Having only recently provided an explosive mix for the Sonic Router x Uncle Albert series, news of Trends' forthcoming release on Mixclique Records, an imprint headed by fellow producer Neon Beats, was always going to garner some interest. Based in Oxford, Trends, a producer very much in the Spooky / Waifer mould, made waves in 2012 with his hard-hitting, 8-bar style and new EP 'Whiplash', seems to have set 2013 a pace on similar footing.
Although still to strike a chord with some of grime's more established tastemakers, something about Trends makes him hard to ignore. There is certainly an element of nostalgia to his beats too but rather than just revisit old ground, his influence seems to transcend it, a fact made all the more apparent on Whiplash, a 4-tracker of serious grimy credentials.
First track 'Selecta', complete with Soul Plane sampling, is archetypal 8-bar paradise, whilst title-track Whiplash is somehow even more raucous in its delivery, working a flurry of gritty bass stabs with Spooky-esque ferocity. 'Fuzz Buzz' is a little less unrelenting, although in my opinion this is no bad thing as it packs a whole lot of dancefloor swagger, whilst last track 'Mirrors' carries on where Whiplash left off, embracing the raw, stripped-back sounds of grime circa 2004. Agreeably not for everyone but for fans of grime's formative era, this is an EP of real integrity.
Whiplash is to be released on February 8th as a digital bundle and will be available from all good online stores.
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