As one of the founding members of The Square crew, Lolingo has long
been honing his production skills alongside some exciting and
innovative figures in the scene. Living up to expectations, his new instrumental release, Blueprint, shows off what the Lewisham man can create across a condensed
but impressive tracklist.
Title track "Blueprint" opens the collection with an attention-grabbing
swagger, using grime staples of brass and string stabs with a big, bold, stepping
bassline to give a result that hits hard, but somehow still holds on to a bit of a playful side to its sound.
There’s also a funky edge to both “Italian Job” and “Rude Flex”
that begs you to move your feet, or at very least draws out a subtle little
bounce when you listen. On “Italian Job”, Lolingo chops up sampled rhythms and
melodies, recombining them for a skippy, stop-start blend that adds a hint of authentic,
classic hip-hop to the grimy sonics of the EP. Meanwhile, “Rude Flex” swaps
out the layers and sticks to thick, slapping bass that mostly stands alone, only embellished with occasional
string chords and minimal, marching beats.
Taking a slightly more relaxed route at the EP's mid point, the constant, rolling
bass background of “Ritual” plays perfectly against the female vocal cuts as they
filter in and out of focus. This one’s wavy, offering a bit of smooth breathing
space between the other more in-your-face tracks.
Speaking of a more in-your-face sound, “Rushdown” closes the
tracklist with uncompromising blaring impact. Like on “Blueprint”, there’s
a build-up of delicate string chords to open the tune, but “Rushdown” leaves
the lighter stuff to the side when it drops, repeatedly cutting back and forth from
cinematic, lyrical bridges to dirty sub sections with thumping kicks
and snappy, syncopated claps.
Listen to Blueprint on Spotify below.