- The producers who constitute grime's "new wave" are mostly too young to have been around for its first flush. So while artists like Wen, Visionist, Logos and E.m.m.a. bring a fresh take on a decade-old genre (if you count "Pulse X" as year zero), Slackk occupies an interesting position. Though he's no newcomer or fairweather grime artist—he cut his teeth on pirate radio, and started the essential Grimetapes blog—he's fully embraced the genre's recent developments.
Essentially, that means proper songs that emphasise melodies, futuristic timbres and intriguing structures, rather than beats made for MCs. Still, there's plenty of good old-fashioned aggro on Failed Gods. "Shogun Assassin" in particular is a treat, dense with whipcracking gunshots and snares, and the mighty synths and meaty percussion on "Algiers" dispel any hint of grime going soft. But it's on the less beat-led tracks that Slackk's production comes into its own. The wistful Sino synths and hummingbird snares of "Silk Robe" pack a surprising punch, and "Room Made Vague"'s melancholic chords are somehow both cinematic and introspective. The combination of panoramic strings and spare percussion on "Empty Bottles," meanwhile, illustrates how emotional depth is less at odds with grime's typical ferocity than you might expect.
TracklistA1 Empty Bottles
A2 Algiers
A3 Shogun Assassin
B1 Silk Robe
B2 Room Made Vague
B3 Jackpines
B4 Locked Groove