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

Spurz 'Loud Futures' (Apothecary Compositions)

Canadian producer Spurz, now based in London, has been on our radar for a long time. His music often operates in-and-around instrumental grime spheres and has been filtering its way through to some of the scene’s most influential selectors, but without ever earning the props it deserves. His debut album, ‘Loud Futures’, should change that. An 11-track voyage through the sounds that have influenced his own (there are flashes of grime, dubstep, synth music, trance and even jungle), it feels like a coming-of-age proper. Littered with beautiful tracks such as the swirling, sugary ‘Days In Rain’, there’s a definite aesthetic established early on; it’s an LP full of emotion, executed with a meticulous hand. Every track feels crystalline, although the stylistic switch-ups – from blissful, beatless opener ‘Arms Length’ to the crushing ‘Roto-Tiller’ and frenetic ‘Palace’ – illustrate the breadth of Spurz’ palette. Bright, unpredictable and largely optimistic, ‘Loud Futures’ is a dance record we all need at the start of 2017.

9/10