- Wonky techno, electro and rap from a Brisbane artist to watch.
- True to his name, Brisbane's Mutant Joe shifts and reshapes genres like rap, electro and breakbeat across his tunes, like the self-released Dream Corrupter album from last spring or December's Remixes edit pack featuring reworks of Lil Wayne, Cardi B and 50 Cent. His most recent EP, Wrong Way Out, comes on Aura T-09 & Trickfinger's EVAR and features his usual quirks—robotic vocals and deconstructed drum patterns—but it sounds foreboding compared to his previous records.
Take the opening track, "Bangin On." Mutant Joe pitches down Atlanta rapper Apoc Krysis and works him into a Miami-style bassline. The sludgy kick drum and bloated bleeps add a murky element, like old-school electro rap updated for 2022. "Static Effect," on the other hand, is straight-up electro. Complete with a computerized vocal paired with a thwacking bassline, it's perfectly uncluttered, and the crisp snares evoke a sci-fi horror vibe—a proper Mutant Joe mood.
Ukrainian producer Limewax delivers a retro-futuristic remix of "Static Effect," laying down industrial drums and an eerie breakdown, before going full-bore into almighty banger territory (and far from his usual drum & bass style). There's more of a UK feel to "Eyes Without A Face," as a warbling bassline collides with high-velocity breakbeats—organized chaos, but make it stylish.
"The Living Dead" steps one foot into the leftfield with its apocalyptic breakdown and clanging percussion, but like every other track on Wrong Way Out, it makes a strange sort of sense. It's always refreshing to hear a relative newcomer twist up multiple genres like this, creating a nebulous but often oppressive soundscape—something that strikes a chord even more as heatwaves sweep across the globe.
Tracklist01. Bangin On feat. Apoc Krysis
02. Static Effect
03. Eyes Without A Face
04. The Living Dead
05. Static Effect (Limewax RMX)
06. The Living Dead (Wheez-ie RMX)