- Slimzee's Slimzos Recordings released a run of killer grime plates in the early 2000s. Tunes like Wizzbit's "Breakdown" and Hinzy D's "Target" are packed with a vitality rarely matched since. These types of tunes, and other grime blueprints, capture a tantalising time in dance music history, linking a variety of genres, from dancehall to dark garage, breaks, drum & bass and more, while laying the foundation for dubstep and the evolution of grime itself. But such sweeping statements don't sit well with the actual music, which thrives on a hit-and-run sense of immediacy.
Trends' In The Jungle / Iron Fist revives Slimzos Recordings, 12 years since its last release. Where "In The Jungle" repeatedly bricks your skull, slaps with clattering claps and shoots off jets of steam, "Iron Fist" sits back and lets crafty, effective production do the talking. It hides its complexity well, combining a flurry of elements into a dextrous, playful rhythm that almost seems to crumple in on itself. A steamrolling slab of wow-ing bass buckles under its own weight. Where some similar tracks use thin, hard edges and sheer aggression to get their point across, both sides here are sonically well executed, delivering a satisfyingly warm and deep dose of sub that makes waves when it hits. There's more in the pipeline from Slimzos, and if Trends' 12-inch is anything to go by, it will be one of 2017's grime labels to watch.
TracklistA In The Jungle
B Iron Fist