Grime is having a moment, but on both sides of the Atlantic, rising artists like Visionist and Rabit are making it as appropriate for art galleries as dancefloors
Grime is more buoyant than ever. Beats 1’s Julie Adenuga is broadcasting it to the world, lo-fi Stormzy freestyles are getting 7 million YouTube views, and Skepta and Drake’s love-in is so profound they’re probably comparing trainer whitener over fireside glasses of Alizé as we speak. Its central rhythmic premise – feinting jabs of bass and clap – is still at the heart of the “scene” but often these happily stand alone as “instrumental grime” and its champions, club nights such as Boxed and labels like Local Action, are also thriving.
But two albums released this month by Visionist and Rabit show how far out the production style is spinning. The former’s tracks are artful little instrumentals, while the latter makes explosive work out of gunshot sounds; it’s all high-gloss, heavily processed electronics that could sit in an art gallery as well as a club. That off-kilter rhythmic core is definitely there, but neither feature any MCs, and sometimes not even beats. Is this even grime any more?
Continue reading...by Ben Beaumont-Thomas via Electronic music | The Guardian
No comments:
Post a Comment