Comprising Jel and Doseone, members of the cLOUDDEAD/Anticon axis, Subtle are more gnarled and gristly, if as remote a permutation of hip-hop as offered by cLOUDDEAD on this year’s Ten. Doseone’s enervated, darkish vocal style belies the fast-cut fury of his rapping, backed by an ever-morphing backbeat of guitars, keyboards, orchestral instruments, dub breaks and luminous moments amid the wreckage. A New White is a landfill site of pulverised genres and detritus ?however, Subtle both exploit this sense of cultural mess and overload while also appearing to be overwhelmed by it.
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