Artist: Low End Activist
Title: Hostile Utopia
Label: Sneaker Social Club
Cat No: SNKRLP009
Release Date: 14th June

Casting a self-reflexive lens over his roots via the medium of crushing, future-rushing soundsystem sonics, Low End Activist returns to Sneaker Social Club with a full-length of monumental proportions.

When the Low End Activism 12” ignited on Sneaker in 2019, it paid tribute to the Blackbird Leys estate in Oxford, UK, where LEA originates from. In the shadow of social inequality and strengthened by the unity of the multi-ethnic community, Blackbird Leys still imposes a powerful influence on LEA’s work, even as he’s stepped out onto Seagrave for last year’s Game Theory album and notched up the first couple of releases on his own self-titled label.

On this new album, Hostile Utopia sums up the conflicting emotions attached to memories of home – how it’s possible to feel nostalgic for the griminess of urban and suburban Britain, its ordinary tales of bitterness and frustration, but also its intrinsic passion and solidarity. At a time when social division is actively engineered by Machiavellian forces, real conviviality at street level feels like an impossible dream.

LEA communicates these tensions through a style which is becoming his signature – dynamic bass torsion and chiseled, fractalised rhythms slugging around the 130 mark. It’s moody like a UK-themed record ought to be, but it’s not morose. There’s fierceness in every snap and rumble, as the legacies of hardcore, jungle, dubstep and grime pour into the casing prior to the gunpowder lighting.

On previous LEA releases, the MC roll call has pointed to some of the most vital voices touching the mic in the present day. Flowdan, Sikka Rymes and Trim all had something different to impart over the riddims, and now Hostile Utopia expands on that with the most extensive show of lyrical strength yet. Mez lights up the woozy, abstract grime swerve of ‘Mercenary’ in a musical style. Emz brings a ruthlessly sharp verbal steez to ‘GetGet’, Killa P gets busy toasting over ‘DFRNT STYLE’ and ‘Superhighway’ carries the dexterous hip-hop flow of Cadence Weapon.

In between those standout tracks, LEA expresses just as much in the production. Tracks brimming with stories to impart, laden with symbols masquerading as samples and draped in aural garb that firmly places Hostile Utopia in a place, a mood, that could only belong to the UK. It’s a hybrid sound just like the society it sprang from, and therein lies its power.

Mastered by Beau Thomas
Collage by Clayton Burke
Design by DR.ME

Hostile Utopia

Being featured on different guest mixes since 2018, Flaan continues his journey to enter the future of sound - satisfying his thirst for music, collaborations, and connections with anybody who's listening.

Track list: 
U Too - Huna
Archives - Debba
Limes - J Wax
Say It - Parallels
Physical Only - J Chrysalis
Portal Track 001 - Benomorph
Other - Parallels
Hydra - Ice Wing
FLOW 2000 3D1T - Wachita China
JACK - DJ CDQ
Silkworm - Cameo Blush
Fantasi4 - 𝗦 𝗧 𝗜 𝗡 9
whatugonnado - Parallels
CHIBI (Nick León Remix) - Esty
Another Year - Jack Chrysalis
Hypercubed - Ice Wing
Process - FLiiK
iMessage - Two Shell
yawning portal - make you happy housefire (stin9 edit)

Blip Mix 010 w/ Flaan

Mantissa 004 - Evening Service - Ian DPM - Snippets

For my first show of the year, I invited Lucas SM & Bunney for a 90 minute guest mix.

Debba w/ Lucas SM & Bunney on Voices Radio - 27 Jan 2023

Personal Growth | QUIVR | 27-01-23

instagram.com/ru8es_

kur8ed by:
instagram.com/zubz.newman
facebook.com/ZUBZDJ

Zubz Dubz 002 w/ Rubes

@gesturesound presents three new tracks exploring contorting, glitched-out breaks on his INTO EP.

Debuting the Gesture alias in 2021 with an appearance on the Scuffed Presents Vol.7 release, the London-based producer immediately showed his unique take on production with ‘Skynet’, which picked up support from Surgeon, Plastician and Mixtress among others.

A 2-tracker on Torre Recordings followed in early 2023, with Gesture flexing the full gamut of his musical influences - with his erratic rhythmic attack and weighty bass honed during his earlier days making breakcore, and a compositional flair brought along by his work as a cellist and film composer.

The ‘INTO’ EP carries on the development of the Gesture sound, with its three tracks united in their frantic breakbeat workout and distinguished by their unconventional use of samples and instrumentation. Stretched vocals, pounding bass, and winding melodies are the name of the game as Gesture puts his stamp over the entire release.

Buy:
https://lnk.to/GestureINTO

Gesture - INTO EP (Previews)

@resourcesmusic is a Parisian label run by DJ and producer @tommykid, also co-host of the eponymous bi-monthly show on Rinse France along with @sourcedecalcium, @blame_sound, @bobsleigh1 and more. Since 2014, the label has been dedicated to a hybrid form of club music, influenced by grime, UK funky, jersey club, dancehall, and bass music.

Tune in for [re]sources every 1st & 3rdSunday of the month from 20h to 22h [CET] on rinse.fr

Rinse France Podcast

[re]sources 9th anniversary EP special avec Leto, Nasty J, Qant & Ravl - 09 Avril 2023

Overwhelming Rain (Borowski Remix)

stand by u

Jake Mak - Let’s Groove (Unreleased)

YUKU // Kaizen // CloudCore // Control Freak // RSP // Eclipse Tribez // +++

debbamusic@gmail.com