Ninja Tune show us they haven’ lost it, and sign King Cannibal to the label. What a brilliant move. King Cannibal, or Zilla, his hip-hop alter ego, is a very talented producer. As Zilla he’ released praised mixtape’, collaborating with Buddy Peace, memorably for the Warp mixtape included with the first Warp Video’ DVD, and the occasional track on a compilation, and even a remix or two. He obviously likes the electronic end of the spectrum, with his attention to each sound, the syncopation, the repetition. King Cannibal isn’ a new thing for him, he’ teased us with a few more mixtapes, the odd ep, but this is the first for Ninja Tune, and its quite brutal. The Bug is in danger of being toppled as the king of future dancehall sounds, King Cannibal offering up some brutality all of his own, encompassing his love for building tension, magnified by great use of film dialogue, and creepy breakdowns. With “Aragami Style”, it breathes post-rave-drum’n’bass-dancehall, the harsh, hard sounds, but in a fluid ever changing tapestry of rhythm, growling bass and pummeling beats. “Flower Of Flesh & Blood” is a whole different beast, showing a dubstep aesthetic, but with that trademark bass growl, film dialogue, building the tension. Whereas the A-side looks back to rave, this looks back to acid, its been a while since I’ve heard a 303 used so well in a track. Brutal but brilliant stuff, I for one am looking forward to the debut full-length on Ninja Tune, especially if this is an indication of the pummeling we will receive.
Wayne Stronell
