-sweet grime meets soul flips — chops and heavy bass included. My pick went to final track, ‘Love Rush’, a slow jam with velvet basslines, luscious guitar chords and hip-moving drum hits. Smooooth.
DJ Eastwood – Best of Both EP
Grime O.G. DJ Eastwood drops a six-track EP that features grime and amapiano tunes. The latter is all the rage right now, and Eastwood’s remix of ‘Bloody Samaritan’ shows why. How can you not be taken in by those infectious licks of melody? For the grime heads, ‘3 AM’ is a mean slice of AMS fare which smashes through the speaker with an ascending bass line and high-impact brass hits. Grab “Best of Both” for head-bopping riddims and plenty of fun.
Grandmixxer – XXXV
Grandmixxer’s latest compiles two dubs from the vaults. Opener ‘Block Song Dubplate’ is defined by oscillating bass lines, choir synths and minimal percussion. They’re brought to a peak, stripped back down and rebuilt, the structure feeling more and more psychedelic as the tune plays out. A starship mix of ‘Quest’ is on the flip. With the drums removed, it plays out like an ambient quest, full of sweeping synths, ominous textures and uncanny piano notes. Grime mood music done right.
HITPOINT – Carbon
Hitpoint’s a young, prolific producer from Spain; his latest EP is titled “Carbon”. It’s oozing with rhythm. EP opener ‘Shut Up’ flips a punchy sample, while ‘Woah’ is jammed with tight drums and cosmic synth lines. ‘Carbon’ carries those space-age synths on, and final track, ‘Hella High’, leads with laser-gun, distorted bass lines. Grime you can move your feet to, and not a Pete Tong-branded glowstick insight.
Mez – Instrumentals 001
Mez lets off a few instrumentals from “One Uncle” and the beat for 2020’s ‘Bumbaclart Riddem’. All four work as pure instrumental music, high-octane grime music that shakes the rib cage and zaps the nerves. My pick goes to ‘Africa Instrumental’, and that’s down to those cavernous bass patterns that burrow into the brain.
Scrivs & Jakebob – Symbolic
Occasional production duo Scrivz & Jakebob reunite for “Symbolic”, a three-tracker with a devil mix and remix from Spooky. Snapping percussion lines and wonky basslines serve as the main feature of the title track, while a wandering melody line floats in and around the low-end madness. Subtle drum line changes provide variation. Spooky’s remix chops the hell out of the bass for maximum intensity, and the devil mix gives the tune an eerie feel. Overall, it’s a solid release that features some great producers.
Crooked Sound – No Slow Rollers
“No Slow Rollers” combines jazz’s physicality with grime’s body rumbling low-end. Pitch-bent guitars sit alongside fuzz-drenched basslines; the melody lines are unpredictable, and the drum patterns dance like a well-oiled troupe. It’s a sprawl of jazz and grime flavours. At times structure is thrown to the curb, but the tunes never feel directionless. Crooked Sound has delivered a record with plenty to catch the ear.
Sir Hiss – Outlaw
Sir Hiss returns with “Outlaw”. Released via his own label, No More Mailouts, it’s a three-track EP with heavy western vibes. Title track ‘Outlaw’ struts from the speakers with a shimmering guitar motif, while the Lemzly Dale featuring ‘Bandits’ pairs choppy guitar licks with shuffling percussion lines. EP Closer ‘High Noon’ rides off into the sunset, blending distorted bass, more guitar samples and heavy barrel drums.
Jack Dat x Boss Mischief – Boss Dat EP
Top selector Jack Dat and Refix master Boss Mischief combine for a four-tracker aptly named “Boss Dat”. ‘Resfriado’ combines lurching rhythms with string riffs, and ‘Day One’ elicits infinite head bops. Elsewhere, EP standout ‘3 Hours Sleep’ is all mean bass and scorched-earth synths. Engaging melodies, hard bass, and impactful percussion make this EP one to grab.
Introspekt – I Know U Want Me
Los Angeles-based producer and DJ Introspket drops a four-track garage EP on Leeds based label Gimme A Break Records. Opener ‘I Know U Want Me’ is full of deep grooves, real lose your mind rave material, while ‘Lyin – 98 Mix’ blends industrial-grade rhythms and wobbly synths. Standouts come from ‘Witchez’ and ‘Soundboy Funeral’, their crowbar rhythms, mean synths and screwface energy lighting up the speakers.
Mayday – Complete The Mission (Deluxe)
Birmingham’s Mayday drops the deluxe edition of his 2021 project “Complete The Mission”. The record features two new tracks in ‘Shift’ and ‘Celebrate’. The former blends tricky wordplay with bright synths and layered percussion, while the latter is a melodic trap banger with glossy production. Elsewhere, ‘Return To The Safehouse’ is characterised by dark lead lines and relentless delivery, and ‘Sun’ is a glistening UKG banger.
The Art of Grime 