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

Slackk 'A Little Light' (R&S)

‘A Little Light’ might not be a conventional coming-of-age record, particularly for a producer who’s already released an excellent LP and several EPs. But for Slackk, it might inadvertently turn out to be just that. Having long operated on the peripheries of instrumental grime, ‘A Little Light’ feels like a sound realised after years of honing. From the dreamy melodies of ‘Spring Mist’ to the contorted grime of ‘Desert Eagle’, it’s all indisputably Slackk. He plays with textures, patterns and tempos, referencing his house, grime and even classic UK funky influences on standout ‘Old Petchy Shows’. But despite all the switch-ups, it never feels overdone. It’s emotional in parts too, particularly on the abstract r’n’b of ‘Zip Me Up’ and lullaby ‘So Far, The Sea’. A brilliant album from a producer who should get more credit.

9/10

Blay Vision 'These Guys' (Lit City Trax)

Blay Vision follows his 2016 debut LP ‘The Vision’ with a new track for Lit City Trax. Blay self-produces the majority of his material and ‘These Guys’, written as a thinly-veiled ‘fuck you’ to the politics of grime’s wider industry, proves how powerful clever beats and thoughtful lyrics can be. Built around squarewave melodies and nifty pads, the beat gives Blay room to talk about his experiences. “I spent years unhappy tryna make people happy and that can’t run,” he quips, before flowing into the infectious hook.

8/10

Maribor 'HIAB/HAWWY' (Super Kitchen)

A new set of thumpers from Badimup label boss Maribor, who debuts for Bristol collective Super Kitchen with two-tracker ‘HIAB’/’HAWWY’. Out on a limited white-label 12” (we recommend grabbing one quick), A-side ‘HIAB’ is a rolling, acid-tinged 130 edit of Sunshine Anderson’s track ‘Heard It All Before’ that just screams ‘summertime’. On the flip, meanwhile, the rough and tough ‘HAWWY’ is all percussive weight, 2-step swing and fuzzy sub. Tip!

7/10

Gemmy 'Bamboozled' EP (W.O.W)

High power fare from OG dubstep champ Gemmy, who delivers his first material since 2013 in the form of new four-track EP ‘Bamboozled’. Rooted in the iconic purple dubstep sound of his home city of Bristol, ‘Bamboozled’ is naturally awash with nostalgic references, but still delivers plenty of new thrills – particularly via the monstrous low-end of the title track and the bracing, pensive feels to the purpley heartbreak of ‘Lost Love’. He switches up the musicality on the jazzy freneticism of ‘Champ’, before rolling back the years on sci-fi grime tip ‘16s’. Booming EP.

8/10

Siskiyou 'Afterlife/Mantis' (Navy Cut)

This is the first in a series of forthcoming Navy Cut releases from blossoming newcomer Siskiyou, who has been a fixture in label head J. Sparrow’s DJ sets for the last six months now. Based in Manchester but presumably named after the county of the same name in California, Siskiyou’s sound is deft, subtle and beautifully engineered. A-side ‘Afterlife’ floats through the motions with gorgeous string melodies and crackly, archive textures, while on the flip, ‘Mantis’ lands as a hyper-minimal dubstep workout, pulsing along with flashes of percussive texture and moody bass tones.

8/10

Timbah 'Slimey Makoto' EP (BAD TASTE)

Leeds-based producer Timbah has always had a knack for surprising us with his music, and these wacky, anime-themed club joins are no exception. The crunchy hydraulics and bleepy overtures of bone-rattling opening track ‘OvahxxMi’ is a good entry point to his thinking here, although it’s the brooding, low-key anxiety of second track ‘Eagles Shadow’ that really resonates with us. Laced with pitched-up sino melodies and purpley synths that cut through the noisy bass sounds like shards of glass, it packs a hell of a punch, and manages to keep us on edge for the duration. More wild bass abstraction is the flavour of the day on the title track, as Timbah signs off on an EP that makes a mockery of conventional club dynamics.

7/10

Proc Fiskal 'The Highland Mob' EP (Hyperdub)

Future-tilted 160bpm instrumental grime from Scottish producer Proc Fiskal, who debuts for Hyperdub with new release ‘The Highland Mob’. Re-tooling grime’s traditional make-up at faster tempos has its drawbacks, but here Fiskal just about pulls it off: from the rasping square waves, Eski clicks and fluid, sino melodies on opener ‘£’ to the the footwork-paced, low-end rumble of ‘Lamentation’, the result is dizzying and in most parts, oddly satisfying. ‘Skulka’ is arguably the most slapstick of the lot, awash with plenty of crash, bang, wallops and gunshot ripples. Our tip, though, is ‘Acidic Hoes’, a tune that grows wilder and more bolshie with every passing second.

7/10

Swimful 'Pearls' EP (SVBKVLT)

Shanghai-based producer Swimful is making some of the most exciting grime bits on the planet right now. Here, he returns to the SVBKVLT label for the second time, with new EP ‘Pearls’. Building on his penchant for exploring Eastern sino melodies and emotive textures, the package picks out four of his best new cuts, from the playful, bubblegum giddiness of the title track to the mournful, downbeat ‘Lonely God’ and the cutting, razor-like bass jabs on ‘Call Cards’. Remixes come from Letta, who reduces ‘Pearls’ to an almost beatless state by building a harsh, squarewave landscape all of his own, and fellow Shanghai producer Downstate, who traps out ‘Lonely God’ with swirling, hopeful melodies and thumping 808 bass.

8/10

Karnage & Rider Shafique 'Realise' EP (Infernal Sounds)

Infernal Sounds enlists Karnage and iconic Deep Medi mic-man Rider Shafique on this monster of a new record. Lead single ‘Realise’ is a clattering, industrial juggernaut that keeps marching forward with a deepest, darkest lean. It’s all punctuated by Shafique’s hazy, spoken-word flow and fiery monologue. On the flip, Karnage then goes all-out on the icy ‘Bayside Shakedown’, a track that first hits you with its shiny, piercing and glass-like melodies, before some eerie passages of Halloween-style keys drift in and out of focus. A proper dubstep 12”, this.

8/10