Over the last few weeks, FKA Twigs & Central Cee joined forced for a best of British Bond-esque anthem titled ‘Measure of A Man’, Garnda delivered yet another classic Jungle riddim with a little help from Josh Skints, and Clavish claimed the upcoming year as his won with his new 2022 EP. Whether it’s hidden gems, standout singles, revolutionary remixes or archetypal albums, come celebrate the overlooked exceptionalism and individualism of today’s best musicians with the CULTED Release Radar.
GARDNA – I’LL GET HOME
Bristol’s favourite wordsmith, Gardna, has returned to the grindstone after already having a breakthrough year with records like Back In The Dayz teleporting him to new heights. His latest offering ‘I’ll Ge Home’ is the exhibition of his worldwide wisdom as he partners with Josh Skints and Brad Baloo for a funkadelic breakbeat inspired riddim that offers the perfect canvas for Gardna’s patented skippy wordplay. The B-side on this record titled ‘Disturb Them’ is also a certified banger and definitely worth a spin!
BASTILLE X HIGH CONTRAST – NO BAD DAYS
This airy roller is a welcome disruption to the wintery inertia setting in over the last few weeks. Although Bastille is by no means my usual cup of tea, this loft and uncrowded beat does a lot to bolster the often off-kilter vocal aesthetics of Bastilles frontman Dan Smith. If there was ever any remaining doubt, anything high Contrast touch turn to gold.
BAKAR – BUILD BE A WAY
Nothing has stolen our heart this year more than the humble, sporadic and poetic ramblings of Bakar. His lyrics are baptised in the mundane and often trivial occurrences of daily life but are delivered in an intangibly soothing and nostalgic way that feels like your watching raw artistry unfold with every note. We didn’t think he could top the success of his anthem Hell N Back but Build Me a Way is certainly a contender to claim the spot of his most streamed single.
SAM BINGA – STAND TALL
This one is for the extraterrestrial ravers. Sam Binga has been at the forefront of the UK Drum & Bass scene for over a decade and yet continues to deliver a cascade of fresh tracks on a monthly basis. ‘Stand Tall’ is a trip in a track with raw industrial sounds forming the bedrock of this bass-heavy bouquet. A true onslaught of face-melting basslines and skank inducing lyricism.
CLAVISH – JUNGLE MOOD
Plucked straight from Clavish’s latest mixtape titled 2022, ‘Jungle Mood’ is like the most gangster retelling of Jungle Book ever. The North London spitter is just warming up with this one as he prepares to drop a full project in a few months, nevertheless, this EP does a lot with beats from Chucks and Hazey delivering standout production performances. If the title is anything to judge by, I’d say next year is going to be ripe for the picking for the young up-and-comer.
ELLIE PARRIS – ALWAYS
Anytime a new artist burst onto the scene with a scorching track it’s cause for celebration. Ellie Parris is already making her mark on the UK R&B world with her second single ‘Always’. Notably, this track was produced by Jords, the firebreathing MC on a rocketship straight to the top of the charts. With a powerful endorsement already n the bad, there’s no doubt this sultry toned crooner will be on our radar a lot moving forward.
FKA TWIGS & CENTRAL CEE – MEASURE OF A MAN
‘Measure of A Man’ marks a massive step forward in the career of the UK’s boy wonder rapper Central Cee. He partners with superstar singer-songwriter FKA Twigs for an anthemic orchestrated piece that seems like it was plucked straight from the title sequence of a Bond film. Smooth and silky trumpets and swooping vocal acrobatics make this track an instant must listen.
WU-LU – BROKEN HOMES
South London’s psychedelic guitar maestro Wu-Lu is back at it again with a new punk/jazz/rock fusion track that embodies the abstract nature of his artistry. Screeching guitar licks, understated lo-fi vocals and an off-beat broken hip-hop flow is exactly what we have come to expect from Wu-Lu and ‘Broken Homes’ is just the latest in a long list of gritty tracks that we’ve learnt to love.
AMA LOU – TALK QUIET
After a stream of standout singles, Ama Lou has finally released her debut EP At Least We Have This. ‘Talk Quiet’ is unquestionably the swagger filled single Ama needed to spearhead this release as it sheds old-school JLo vibes with the sass and technical vocal ability of 2000s Beyonce. Considering ‘Trust nobody’ has racked up the most streams off the project thus far, it’s fair to say although the project is only five tracks deep it’s filled to the brim with quality records.
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