3/19/2023 0 Comments Darq e freaker blueberryA match made in heaven between Freaker’s cool world and Brown’s freaky pranksterism, the track marries the producer’s signature whistling pop-art sounds with Brown’s tweaky barks and completely derails whatever normal crap you had planned today. Then, when DJ Sinden threw Waka Flocka Flame’s “Hard in the Paint” vocal over “Cherryade” for an unhinged but totally perfect union, it all clicked: the perpetually snarling urgency of grime MCs isn’t that spiritually far off from America’s new crop of rap party crashers.Įnter “Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine),” which grime and rap fans have been dying for ever since Danny Brown started tweeting at Darq E Freaker early last fall. The catalyst: the nasty, space-bubblegum instrumental “Cherryade,” which sounded like sounded like a weeded cartoon puppy barking at an iced-out bird, and and helped usher in the super-exciting new generation of grime artists who honor their predecessors but aren’t hemmed in by them. Pre-order your copy here.South London grime producer Darq E Freaker has been around for a hot minute - check the beat he did for 2009’s Tempa T crucial cut “Next Hype” - but it wasn’t until early last year that his sound really began to ignite. This release executes the unambiguous criteria it sets out to fulfil. Productional finesse and creative innovation can be found elsewhere. Considering these factors, the release is perfectly acceptable. A remix for Scissor Sisters and a collaboration with London Grammar exemplifies the audience Freaker is intending to impact. Advantageous to the producer, critiques such as this would most likely go unnoticed within the intended context the tracks potentially operate within. Whether it’s a textural, aesthetic intention or not I’m unsure, but the production value throughout ‘Minger’ espouses one that is overly compressed and condensed. Busy kick patterns add pace and propulsion to the half-time drum programming. The repetitive vocal hook quickly becomes absorbed by arpeggiated synth lines and percussive one-shots immersed in delay. The classic 808 drum kit is harnessed proficiently complementing the light and airy synth lines and reverberated vocal. The B-side, ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Dun Know)’ has more to offer in terms of musicality and timbre. The hackneyed synth line is rescued from the brink of the pop charts by its compelling rhythmic pattern, a case which is also applicable to the drum programming automations later in the track. Nevertheless, the energy of the piece is undeniable and effective within its frame of reference. The repellently titled opener ‘Minger’, begins with a simplistic and ominous string and horn combination, before propelling in to a sub-heavy drop that has since long ago become a standardised framework for club music of the Trap/Grime/Hip Hop ilk. Numbers is an expected home for this artist, as the coalesce of club-friendly sounds and commercial appeal seems to be one of the label’s specialities. That being the case, a solo release seems aptly timed. Solo material has come to fruition sparsely through compilations on All City and Big Dada. Following his limited edition one-sided 12″ on Tru Thoughts for Records Store Day, Darq E Freaker debuts on Glaswegian label Numbers with two club-ready tracks. Since establishing himself in the public sphere with his production for Tempa T‘s ‘Next Hype’, Danny Brown‘s ‘Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)’, and the infamous but similarly constructed ‘Cherryade’, Darq E has remained active in production work, again for Danny Brown on the impressive ‘Handstand’ and for Nigerian MC Afrikan Boy.
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