Over the last few weeks, Murkage Dave returned to the top of our playlists after a heartbreakingly long two year hiatus, Silk Sonic continued their reign as the smoothest crooner supergroup going, Two Another dropped a tantalisingly tasteful track titled ‘Your Gone’, and the UK grime scene showed everyone whos boss with Trillary Banks, D Double E & Backroad Gee all coming with some heat! Whether it’s hidden gems, standout singles, revolutionary remixes or archetypal albums, come celebrate the overlooked exceptionalism and individualism of today’s best musicians.
MURKAGE DAVE – PLEASE DON’T MOVE TO LONDON ITS A TRAP
After a two-year-long hiatus, Murkage Dave returned to the top of our playlists without missing a step. His latest track ‘Please Don’t Move To London It’s A Trap’ is a quintessentially British rambling on the wicked woes of London life conveyed eloquently through Dave’s signature stream of consciousness style of rapping. Whilst Dave has always been a master at blending his relatable lyrical content with a fusion of honey-dipped vocals and complex bar construction, this track marks a meticulous evolution of all those qualities to a new degree of production prowess.
D DOUBLE E – MAFIA TING
D Double has been hustling like he’s back in the earliest days of Newham Generals with a new collaboration, single or merch drop seemingly arriving every week. This week’s offering is a return back to basics for the Grime scene legend as he stands alone on an ice-cold anthem titled ‘Mafia Ting’. Brazen delivery and a bashful as always track persona is exactly what we needed to feel a daily dose of classic Grime greatness.
TWO ANOTHER – YOUR GONE
Two Another have been at the top of our ‘ones to watch list’ since they first captured our attention with their ghostly haunting track ‘Another Night’ back in 2020. After the release of a seamless album titled ‘Two Sides’, the tasteful duo teams up with production wizard The Magician for a feel-good riddim ‘Hippies’. Today they are back with ‘Your Gone’, the third single from their upcoming album that signals a true maturation in their sound towards a larger than life layering of ambient elements that create a full-bodied and aerated atmosphere in their production.
SILK SONIC – AFTER LAST NIGHT FT. THUNDERCAT & BOOTSY COLLINS
The effortlessly electrifying and carefree creative genius partnership between Bruno Mars & Anderson.Pakk is the most mellow marriage of globally beloved crooners since the formation of The Rat Pack. Their anthropomorphising of raw Blues & Jazz spirit with the frontman-ship and psychedelic confidence of 80s disco has resulted in a nostalgic but forward-thinking partnership that has captivated the world’s attention. Their debut album An Evening With Silk Sonic is everything we could have hoped for when ‘Leave The Door Open’ first arrived at the start of this year. This track titled ‘After Last Night’ is a standout highlight from the tape as the two legends enlist the aid of two equally legendary artists in the form of funk master Thundercat and the King of Soul, Bootsy Collins.
TRILLARY BANKS – 268 BADNESS
Thankfully, Trillary Banks gifted us this ghoulish record just in time for Halloween. The Leicester lass assembled an all-star army of MC’s including Ree ZP, President Lani and Jay Abnormal to craft a spine chilling cypher that goes as Grimey as Grimey can go. Trillary has become a landmark in the landscape of UK rap and has put Leicester on the map in the process, particularly in partnership with her fellow Leicester MC’s like Kamakaze.
MELLE JUTTE – GO
Making his debut on our release radar is Amsterdam based songwriter, producer & DJ Melle Jutte and his delicate and humble hymn ‘Go’. This grounded style of Indie R&B is a true continuation of Melle’s modest production taste, never over-complicating or under-utilising any element of his melodies. His voice is just as much a part of the beat as his percussion, creating an ethereal and elegant riddim that is crying out for numerous remixes.
BACKROAD GEE – ANCESTORS FT. NSG
Backroad Gee’s journey to the forefront of UK underground music is honestly one of our favourite pilgrimages to popularity in recent years. His latest album Reporting Live is his own interpretation of road journalism as he brings his first-hand accounts of life, love and tragedy to an eagerly listening fanbase. The project features exceptional appearance all-round from artists like JME, Lethal Bizzle, Ms Banks, Pa Salieu, Stefflon Don and many more but it ‘Ancestors FT. NSG’ that takes the cake for us. As much as we adore Mr Gee’s more aggressive and rage-fueled riddims, it’s so refreshing to see him take to an Afrobeat inspired track with equal ease and excellence.
AMA LOU – TRUST NOBODY
London’s very own Ama Lou makes her debut on our release rada with an understated heartfelt track titled ‘Trust Nobody’. Ama is entering a new echelon of vocal dexterity and prowess as she continues to become more and more masterful in her beat selection and in her application of her insane vocal acrobatic ability. Much like contemporaries like Pip Millet, Mahalia and IAMDDB, Ama is carving out her own sound and aesthetic that feels extremely grounded in her real-life character rather than caving to some oversaturated dilution of her character created to sell more records. Raw, authentic and ruthlessly herself.
BREAKAGE – THE ORIGINAL CERTIFIED BUBBLER
This one is a real not so guilty pleasure for me to have on this list as I was fortunate to be front row when Breakage dropped this track ahead of release at Fabric a few weeks back. This is bass-face to the Nth degree as Breakage creates a bonkers heavy roller that radiates those late-night rave riddims we had all missed so much.
More on CULTED
See also: NIA ARCHIVES BREAKS DOWN ‘SOBER FEELS’ & HER ‘HEADZ GONE WEST’ EP
See also: JENEVIEVE & THE RENAISSANCE OF 90S R&B
