June: 10 dubstep & grime releases you need to hear this month
Bangers and mash
Album of the month
T_A_M 'In Tandem' (Apothecary Compositions)
T_A_M’s had quite a start to 2016, but the work he’s most proud of is documented across ‘In Tandem’, a debut album that’s taken nearly two years to put together. Although not specifically grime – in fact, the majority of tracks on the LP are completely unclassifiable – there are references across the album, particularly on tracks such as the gorgeous lullaby, ‘Trooner’. Echoes of Yamaneko on the floaty, aqua-themed ‘Summ Kiirk’ are clear, too, but this is an album that T_A_M has obviously poured a lot into. It’s certainly complex and, in places, deeply emotional – see both ‘Snow In August’ and the beautiful, ‘My Family’ – but as a whole, ‘In Tandem’ smacks of an artist completely at one with his own ideas, thoughts and musical processes. We’re very impressed.
8/10