Renegade is just one of the titles on The Qemists’ new album Spirits In The System which pushes forward the D&B trio’s versatility - introducing yet another fusion of genres which sets them apart from the mainstream. The release also comes with remixes from J Maijik and Wickaman, Cutline, and a special VIP remix from the boys themselves.
Looping sketchy synths scratch away at the surface of the orignal, the heavy metal guitars strum flat chords, and Maxsta’s futuristic electro vocals creep in. MC ID explodes into the first verse spitting out his tricky lines, and pulling in his grime and hip-hop influence on top of The Qemists' heavy metal drums and guitars, edging it all off with fuzzing synths and grimy baselines. The two-step drums slow the pace, but the reverberating baselines under the deep synths darken this track to suit the grimy lyrics. Maxsta throws his influence into the chorus, which twists the dark dubstep with an electronic edge. Vocoders turn Maxsta into the robotic body of the Renegade, before we hear his timeless East London grime voice telling us to search him on Google. This tune exceeds expectations. It retains the trio’s heavy rock drums and guitars, edging them with fuzzing synths under MC ID’s vocals, and a futuristic dubstep edge under Maxsta’s East London grime. An incredible fusion from the Brighton duo.
The first thing you notice on J Majik & Wickaman's remix is that the tempo has been shot into lightspeed, and it’s not surprising as J Majik and Wickaman are renowned for their thumping style. Maxsta’s intro is sped up, whilst MC ID is slowed right down to ride over the build up of scratching synths and smashing symbols, before the track bursts into drum and bass at its finest. What else can I say? The track continues on its D&B rampage, building its army of layers throughout, trampling everything in its way. Samples of MC ID and Maxsta accompany the baselines to give us some grimy drum and bass which will smash any speakers and fill any dancefloor.
The Qemists' VIP mix begins by stripping back their original track, leaving just a few synths and Maxsta’s resounding robotic vocals in mid-air. When the drop comes, it’s unexpected to say the least. The track transforms into its dubstep sibling, throwing out the pounding baselines and reverberating synths but leaving out the snares and symbols to create a more clean-cut sound. In the middle fragment, you’re suspended in space once again, joined by distant house synths and spacey vocal samples before the bass drum climbs to drop in the dirty dubstep mix. A filthy take on the Renegade original.
On Cutline's remix, spacey, echoing synths and Maxsta’s futuristic vocal samples leave you in a euphoric wonderland, until the strumming guitars return in the distance and housey synths weave layers in to the space to ready the drop. It’s amazing how different a track can sound in someone else’s hands. Renegade completely transforms with fidgety house synths and samples bouncing off the walls whilst wobbing baselines jump in and out. The middle of the track turns upside down, giving you a breather to recover from all that bouncing as the bass stops and the soft house synths take over. The drop brings back the twitching bass and edgy synths and all you want to do is get up and move. This track would put a bassy edge on any house mix.