Context MC – Is It (Rat Attack Mix) | grooveTEK.net
by BuddhaBoy on 16/09/09 at 12:29 am
It’s been only 18 months since Context MC released his debut EP ‘Dialectics’ in 2008, and, on BBC Radio 1, Huw Stephens introduced everyone to the innovative sound which he deemed “absolutely brilliant”: – Dub Hop: dubstep infused hip hop. The CD, crafted in only 3 months, recorded and mixed entirely in his bedroom, received acclaim within the UK, earning praise for its “strong, vibrant originality (britishhiphop.co.uk)”, and U.S publication ‘Versus’, based in San Francisco. Ras Kwame on 1Xtra too was quick to back the newcomer, impressed by his “banging hip hop”.
It was a rapid rise, having only begun two years earlier by winning local battles in his hometown Norwich, and allowing his sound to mature and absorb the variety of sounds which inform it: dark, bass heavy dubstep; the brooding edge of hip hop’s darker side; the poetic lyricism of indie rock; and the energy of grime.
Throughout last year, Context MC took his sound across the UK and performed alongside some of the biggest names in music, including Bloc Party, Shy FX, Dizzee Rascal, Caspa, Andy C, Cotti and many more, all the while, putting together an online only release to kick start 2009.
‘Liberatingly Oppressive’ was launched in January, and his local BBC Introducing programming invited him to host a special edition of the show to mark its release. In March, Context MC’s first major single was released ‘Is It (Rat Attack Mix)’. Once again, BBC 1Xtra were quick to endorse the tune, giving it a coveted daytime slot on Ace and Vis’s show, and included in their Best of HomeGrown podcast for the second time in less than a year. The single was supported as far afield as Australia, where Bondi FM played it, and was a storming hit within the underground dubstep scene as reflected in its regular inclusion in the tracklistings of the award winning Sub FM.
In recent months, Context MC has been readying for his second major release: ‘Mental Breakdown Music’. He has taken his sound to even wider audiences with a performance at one of the UK’s biggest summer festivals, Beach Break Live, and crafted a release which is sure to propel him even further into critical acclaim. Already earning interest following an innovative tactic to decide upon the second single ‘As the Sun Goes Down’ (via a national vote live on air on BBC 1Xtra on a Friday evening), and the single’s endorsement once again by 1Xtra’s Homegrown Show, the CD, set for a September 21st release date, will serve as a perfect illustration of the musical variety, lyrical development, and musical craftsmanship of this new talent.
