Royal T – Orangeade EP [Butterz]

With a few 12”s already under his belt as well as some impressive tracks here and there Royal T has been making all the right moves, ‘Beat Fighter’ and his ‘Hot Ones’ remix have barely left the bag since they dropped. So here he is with his latest EP on Butterz, who’ve had a hell of a run lately with percy’s from TRC and DOK still very much fresh in the mind, plus the much called for vinyl release of the sublime ‘Wooo’ riddim by SX, anyway on with the T.

Fizz and bubble into action with ‘Orangeade’ a rhythmically skippy hyped up grime weapon that bangs hard with enough intensity to keep floors alight. Atmospheric pads and synth whines shuffle into bumpy beats and big bass tones to great effect on this one, it oozes hyper-funk. Remember a cheeky Beastie Boys single called ‘Alive’ well ‘Whistle Song’ isn’t it but the whistle melody does make me want to sing ‘dip dip dive, so-socialise open up your ears and open up your eyes’ over the top of it. In fact it sounds like what would happen if Daft Punk did too many lines of coke/glasses of orangeade whipped out the talky-box, lived in Bow and remixed it at 140bpm. Which obviously means it’s a catchy little banger... The return on the devil mix concept is a welcome one, especially when it’s done well. In the hands of the likes of Zomby, Untold and more recently Logos the beat-less/restrained twisted grime instro pioneered by Wiley is an inspired creation. Royal T also pulls it off on ‘Music Please (Devil Mix)’ morphing the hyped up synth leads into a pent up hypnotic gem that keeps on brooding.

Royal T is really starting to show his versatility and is growing into his own now ‘Orangeade’ bangs differently. They’ll be plenty more on the horizon too as you’ll no doubt know if you’ve heard his slinky garage remix of TRC on the radio recently. He shows some serious breadth and quality keep an eye out. Just a quick word on the promo video too the OGz: P Money, Lil Dee and Blacks go in hard they’re tight and sharp on T’s beats its one of the best promos around.



Buy: http://butterzrecords.bigcartel.com/

http://www.butterz.co.uk/
http://royaltmusic.tumblr.com/

Originally written for Sonic Router. Check out the Interview and Mix.

Dro Carey – Venus Knock EP [The Trilogy Tapes]

The young Australian producer is one to keep an eye on this year; his blend of haunted hip-hop is really on point. The debut 12” is a super limited affair for The Trilogy Tapes so get in quick. If you miss it don’t fret because we’ll be hearing more, Ikonika has already mentioned picking him up for a release on Hum & Buzz. The ‘Venus Knock’ EP shows Dro Carey flexing his muscles and knocking out some seriously twisted mutations. Imagine a heavier variant on the ghostly R&B of How To Dress Well or Hype Williams playing off the computer funk of Actress or 10-20 and the twisting bass heavy drum machine/sample workouts of DJ Rashad then you’ll be somewhere close.

We start with a strong opener with the brooding ‘Get Rid Of This Guy’, which takes rolling 808 drum patterns and plays them off a menacing sluggish synth tone. Along with the infectious chopped vocal motifs it’s a real winner. Quick on its heels is the booming title track ‘Venus Knock’, bass hits punch wholes in your chest as an angry buzz swoops into view through a post-industrial haze it’s sinister. Flip the wax over for the slow motion smudge of ‘Dead Keys’, which feels like its come fresh off the set of a horror film with a scene set in a Chicago house club. The vocal hits twisted in and out of shape against the creeping backdrop. While the closer ‘Glitter Variables’ sounds like a submarine in trouble sampled and chopped into the form of a lost Dance Mania record. A solid EP all round.

Dro Carey Trilogy Tapes Promo from DC vampira on Vimeo.

Buy: http://www.thetrilogytapes.com/ttt/

Web: http://www.thetrilogytapes.com/

Blog: http://drocar.tumblr.com/

Originally written for Sonic Router.