It’s easy to forget the power music has the capacity to hold. No, not through mind-bending riffs and ear-piercing harmonies. I’m talking about the real raw resonance found in the aural mirrors which are held up to the issues which we sleepwalk through every day.
Which is why you can consider the UK Electronic Hip Hop collective Askari’s debut single Progress a wakeup call.
Homelessness, knife crime, the corrupt economy, war, austerity, depression and oppression are just a few of the issues which come under attack as a reflection of our disparity in Progress.
Scroobius Pip has been a little quiet as of late, but thankfully ASKARI has stepped up to the plate with a track Dan Le Sac himself would struggle to replicate the momentum of. Through the inclusion of incredibly efficacious Nu Metal and James Routh’s perceptibly dexterous production skills, Progress is an unforgettable debut.
In the verses, you’ll get the atmospheric doom-laden beats before the track seamlessly evolves into meteoric Alt-Rock breakdowns which follow ingeniously mastered EDM build-ups. And there’s definitely no question about what Askari can bring to the airwaves lyrically. Asher finds poetry in political failure and verses it through flawlessly energetic bars while Liam finds the perfect places to throw down the riffs which scream as loudly as we should all be screaming right now.
ASKARI may be fresh from their inception as a collective, but their years of experience is more than tangible in the perfectly polished mix which saw the deft touches of James “Lerock” Loughrey. The very same James Lerock Loughrey who has worked alongside the likes of Skindred, Manic Street Preachers, and Def Leppard.
You can check out the official music video to ASKARI’s single Progress via YouTube.
Keep up to date with ASKARI’s new releases via Facebook – you probably won’t want to miss their upcoming album release which documents 16 years of underclass social history.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
