April 20, 2018
Subculture Sage
Following a hectic 2017 that saw them release acclaimed project 'T A K E 3 EP' and fol-low-up single 'Aliens' before playing a packed-out headline show at London's Oslo in No-vember, Subculture Sage are to kick off their 2018 with new six-track EP, 'Niccolo's Dead'. The duo, comprised of beat-maker Subculture and MC Hypeman Sage, have long been sought-after for their bold, idiosyncratic take on UK hip hop, with tastemaker DJs like Zane Lowe, DJ Target and Phil Taggart already long-time supporters. Having never con-formed to a conventional sound or image, 'Niccolo's Dead' was therefore written to spot-light their "pride at not falling into an immediate category or box" and as Sage explains, on a deeper conceptual level, also "explores thoughts beyond death and the endless possibili-ties of what is". From the frosty, flickering atmospherics and intense, say-it-with-your-chest bars of opener 'Ain't It Lovely' to punchy lead single, 'Same Old Thing' -- the beat laced with swirling, Eastern-inspired melodies and emboldened by classic grime tropes -- 'Niccolo's Dead' is powerful and engrossing throughout. Dizmack and Pav of Foreign Beggars both feature on ice-cold final track, 'Run It', too, ensuring it lands as some of their grimiest and most ab-sorbing work yet.