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Dwayne
Mahorn i.e. Durrty Goodz has been ripping the mic since his early
years, being crowned Best MC by Kool FM at the tender age of 15.
Since then, he, along with his Boyz N The Hood Crew, has been
perfecting his craft in London’s top garage club nights.
The Axiom EP is his last release before he drops his full length
on Polydor Records. Durrty is an immediately recognisable MC.
He spits rapid-fire double-time lyrics without resorting to lame
‘filler’ words which blights the grime scene . Goodz
lyrical delivery isn’t his only quality, as the he comfortably
rides a crafty and quite unique amalgamation of hiphop, bashment,
dubstep and jungle.
The Axiom EP is a refreshing alternative to the traditional mixtape
business model undertaken by street MC’s. Whereas mixtapes
tend to take the ‘high volume-low quality’ approach,
the Axiom EP is a short and focused 8 tracker which aims to get
the message out about Durrty’s lyrical ability and production
quality. The EP opens with the ‘The Weatherman’ produced
by Pave. It is a proper stormer and a perfect statement of intent
for Durrty. Stomping beats and cavernous, squiggy bass collide
with sharp snares and futuristic phaser sound-FX in a high tempo
and dark, grimey urban package. The lyrical flow is fast, intelligent
and impeccably delivered and perfectly compliments the soundscape.
A little tongue-in cheek, braggin' and boasting occurs at the
end of the track when Durrty asks who can "name a MC better
than Durrty Goodz". Its a good question though because I
personally can't think of many.
“The Youngers” produced by Virgo is a fast-paced and
disturbingly realistic story, from a young urban girls viewpoint.
Lyrically, the story is told impeccably on a cinematic backdrop
of FX laden squelchy beats with an effective choral sample.
“License to Skill” produced by JJ is a rather messy
affair which has to be applauded for its intended creativeness.
Occassionaly it clicks into place perfectly, i.e. on 55secs it
drops into a Skream!-esque military dubstep bass-exercise which
is synced perfectly with the fast-paced flow. Problems occur when
additional layering is attempted as samples (vocal and instrumental)
drop in and out without regard for timing, which adversely takes
the focus off the original melody. Lyrically, its quite an entertaining
listen, chatting about the hidden agenda of corporate record label
bosses.
Elsewhere there are nod’s to bashment “Boi Dem”
and garage “Switching Songs Part 2” however these
tend to succumb to slightly tinny production which can grate on
the ears. The final track is a fantastically delivered and heartfelt
tribute to his infamous Tech-9 toting brother Crazy Titch who
is serving a 30yr stretch. The soundtrack is a dark, slow moving
and bass heavy piece accompanied by simple effect laden instrumentation.
Instead of delivering a slow flow, Durrty inserts a rapid flow,
switching occassionaly to a different tempo. This provides momentum
and energy to the track whilst highlighting the sincere-ness of
his message.
The Axiom EP is refreshing as it doesn’t rely on the traditional
ghats and bitches formula. There is the inevitable muscle flexing
which shouldn’t be shunned as its part of life, however
lyrically its a more varied and intelligent affair comparable
to peeps like Sway, Jesht or Roots Manuva. The full length, ‘Born
Blessed’, will be an album that shouldn’t be slept
on and it will be interesting to see how the resources of a major
label will add (or detract) from Durrty’s sound and message.
(AM)
For
fans of: Roots Manuva, Sway, Skream!, Wonder
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