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

Tentative is a view down the lens of dubstep in a universe where its inception reflected a modern utopia as opposed to the bleak and discouraging cityscapes of South London. The track grips onto the quintessential halftime 2-step and hollow echoed percussion, but complements with psychedelic scattered vocal samples and airy, nostalgic pads.

Buy the full EP: https://worshipbristol.bandcamp.com/album/worshipleft001

Bloodhound - Tentative

Osaar - Psychotic & Melodic Mind (Extended Clip)

Produced, mixed and mastered by Jaymie Silk.
Artwork by Jaymie Silk www.instagram.com/jaymiesilk/

Download here : https://jaymiesilk.bandcamp.com/album/freekn-you

Jaymie Silk - Freek'N You

Keep Bubbling (DJ Sports Remix)

As we’ve all seen Tāmaki Makaurau has suffered massive devastation after the floods a few weeks ago with the good people of the north being heavily affected with some losing their homes & entire livelihood’s including lots of dear friends & whanau of The Big Fresh Collective - We turned to local artists & businesses to donate a bit of their time and support to a great cause in order to raise some funds for those in need ❤

Footmahi For Tāmaki Makaurau is a non for profit, Footwork & Juke inspired compilation album where artists from all over Aotearoa & the rest of the world have donated tracks in support of The Victims of the recent floods and the people of Tāmaki Makaurau.

The compilation is centered around raising money for the victims of the floods and also restoring a bit of love and happiness back through the way we know best; with good music!

Created on a $0 budget with tracks donated from acclaimed artists locally and abroad; The compilation will be available under a name-your-own-price deal on Bandcamp which means you get to choose how much you want to donate towards the cause and you receive a high-quality download of the album - 100% of profits will be going directly to The Auckland City Mission  ❤

Huge aroha going out to all the artists involved who donated their time and to Nuance for mastering this project in it's entirety with an extremely quick turnaround in the aftermath of the flooding & the literal midst of Cyclone Gabriel - dude is as an absolute rockstar look him up on instagram under @nuance_nz for all your mixing & mastering needs ❤

CURATED BY LIAM K. SWIGGS
MASTERED BY JEFF LATO AKA NUANCE
ALBUM ART BY LIAM K. SWIGGS
MADE IN AOTEAROA / LONDON / BOORLOO

We acknowledge this compilation was to assist those in need after the floods in Tāmaki Makaurau but since the project was undertaken our country has also been absolutely rocked by Cyclone Gabriel with mass devastation and loss of life being felt by many of our North Island communities - Our most heartfelt condolences are with those affected by the disasters - we've listed a group of charities & funding pages you can donate directly to below;

LOCAL IWI FUNDRAISING LIST - https://bit.ly/3IoB1lk
RED CROSS APPEAL - https://bit.ly/3Imig1H
GIVEALITTLE CYCLONE GABRIEL - https://bit.ly/3IqAxee
$15FORFLOODS (KIDSCAN) - https://bit.ly/3kj7X6A
HAWKES BAY FOUNDATION - https://bit.ly/3ZgMqtZ
AUCKLAND CITY MISSION - https://bit.ly/3INhX1y

SUPPORT + DOWNLOAD

SAM STACKA - GO BABY

LAKEBOON - LAY WIT ME

DJ GRAN TURISMO - TRIPPIN ON THA RHYTHM

ULTRAVIOLET - TEMPORAL SHIFT

out March 16 on Samara Beats

@isozen
@samsarab

[Premiere] Iso Zen - Entity (out on Samsara Beats)

dont trust no bitch, dont chase no bitch. dont take your life & dont take a life. fent pack time we making god tonight

Hold My Breath (Outro) [101dayyys]

THE BIG FRESH COLLECTIVE 10TH ANNIVERSARY BEST OF VINYL
+ DOCUMENTARY
+ NATIONWIDE TOUR COMING EARLY 2024! 

SRN 2022 ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER
FOR THE MIGHTY FOOTMAHI 2022!

PUBLISHED IN - ROLLING STONE AUSTRALIA, RESIDENT ADVISOR, THE STAR CANTERBURY! 

EST JAN 2014 IN AOTEAROA - ŌTAUTAHI
FOOTMAHI / JUKE / BREAKZ / JUNGLE / LOFI
NORTHWEST SUBURBIA; BELFAST 
+ PAPANUI / REDWOOD

MONTHLY RADIO SHOW ON 95 bFM
RESIDENCY - THE BIG FRESH COLLECTIVE
W/ LIAM K. SWIGGS & GUESTS ON 95bFM 
EVERY 3RD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH 1 - 2 AM 
LIVE FROM THE REDWOODS OF ŌTAUTAHI
BEAMED DIRECTLY TO TĀMAKI MAKAURAU!

RIP RASHAD X RIP TOTEMZ