SD Laika - Idiot Thug
I'm finally coming around to the whole instrumental avant-grime thing. Between Logos, Filter Dread, Miss Modular, Sudanim, Visionist, etc. etc. things are looking on the up and up. It feels like true future music. To a certain degree this new scene–whatever you want to call it–feels like it's breaking free not just from grime, but from any and all genres. Yes, there are some nods to grime (full disclosure: I missed the first wave of grime being stateside and not all that cool at the time) with the bitcrushed angular synths and that persistent gun reloading sample (unlike a lot of the samples used in footwork, this one doesn't grate for some reason). Otherwise it's a complete free-for-all. And SD Laika might be the most out there. This anonymous beat-slinger sounds more influenced by Untitled-era Autechre and Actress than Wiley. Laika's music bangs from time to time, but the rhythms struggle to find the grid. Any melody seems incidental and instantly melts into the racket of machine noise. Yet, like Autechre and Actress, Laika gives you just enough accessibility to hold on for the ride. It's absolutely brilliant, and this mix bodes well for whatever Laika has in store for an upcoming release on Tri Angle.
