July: 9 dubstep & grime releases you need to hear this month

Preditah 'Fabriclive 92' (fabric)

Preditah has enjoyed a whirlwind five years since debuting at Fabric back in 2012, but remains one of grime’s most sought-after producers. Having broken through as a grime beat-making protege, he’s been tapped for countless beats and remixes by numerous majors, though his DJ sets have always been rooted in grime, garage and the culture of his home city, Birmingham. Here, in the biggest statement mix of his career, he mixes 32 tracks at breakneck speed, with exclusives from DJ Q and C4 and some of his own cuts, including a dynamite ‘Evil’ VIP version of ‘Circles’. There’s not much time to catch your breath, but that’s exactly the point – blink and you’ll miss it. Peak moments include the ‘Fruit Burst’ into ‘Topper Top’ blend, as well as Bassboy’s ‘Exotic Juice’ and Solo 45’s club smash ‘Feed ‘Em To The Lions’.

8/10

Compa feat Footsie 'No Hype' (CPA Records)

After a series of EPs for the likes of Deep Medi, Boka, Killa Sound and more since 2012, Compa is launching a new label with a murderous two-track plate. ‘No Hype’ featuring Footsie is our tip: a hoods-up, heads-down, grime-cum-dubstep onslaught that fires out the blocks from the first bar. The lurching beat, spiked with snare rolls and razor-sharp claps, isn’t particularly complex but provides the perfect foil for Footsie to roll back the years on mic. “What’s all the hyping for?”, he fires out on the hook. Proper!

8/10

Tarquin 'Grease/Foxtown' (Gobstopper)

More bonkers heat from grime’s most creative young mind, Tarquin, after debuting on Rinse only last month. His latest sees him returning to Mr Mitch’s Gobstopper label, from where he launched his debut release back in 2015. Lead track ‘Grease (Chord Mix)’ is wonky club ammo at its most garish, a dizzying melee of electrified sounds and screeching melodies, while the lurking, villainous ‘Foxtown’ plays out like the theme tune to the boss level of your favourite Game Boy cartridge.

8/10

Cid Poitier 'Zeitgeist/Grim Creeper' (Sub:Clef Records)

A ghoulish set of system-rattlers on new imprint Sub:Clef, courtesy of Translation Recordings’ Cid Poitier. A-side ‘Zeitgeist’, all bleak and twisted industrial clatter, is powered by booming low-end and nightmarish, dystopian undertones. ‘Grim Creeper’ continues with the same theme, only this time with more space for the impending doom to revel in. Dark and troubling concepts, but beautifully executed.

9/10

Muttley 'Make Me' EP (Pear Drops)

Bristol’s Pear Drops crew are releasing EPs at a rate of knots so far in 2017, but Muttley’s ‘Make Me’ might be one of their most ambitious yet. An ode to Wave – the icy brand of trap beat-making popular with net communities across the globe – ‘Make Me’ glistens, as trinket box melodies, freeze-dried synths, pitched-up vocal cries and thick-edged, 808 beats collide. It also comes fresh with a vocal version courtesy of Bristol MCs Jay0117 and Dimpson, as well as a remix from Wave flag-bearer Kareful, but the original does the business for us. A further collab with Daffy on the wheezy, spiralling ‘Frost Bite’ seems a little unnecessary, but the bruising ‘Night Owl’ is a powerful finish.

7/10

TMSV 'PRF001' (Perfect Records)

Dutch producer TMSV has been putting out killer dubstep for a minute now, and after a series of records on Om Unit’s Cosmic Bridge, he’s decided to launch new label Perfect Records with a view to showcasing “the beauty of imperfection”. ‘PRF001’ features three of his own, including ‘Modification’ – one of his most coveted, defined by its frantic tribal drum work and booming low-end – which has been on heavy rotation with the likes of Joe Nice, Kahn & Neek and Vivek. Crackly, 160bpm wobbler ‘Doom Clone’ sees TMSV flip the tempo and head toward the space he’s been writing tunes in most recently, before final track ‘Junglis’ lands as a tribute to the original hardcore and jungle sounds that inspired him.

7/10

Blay Vision 'Turner Ave.' LP (Lit City Trax)

Blay Vision is wired differently, a grime MC/producer totally unconcerned by the pull of the scene around him. His debut LP, ‘Turner Ave’, is a testament to the commitment to do things his own way: from the standout single ‘Gone Mad’ featuring JME to ‘These Guys’, Blay also produces the majority of his own beats, most of which tap into the experimental Boxed-style landscape as opposed to the standard 140bpm MC template. Throughout, he also speaks his mind on an array of issues ranging from politics to the road to religion, displaying conscious lyrics befitting of spitters like Sway and Akala, only told with grittier, more lived-in swagger. While the narrative and the beats might be complex, ‘Turner Ave.’ feels accessible, but also cohesive: amped-up hype tune ‘Skeen’, the skippy, Teeza-produced ‘Moving Now’ and reflective slow-burner ‘Normal’ all speak of different experiences, but still make sense sitting on the same tracklist. It might go under-the-radar as a project, but Blay might have just released one of the grime albums of the year.

9/10

Trends & Boylan 'Untouchable' EP (Mean Streets)

More monstrous grime fare from two of the scene’s deadliest, who reunite here for the first time since 2016 smash ‘Norman Bates’. From the nightmarish overtures of the title track to the ferocious, crunching bass of ‘Ryme Time’, it’s easy to see why they’ve been a crossover favourite with dubstep stalwarts such as Caspa. ‘Untouchable’ references the face-melting, impact ‘drops’ of some early Circus and even Dub Police records. That said, final track ‘Crunch’ feels equally at home in the instrumental grime lane, powered by Boylan’s scorching bass sounds.

7/10

Eva808 'Oyuki' EP (White Peach)

White Peach is one of the most consistent smaller UK labels out there at the moment, and continues a busy 2017 with a pearler from Eva808. ‘Oyuki’ deals in experimental zones, delicately rebooting grime, dubstep and club tropes as it sees fit, with the jittery, hoods-up menace of the title track a good entry point. The deft heat of ‘You Don’t’ has a gorgeous vocal loop floating above shiny melodies and a rolling 808 beat, while ‘Empress’ is darker, pensive and unpredictable. Dreamy watercolour ‘Ro$e Gold’ signs off with glossy textures and hazy vocal samples that seem to fade in and out of focus, exuding a sense of quiet joy.

8/10