With an excitable change of direction, the experimental, edgy, noise fulled trio Death Grips drop a twenty two minute mixtape a year after their finely tuned full length "Bottomless Pit", also announcing a new album in the works. The mention of Gabber in the title is no joke, the group experiment with the hard thudding, repetitive grind of Hardstyle which has the majority of songs driven by a fast thumping bass and kick syncopation. Its far more interesting than what I remember of these harsh electronica styles, MC Ride's vocal presence and the layers of electronic noises surrounding him making for a more expanded experience than one might expect given whos making the music. The production is rawer, less polish and that only aids it. The constant bombardment of strange, wild synth noises remind me of the Bomb Squad, its as if select moments of a wild, free flowing noise jam where selected to be repeated as sections of the tracks. The result are dense, thick tracks which an endless shuffling of squashed in noises. There is so much going on it could almost be overwhelming but luckily the balance feels just right as a listener can get a feel for the song yet spend ages listening into all the nuances.
The percussion is very lively, to juxtapose the relentless thudding of the Gabber style tones of unorthodox rapid rolls and fills barge there way in. Occasionally the tireless jamming of Zach Hill can be heard between them, filling out another dimension with groove. The unhinged style extends to MC Ride too who drops a great set of dark and life infuriated lyrics with his typical artistic flavor. They make use of many effects, delivery styles and go for anything creative thats off the path. Its an engrossing record made from a varied collection of ideas that offer up a lot for the listener, its got depth, direction and substance. I'm left as curious to where they will go next, if its either a teaser of whats to come, or a one of, it stands on its own as a great but short experience.
Rating: 7/10