After a bit of a re-jig, including a new production alias and a deal with Ninja Tune last year, King Cannibal is absolutely killing it at the moment, and this 12” provides a tasty sample of what’s to come on his forthcoming album, due out in October.
It’s a bit of a give away, but quite literally, embracing a minimal vibe on the A-side, with So…Embrace The Minimum, King Cannibal keeps the tone sparse and subtle with a warmly textured soundscape full of epic SFX. It definitely marks a change from some of his previous dark, tortuous tunes like Murder Us, but retains the same element of profundity, whilst also taking influence from Berlin’s minimal techno scene. A rumbling b-line and crisp, punchy beats with interspersed piano chords, make this is a deep, enjoyable tune. Cleverly produced, King Cannibal rides the wave of being minimal and artistic, but maintains enough interest and groove for it to work a dancefloor well into the early hours. Nicely done!
Flip over for Dirt, which provides a stark contrast to its counterpart. Again, the clue is very much in the title, as big, dirty beats and bullets of bass are the order of the day from the mighty King Cannibal, as he employs the vocal duties of Daddy Freddy in this menacing dancehall-sounding riddim. Verging on heavy metal-style, the screaming, chopped up spoken vox are punctuated by assaulting drum kicks, which adds further fuel to the aggressive Dirt fire. A ringing bell in the background invokes some ominous tribal clapping, plucking strings, and further relentlessly punchy, vocal-led beats, before finishing on the beat, Daddy Freddy declaring, “Rastafari, mwahaha”, as the final artistic flourish to this merciless tune. Dirt by name, dirt by nature with this filthy number. Enjoy!