Premiere: Hear Arctic’s grimy new EP for Coyote Shook

Newcomer Arctic gets ‘Shook’ thanks to fledgling grime label Coyote Records.

Coyote Records has knocked us for six with its opening slew of releases, from Mella Dee’s neck-snapping ‘CTRL’ to Walter Ego‘s masterful slice of instrumental grime ‘Wavey’ (which we reviewed for FACT’s Singles Club). They return here with a ridiculously heavy hitting one-two punch from mysterious grime producer Arctic, who throws together sounds with a charming reckless streak that’s more often checked at the door.

Opener ‘Shook’ is our pick, and it excels in being both a nod to grime’s storied history and letting the future get a look in too. While the samples and sounds could have been jacked from any one of Wiley’s Eski-era classics, Arctic takes the rhythm and deconstructs it, lacing it with a skeletal jerk that sets the track apart from so many others. Flipside ‘Know This Don’ takes a darker route, blending an ominious techstep bass synth with pummeling gunshot snares and a typically ominous movie sample.