Only a few months after the first Grime compilation from Rephlex comes its’ sequel. Where the first compilation showcased the more ‘ardkore/junglist roots of dubstep producers like Plasticman and Mark One, this second compilation travels into deeper territory with tracks from just three producers – Kode9, Loefah and Digital Mystikz.. Asian influences abound and its aesthetic recalls the shortlived ‘Asian Underground’ scene of the mid-late 90s of Anohka, Talvin Singh and the brooding, atmospherics of fellow dubsteppers Horsepower Productions. Moving even further from the ‘popular’ definition of grime, gruff MC-led urban brutalism, it is difficult to imagine the tracks here rinsing a dancefloor. Despite this it is a stronger collection of tracks than the first Grime compile with Kode9 working without his regular MC Daddi Gee dropping some super-stripped back cuts, Loefah introducing tables and Digital Mystikz slowing to half speed. A contributor to I Love Music described the current iteration of the dubstep sound as manifesting an always unresolved pressure, bass pressure, a very London t’ing paralleling the current lived experience of London as a city. On all these tracks it is the relentless throb of bass that holds sway, never resolving itself, neither offering propulsion (jungle, breaks) or solace (dub, reggae), just a cold endless tension.
Sebastian Chan |
