Beginning with frosty, razor-edged strings, producers Last Japan and
Inner launch us into their two-year-old, but newly-released collaboration, entitled "East Blocks". Almost
as if to resemble East London’s often deserted concrete tower blocks, this instrumental
is cold, eerie and minimal, though all the while embedded with an underlying force
and substance.
Last
Japan hails from Sutton, whilst Inner is from Finland – it’s exciting to see
international connections like this, especially in grime. Last Japan’s cold back catalogue is laced with dramatic beats and
certified features; Inner’s is stocked full of suspense and supernatural
timbres, however, at times, merged well with pop vocal samples, bouncy rhythms and
electric basses.
This link up seems something of an obvious notion. Both
creatives produce music that is not so far away from each other, though at the
same time bringing their individual sound and unique style via minute but vital
intricacies.
As for "East Blocks", we’re more than ready to hear an MC
jump on this and make it their own. This cold riddim is out now via Bandcamp, serving as an instant grat single from their forthcoming three-track collaborative EP Cold Ascent. The full project drops on 27 September, and marks the launch of Last Japan's new Circadian Rhythms label imprint Ascend.