With the UK’s grime scene getting so much love from heads in the States these days, releases like the Eski Thug EP from Darkness might be necessary. Darkness, a 20-year-old grime producer out of London, says that this project has him “experimenting with early Grime sounds and trying to put my own spin on them. The sounds are the foundation of what we have today so I wanted to go back to the roots of the genre.” The title, Eski Thug, makes sense, as when Wiley first came up with the sound you know as grime today, he was calling it “eski” or “eskibeat.”
Heads like BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Logan Sama have called this four-tracker “essential,” while grime staples like Sir Spyro have also given the release praise. For people who are new to the sound, Eski Thug should be right up your alley. It’s the perfect mix of intense grime sensibilities with beats that even a novice grime head can get turnt to.
Triangulum Recordings head DJ Cable gave us the exclusive premiere of the four-track EP, and there’s also a freebie from Darkness in the form of “Stage 2.” Eski Thug drops on August 20 via Beatport, with other digital retailers getting it on September 4.
