Live Review: Swick teases a new mixtape with '1000 Shots' featuring UK MC Merky Ace
Hip hop sensibility meets forward facing club sounds as SWICK teams up with MERKY ACE to deliver a future grime banger and promising taste of a new mixtape
Melbourne bred, Sydney based producer and NLV Records signee SWICK has been working pretty hard lately. After working on an incoming mixtape, dropping a collab with NINA LAS VEGAS, and producing for label mate KOTA BANKS on her last release, this busy bee has just released a brand new single and of course, it's another collaboration! Shooting internationally, he's linked up with London MC MERKY ACE for '1000 Shots' blending classic flavours of hip hop and grime with his unique approach to club sounds and futuristic synthwork.
Basic piano chords are completely elevated by Swick's grab bag of signature sounds, as he moves the classic hip hop formula into more club leaning territory. Choppy hats ricochet off lazer SFX and grimey wubs, with snappy fills popping in and out of focus alongside the vocals. The syncopation of the beat brings the half tempo of the chords up, with the back and forth of the percussion and melodic hits keeping a consistent head-bopping groove.
Of course with a collaborator out of Lewisham, the influence of grime is clear, with 8bit bleeps and washes of loaded bass referenced with that unique Swick sensibility. Merky Ace's bitey flow almost packs as big of a punch as the production, with his sharp tongued lyricism bouncing between the melodies. His smooth hooks in the chorus and hypeman ad libs are dusted with a light touch of melody enhancement, via NLV Records' fav plug-in, Autotune.
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Among the computerised soundscape are a few recognisable samples, keep your ears peeled for gunshells jangling, glasses smashing and the snapping of an iPhone camera. Exaggerated glistening synths hit like gunshots and the glass smash melds into the tinniness of the hats, as Swick blends the real and his hyper creations together.
Swick is no stranger to collaboration and is set to feature a tonne more of it across his incoming mixtape, Court Composer. Also likely to pop up: mind bending synths, heavy autotuning and at least one reference to football.
'1000 Shots' by Swick featuring Merky Ace is out now via NLV Records.
WORDS BY HOLLY O’NEILL
PHOTO Supplied
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