Wip-ee - Love Obsession Violence Ecstasy

Hear The Track Here

This oddly named artist is in fact a collaboration between Rude Corps (see my review of CJ Freq-X's Lockdown remix earlier for more info on them) and someone I only know as Sir. While reviewing the remix I felt madly compelled to listen to the original as well and I'm glad I did because I ended up liking it very much - and up to that point it would probably have passed me by. I can't, despite trying for all I am worth, listen to everything and tracks are going to fall through the cracks. Then you get these odd little incidents where interest in one artist leads to yet another... After the electronica fest that is Rude Corps original Lockdown, Love Obsession Violence Ecstasy came as a real - and very pleasant - surprise to me.

First off it has something going for it immediately that captures me attention; the dry, flat intonation of the northern counties of England - not something, I admit, I associate with Soundclick. MP3 Unsigned has a few of this kind of vocalist/rapper but SC doesn't seem to attract too many. This vocal is then overlaid on top of very ambitious, very dubby music that maintains your interest despite it's simplicity. For my money, I would have loved to have seen the lyrics to this because what I can make out of the vocal sounds well tasty. Moreover, because of this blend of local dialect and the music's oddity rhythmically, it sounds to me, a very English sound in every respect.

So that's the reason why I like it, but will you get the same. A rocking beat, dancehall bass, and musical flourishes that verge on the dark side of the force is what you will hear, and a challenging vocal and rap that you will either like or not. It's overall volume level doesn't - to my ears - do it any big favours, and the vocal is very thin but the musical content more than makes up for these flaws. What I like most about this track is its willingness to be different, providing me - and maybe you too - with a great listening experience that has echoes of many famous UK artists. Gorillaz are one of the references I have been toying around with while listening to this track, and I still think that. Anyway, whatever tag it holds, it's a spot on track.

Recommended.